Two years to change the Church. Two years during which delegates – bishops and laypeople from all over the world – were invited by the pope to meet in Rome in October to discuss, debate and perhaps decide on major, even historic, changes in the operations of the Catholic Church. At around 9 pm on Saturday, October 28, the first general assembly of the synod on the future of the Church, or Synod on Synodality, came to a close. This is a major process of reflection on the future of an institution to which 1.3 billion people around the world belong.

It was the first step of an effort that will not be completed until October 2024. For four weeks, from October 4 to 29, the 365 members of this first session worked on the life of the Church and how to anchor it more firmly in today's world. The aim, among others, was to better address the existential challenges of a lack of vocations and the desertion of the faithful in certain parts of the world, as well as the enormous crisis of sexual violence committed by priests around the globe.

The place of women in the institution, the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people, greater lay participation in decision-making bodies and the fight against clericalism (the excessive place of clerics in the institution) are just some of the subjects on the menu of the delegates's working document, produced through a worldwide consultation of the faithful.

It was in the large Paul VI Audience Hall, seated at round tables marking the equality of all, that the synod "fathers" and "mothers" worked to arrive at the document approved on Saturday evening. For the first time, laypeople, including women (54 out of the 365 members of the session), took part not only in the drafting of the text but also in its adoption, on an equal footing with bishops and even cardinals. This gave substance to the profound change of culture Pope Francis has sought in a Church he would like to see more open to discussion and dialogue.

Divided into 18 chapters and 41 pages long, the synthesis report published in Italian on Saturday evening, which the churches will have to take on, does not yet contain any decisions. Each theme is divided into three parts: convergences, proposals and matters for consideration. While the aim of the whole process was to introduce a new way of discussing together and governing the Church, the topics addressed were much broader.

Unsurprisingly, it was the themes related to the role of women that dominated the debates over the four weeks. In an atmosphere of nonetheless calm discussion, differences and opposing viewpoints emerged on a subject that remains particularly sensitive today. Women, their place and their role, certainly perceived differently depending on the continent, were also brought up throughout the world in the consultation of the faithful. Today, it was the chapters concerning them that, although adopted, received the most "no" votes.

You have 65% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.