Francis, Leo XIV and Synodality: Same word but different meaning?

For Francis, synodality was a way of questioning everything, and never appeared to allow the primacy of doctrine. But for Leo?

VATICAN CITY (PerMariam) — Synodality was the defining element of the last years of Pope Francis’ pontificate, but what priority will it be given under Leo XIV and what might that look like?

As the Catholic Church marks the two-week point of Leo XIV’s pontificate, some early themes and central tenets of his pontificate are already emerging. Without doubt his papacy remains very much in its infancy, and for a man who might reasonably be expected to remain 15 or 20 years on the throne, two weeks is but a blink of an eye.

Nevertheless, for those with a keen eye on Vatican affairs, clues are already present and a key question about the Leonine years is his decision on the future of the Synod on Synodality.

Leo XIV blessing members of the press, May 12, 2025. ©MichaelHaynes/PerMariam.

From Francis to Leo: A synodal Church?

The Synod on Synodality truly dominated the latter half of Francis’ pontificate. Barely a speech or homily could go by without notable mention from Francis of “synodality,” the importance of being a “synodal Church,” or of requiring a Church-wide “synodal” conversion.

Indeed he ensured that this focus would continue as the prominent theme for his successor, when – from his hospital bed – he approved a three-year implementation period of the already three year Synod.

As prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, then-Cardinal Prevost was involved in both the 2023 and 2024 sessions of the Synod held at the Vatican. Furthermore, as the “go-to” man for about half of the world’s bishops when visiting Rome for their ad limina, he would have had key oversight into how the Synod was being implemented in local dioceses and what effect it was having.

Prevost was appointed as prefect of the Dicastery in early 2023, created cardinal a few months later, and was one of the Roman Curial prefects whom Francis would have had perhaps the most contact with – due to the regular matter of discussing diocesan appointments and episcopal issues. Such a relationship might lead one to expect similar outlooks from the pair.

Indeed, on the night of Leo’s papal election, key Synod official Sister Nathalie Becquart posted a glowing social media post about the “synodal pope” who she had just bumped into.

So what of Leo and synodality? Will he echo his predecessor?

Leo has been described as a left-of center moderate, a continuity candidate, and – by some over-imaginative part-time observers who seem to have only recently started watching Vatican affairs – as perhaps the greatest pope in centuries.

The most vocal Francis allies are claiming Leo as the continuity champion for synodality; other – often on the opposing side of the Church divide – are arguing that Leo will somehow implement unprecedented reform in the Church.

The reality from Rome seems a little more nuanced than either side of the divide in the Church is initially hoping.

Speaking on the Vatican loggia on the night of his May 8 election, Leo did echo a Francis theme – that of being a “synodal Church.”

He stated:

Together, we must look for ways to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges and encourages dialogue, a Church ever open to welcoming, like this Square with its open arms, all those who are in need of our charity, our presence, our readiness to dialogue and our love…

To all of you, brothers and sisters in Rome, in Italy, throughout the world: we want to be a synodal Church, a Church that moves forward, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close above all to those who are suffering.

A day later giving his first homily to the College of Cardinals – a key moment – synodality was conspicuously absent. For the cardinals, this was the first time to gauge their new pope’s priorities, to judge the fruit of their work of the past few days. In place of synodality he highlighted the importance of promoting Catholicism against “practical atheism” and the duty of those in ecclesial authority to make Christ known.

One could argue that thus far, there were mixed signals. Synod proponents were made happy by his May 8 mention of synodality, while traditional Catholics were enthused by his Christo-centric homily to the cardinals on May 9.

Nor was there mention of synodality in his first Regina Caeli address on Sunday, May 11 – again a notable absence in what was the first time many of the people of Rome and the wider Church tuned in to hear their new pope.

Leo XIV on May 11, 2025. ©MichaelHaynes/PerMariam

Synodality remains a central theme

It was on Saturday, May 10 that Leo XIV outlined his papal priorities and explained his choice of name, during a private meeting with the College of Cardinals. Here, synodality returned to the fore as one of seven priorities which the American pope identified:

In this regard, I would like us to renew together today our complete commitment to the path that the universal Church has now followed for decades in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. Pope Francis masterfully and concretely set it forth in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, from which I would like to highlight several fundamental points: the return to the primacy of Christ in proclamation; the missionary conversion of the entire Christian community; growth in collegiality and synodality; attention to the sensus fidei, especially in its most authentic and inclusive forms, such as popular piety; loving care for the least and the rejected; courageous and trusting dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities.

This speech served as a de facto state of the world address for the new Pope, who – after his initial two speeches on the two days prior – was able to present his prepared thoughts on the Church to his cardinals.

After seeing Leo use the papal Mozzetta which Francis eschewed, Romans sensed a change of tone, and questioned if Leo would put an end to Francis’ synod. Based on his May 10 address, the answer appeared to be “no.”

What is synodality?

And yet, even this answer appears a little uncertain. Without doubt, Leo has cited “synodality” a few times during his first two weeks, but he has also refrained from mentioning it at other crucial moments.

Case in point: in a hugely significant move he made no mention of “synodality” during his inaugural Mass on Sunday, but the next day highlighted the importance of synodality and ecumenism when welcoming ecumenical delegates who had attended his inauguration:

Aware, moreover, that synodality and ecumenism are closely linked, I would like to assure you of my intention to continue Pope Francis’ commitment to promoting the synodal nature of the Catholic Church and developing new and concrete forms for an ever stronger synodality in ecumenical relations.

The trouble in assessing Leo’s pontificate and synodality lies in the meaning of synodality itself.

Omnipresent in almost every text of Francis’ latter years, synodality was never defined. Yet practically, it meant a process whereby committee style meetings were given unprecedented prominence in order to discuss questions of Church doctrine, belief and governance. This included questioning teaching and hierarchical aspects of the Church which cannot be changed – teaching which synodal advocates argued strongly against.

Under Francis, synodality was the mechanism of chaos, allowing everything to be questioned whilst neither deciding anything, nor defending already settled teaching: most people – not all – were given the chance to voice their opinion and have it taken seriously, even if they had no place even being near the Vatican, let alone arguing against Catholic teaching while standing in the Vatican City State itself.

When issues developed too far for Francis’ liking, he swiftly relegated them to special study groups, as was seen with the hotly debated question of female diaconate during the Synod 2024 meetings, which was siphoned off to a study group.

But for others, synodality meant something different. Take the African bishops, for example. They arrived to the 2023 Synod session full of suspicion that the Synod was a mechanism to overturn Catholic teaching – as indeed many prelates and journalists warned was the case.

Then in 2024, they appeared happier, content, and converted by the joy of “synodality.” What had changed?

During the early half of 2024 numerous high-ranking Vatican officials went on a charm offensive throughout African dioceses, promoting the Synod on Synodality and effectively telling Africa’s bishops that what they were already doing was basically synodality in action. Robert Cardinal Sarah also was active in Africa, though warning about the dangers of the Synod, delivering many speeches throughout Catholic Africa and appearing to rally the conservative spirit of the Church.

But by the time the Africans returned to Rome last October, they understood themselves in a new light – as being synodal. Certainly, they were keen to defend the traditional teaching, as Cdl. Sarah had exhorted them to do. But it seemed that also they were keen to get along with the wider Church, and if that meant the simple process of designating their current way of life as “synodality,” then so be it.

In fact, this was a key tactic used widely throughout the entire process: employing the word “synodal” to every-day aspects of Church life in order to win support for the Synod. It worked: many who began as critics of the process, softened as they began to hear that what they did on a daily basis was already “synodality.”

Essentially the synod means many different things to different people, and in the midst of this chaos it allows the most radical activists at the Vatican to indulge their greatest fantasies with regard the future of Catholic doctrine.

For the key allies of Francis, synodality is a mechanism of chaos to effect irreversible changes to Church doctrine and governance. Though they deny this charge, the evidence of the past nearly four years is irrefutable.

For many others, synodality means doing whatever they are already doing: if that includes some questioning of Church teaching then they will carry on; if it doesn’t, like for the African bishops, then they will also continue in the current modus operandi.

Leo XIV on May 12, 2025. ©MichaelHaynes/PerMariam

Leonine synodality

But crucially, what does synodality mean for Leo XIV?

His speeches in the past years and in these recent days have mentioned the importance of “dialogue” but also have given a higher priority to the relevance of Church doctrine.

Addressing the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation on May 17, Leo gave perhaps the clearest outline of how he marries doctrine and dialogue, and thus how he will implement “synodality”:

In the case of the Church’s social doctrine, we need to make clear that the word “doctrine” has another, more positive meaning, without which dialogue itself would be meaningless. “Doctrine” can be a synonym of “science,” “discipline” and “knowledge.”

Understood in this way, doctrine appears as the product of research, and hence of hypotheses, discussions, progress and setbacks, all aimed at conveying a reliable, organized and systematic body of knowledge about a given issue. Consequently, a doctrine is not the same as an opinion, but is rather a common, collective and even multidisciplinary pursuit of truth.

“Indoctrination” is immoral. It stifles critical judgement and undermines the sacred freedom of respect for conscience, even if erroneous. It resists new notions and rejects movement, change or the evolution of ideas in the face of new problems. “Doctrine,” on the other hand, as a serious, serene and rigorous discourse, aims to teach us primarily how to approach problems and, even more importantly, how to approach people. It also helps us to make prudential judgements when confronted with challenges. Seriousness, rigour and serenity are what we must learn from every doctrine, including the Church’s social doctrine.

The next day, Leo outlined his view of papal authority and the role of the Pope in confirming his brethren in the Faith:

The ministry of Peter is distinguished precisely by this self-sacrificing love, because the Church of Rome presides in charity and its true authority is the charity of Christ. It is never a question of capturing others by force, by religious propaganda or by means of power. Instead, it is always and only a question of loving as Jesus did.

For Leo – so far – synodality appears to be a way of having certain discussions in the Church, for engaging in theological conversation and debate, while ultimately having them revolve around Church doctrine and having recourse to it as the decider at the end of said debate.

For Francis, synodality was a way of having a discussion which questioned everything and never ended by appealing to doctrine.

At least at this stage, it appears that while Leo may use Francis’ word of “synodality,” it may not in fact be the same thing. But time, as always, will of course be the true decider as to whether Leo’s synodality follows his predecessor’s in style and in meaning.