A SYNODAL CHURCH BEYOND 2024 SYNOD: ECHOES FROM THE PASTORAL TEACHING OF THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL

Abstract

This article demonstrated the correlation between the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the synodal Church envisaged by Pope Francis. The author's curiosity in seeking the link was motivated by the assertion that the Conciliar Teaching, on the one hand, is a sure compass by which the Church takes her bearing in the third Christian Millennium and, on the other hand, that the synodality envisaged by Pope Francis is what the Lord expects of his Church in the Third Millennium. This being so, how has the teaching of the Second Vatican Council influenced the call for a synodal church? Starting, therefore, with a brief historical survey of the Second Vatican Council, through the process of the evolution of its documents, it was underscored that the theme of synodality is deeply rooted in the theology and ecclesiology of the Council. The article offers one recommendation, which is the need for a continual study of the documents of the Second Vatican Council for an in-depth understanding of synodality. It concludes with a quote from Pope Francis in which he invites all “to go forth to offer everyone the life of Jesus Christ”.