Synodality: Revisiting the Spirit of Vatican II

Abstract

The spirit of Synodality as a process finds no better foundation in modern times than in its affirmative roots entrenched in the magisterium of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. Any effective Synod on Synodality, cannot but recourse to this great historical deposit of ecclesiastical riches and pastoral guide to the journey of faith. In the present preparation for the synod on synodality, the content and the spirit of the Council is an indispensable reservoir. The Council described the Church as the ‘People of God’, a definition pregnant with responsibilities, which hitherto has been relegated to the background. As all the baptized forming the body of Christ on a journey to make disciples of all nations, every member irrespective of his/her state in life is called to Journey together in conjunction with the evangelical mandate of Matthew 28:19; with each contributing their quota according to their state in life for the success of the mission. History seemed to have been flying on one and a half wings and for a smoother flight two wings are necessary. The Roman Pontiff wishes to bring healing to the broken and weakened wing by way of restoring the indispensable role of the laity in this whole process. This can only be done in the light and spirit of the second Vatican Council which has already given each member of the Church their roles. The objective if this paper is to demonstrate how any meaningful synodality today must hinge on the spirit of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, the content of which is indispensable. To achieve this objective, this paper used qualitative research method for its theoretical framework and phenomenological approach by way of archival research relying on primary data as church documents and commentaries both print and soft. It also used internet sources. It employs the MLA referencing sty