Does the Synod on Synodality Mark the End of Ecumenical Councils? Historical exploration and theological analysis

Abstract

This article examines whether synodality, as developed in the Synod on Synodality (2021-2024), represents a rupture with or a renewal of the Catholic Church’s conciliar tradition. While critics fear that synodality risks weakening doctrinal authority and eclipsing ecumenical councils, this study argues that it reconfigures rather than replaces them. Rooted in Vatican II’s theology of communion, synodality introduces an ethos of ongoing consultation, discernment, and participation that can prepare, deepen, and extend the authority of future councils. Synodality, properly understood, strengthens episcopal collegiality, enriches papal primacy, and fosters a dynamic reception of doctrine. In this light, ecumenical councils remain the highest expression of the Church’s discernment, not as interruptions in ecclesial life but as culminations of a synodal continuum of listening, conversion, and proclamation.