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The approval of the summary document of the synodal journey of the Church in Italy on Oct. 25 did not mark the end of the synod’s arduous process. If anything, it opened another, even more complex one, because the document certainly meets the assembly’s expectations, but also calls into question many of the principles of the Catholic Church. The document, titled “Yeast of Peace and Hope,” is quite lengthy, even asking bishops to support protests against “homophobia and transphobia,” effectively influencing pastoral decisions. It also calls for a study of the possibility of a female diaconate, a topic on which Pope Francis appointed two commissions, though neither reached a conclusion. Obviously, a synodal document cannot replace the authority of a bishop any more than a bishops’ conference, which is an administrative body, can. The feeling, however, is that there is an attempt to reverse this dynamic. Some Background To understand what happened, we need to go back. As part of its synodal process, the Italian Episcopal Conference (also known by its Italian acronym CEI) drafted a summary document, a series of propositions. But these propositions failed to gain the consensus of the more than 1,000 synodal delegates. Last April, when the text was analyzed, it faced an exorbitant number of amendments. At that point, it was decided to postpone the discussion of the document, rewrite it, and even postpone the general assembly of the Italian bishops, traditionally held in May. The propositions were rewritten to achieve greater consensus, resulting in the text that was first released online and then voted on in closed session at the Third Synodal Assembly on Oct. 25. The new document passed with 781 votes in favor and 28 opposed, out of 809 cast. The CEI presidency will now appoint a group of bishops who, based on the document, will develop priorities, resolutions and notes that will be central to the work of the General Assembly in November 2025. The delay in approving the summary document earlier this year marked a departure from the established practice of the Church in Italy, resulting in the first postponement of this kind in half a century. For the Church in Italy, the past decade has seen a greater focus on implementing synodal principles, inspiring episcopal conferences of other nations to follow suit. Referred to as the Synodal Path, this approach emphasizes the need for input and consensus-building, along with a structured process of dialogue, listening and prayerful discernment. The difficulty in reaching a consensus with the 2025 summary document correlates with this new synodal emphasis. The Most Disputed Points All points were approved. However, some received more votes than others. “That the CEI support and promote research projects by theological faculties and theological associations to contribute to the study of issues relating to the female diaconate initiated by the Holy See” received 625 votes in favor and 188 against. Another point proposes that the CEI “support with prayer and reflection the ‘days’ promoted by civil society to combat all forms of violence and demonstrate solidarity with those who are hurt and discriminated against. These days are against gender violence and discrimination, pedophilia, bullying, femicide, homophobia and transphobia.” It was approved by 637 votes to 185. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the CEI, spoke of a “courageous operation” and of bishops who “listened together to the voice of the Spirit” and who “stopped ignoring the problems and stopped believing it possible to continue postponing decisions.” Archbishop Erio Castellucci, president of the National Committee of the Synodal Path of the Church in Italy, also praised the document and expressed his hope that “the CEI will make the pastoral advice contained in the document mandatory.” “We expect the CEI to do its part,” Castellucci emphasized, “by adopting this text and not just disseminating it, and to begin making the decisions that can already be made.” The president of the Synod Committee said that the document “is not intended to be a doctrinal document,” but aims “at co-responsibility, which implies the renewal of participatory bodies within communities, a more shared leadership of Christian communities, a more recognized role for women, and a diffusion of ministries not only around the altar, but in the true sense of presence in the community and in society and more generally.” Not all bishops, however, appreciated the document. Bishop Giovanni Paccosi of San Miniato, a friend of Pope Leo XIV (he had been a missionary with Prevost in Peru), stated: “I sensed in several places the pressure of making what was only the request of a few a universal demand, and the difficulty faced by those who were supposed to vote, no longer able to make distinctions, articles that contained, all at once, disjointed and, in my opinion, biased proposals.” The Bishop of Ventimiglia-Sanremo, Antonio Suetta, sent a text to the UCCR website, in which he explains that the synodal assembly is “a consultation of the faithful (and non-faithful) promoted by the Italian Episcopal Conference in a synodal style.” It is not formally a Synod, nor is it a pronouncement of the CEI itself, although numerous bishops were also present at subsequent assemblies. Suetta also noted that “despite the intent to open up to as many people as possible involved in the synodal journey, statistics show that, at all levels of the journey, participants still represent a minority compared to the faithful in Italy. The resulting approved text, unfortunately, records tendencies and visions of the Church and of doctrine, which, in my opinion, need to be verified and rectified in light of Catholic doctrine, contained, for example, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and in the constant and uninterrupted Magisterium on the issues debated today.” In short, the debate at the CEI plenary session on Nov. 17-20 is expected to be particularly broad. The plenary will be closed-door and will take place in Assisi. On Nov. 7, the Italian bishops’ conference announced that Leo XIV will travel to Assisi to meet the bishops at the conclusion of the assembly. The Controversies While the document rejected by the assembly last April “lacked prophecy,” according to many participants, the new synodal document takes a different approach. It takes new social and cultural developments as a challenge from the Spirit to move forward, to be experienced in a conversion of synodality that calls on the Church to “renounce the pretense of placing itself at the center” and “open itself instead to welcoming other perspectives.” This approach is found not only in the issues of homosexuality and gender, which have received less consensus, but also in other topics. The Final Document maintains that the Church must protect liberal democracy, calls for the transformation of parishes into Renewable and Solidarity Energy Communities (CERS), raises the issue of the participation of the laity not only in a consultative but also in a deliberative way, postulates a revision of canon law in light of the “new charisms” made necessary by new historical situations, and invites dioceses to hold their assemblies regularly. The Future of the CEI The crisis that followed the April summary report also demonstrated the weakness of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi’s leadership. Today, that leadership appears further weakened by having pushed forward a process that now appears outdated. Leo XIV has repeatedly stated his desire to advance the discussion of synodality. At the same time, however, he warned in his book Citizen of the World: Missionary of the 21st Century that the Synod “cannot transform itself into a parliament of the clergy.” If the bishops of the Italian Episcopal Conference were to be “forced” to accept and implement the document, as Archbishop Castellucci advocated, we would truly find ourselves in a sort of “dictatorship of the assembly.” The great risk is that changing practice, with the need to go beyond “it’s always been done this way,” could also lead to de facto doctrinal changes. It’s unclear whether this will impact the future composition of the Italian Episcopal Conference. Zuppi has been president of the Italian bishops since 2022; his five-year term expires in 2027, and it remains to be seen whether the Pope will confirm him or look to other bishops for his succession. The president of the CEI is, in fact, appointed by the Pope. Pope Francis had asked the Italian bishops to amend the statutes, electing their own president. But the Italian bishops decided they preferred the Pope, as primate of Italy, to continue to make the selection independently. As a compromise, the bishops presented the Pope with a shortlist of three possible “candidates” for the presidency. The composition of the 2027 trio will reveal whether Zuppi’s reign is destined to end or develop further. And this choice will also reveal much about the Pope’s position on the issue.
