VATICAN CITY (RNS) — In a note released Monday (Nov. 25), Pope Francis reinforced that the final report issued by delegates to the recently ended Synod on Synodality constitutes church teaching.
“Acknowledging the value of the synodal journey that we have made,” the pontiff wrote, “I now hand over the instructions contained in the Final Document to the entire Church, as a restitution of everything that has matured over these years through listening and discernment, and as an authoritative indication for its life and mission.”
“The Final Document participates in the ordinary Magisterium of the Successor of Peter and thus I ask that it be accepted as such,” he added, using the church’s term for its teaching authority.
The synod was a three-year consultation with Catholics from the parish level to continental assemblies of bishops, and twice brought together bishops and a diverse group of other church leaders in Rome, including male and female religious and lay Catholics, once in October 2023 and again this past October. Working from ideas submitted by Catholic churchgoers, clergy and institutions around the world, the group was asked to discern “a new way of being church,” focused on inclusivity, transparency and welcoming.
Participants in the summit …