Sixteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops

[22] On 24 May 2019, Nathalie Becquart was appointed, along with four other women and one man, as consultor to the general secretariat of the Synod of Bishops in the Catholic Church.

[23] Becquart saw the appointment as a part of Pope Francis's effort "to implement synodality at every level of the Church’s life" and to benefit from the important contribution that women can make.

It is also not as important who has a vote on the final document, he said, as much as Catholics around the world "dialogue, converse, discern together in order to" find consensus.

[30] On 10 July 2023, five cardinals—Walter Brandmüller, Raymond Leo Burke, Zen Ze-Kiun, Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, and Robert Sarah—sent a set of dubia to Pope Francis concerning the upcoming synod.

[22] According to the International Theological Commission, synodality is "the action of the Spirit in the communion of the Body of Christ and in the missionary journey of the People of God".

Aided by the Holy Spirit, the laity, priests, bishops, and religious each use their own gifts and charisms to help the Church make decisions.

The notion of the Church as "synodal" by its very nature requires "careful theological clarification" according to the Commission, as it is a relatively new concept.

The handbook offers guidance to bishops for how to solicit the thoughts of lay Catholics, as well as non-Catholics and non-Christians, particularly those on the margins of society.

It includes a number of questions and discussion prompts in 10 general themes to help promote reflection and the collection of input from a wide variety of stakeholders.

[42] In April 2023, it was announced that 70 non-bishops (including deacons, priests, consecrated men and women, and Catholic laity) would be able to participate and vote at the Assembly.

The final or universal phase started on 4 October 2023 with a synodal assembly taking place at the Vatican after a three-day retreat held in Sacrofano.

[54] Thereafter, the same day, in an unprecedented move, Pope Francis presented and ratified the Synod's "final document", choosing to do so instead of issuing a post-synodal apostolic exhortation.

[57][14][3][58] There are five main sections within the final document, inviting five forms of conversion to be realised across the church: spiritual, relational, procedural, institutional, and missionary.

[54] Despite being previously hailed as a major event for reform, The New York Times described the Synod as only "comparable to a mini version" of the 1960s Second Vatican Council.