Where Does the Catholic Church Want to Go?
The World Synod and Pope Leo XIV
Pope Francis’ decision to hold a World Synod on “Synodality” in 2023 and 2024 was a productive approach to the unrest that prevails in the Catholic Church. For the first time, 80 additional members who are not bishops – including more than 50 women – participated in a Synod of Bishops. For the first time, the Pope personally enacted the Synod’s final document as a magisterial document.
Thomas Söding kept a journal on every daily session in Rome with observations that provide a lively insight into the Synod’s proceedings and topics. It becomes clear that the topics of the Synodal Path in Germany are also reflected in contributions from other countries and continents. The World Synod’s complete documents are presented and commented on by the author in a knowledgeable and critical manner regarding their consequences, including the open questions for the World Church. Pope Francis declared that “synodality is the appropriate interpretive framework for the hierarchal ministry”. Thomas Söding also traces the footsteps of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who became Pope Leo XIV in May 2025: His work as a cardinal and first statements as pope give rise to the hope that the door of the Church’s synodal renewal has been opened and will remain open.
