Synod on Synodality events open to the public on Wednesday evening gave a glimpse into the private debates among delegates and theological experts on the issues of a bishop’s authority and his relationship to the laity in light of synodality.
At the October 9 forum on “The Role and Authority of the Bishop in a Synodal Church,” hosted in a conference hall near the Vatican, four theologians and a canon lawyer gave presentations on finding and following the correct interpretation of the Second Vatican Council’s teaching on episcopal authority, with frequent citations of the council’s dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium.
Speakers claimed an important part of synodality is implementing the proper understanding of a bishop’s authority in his diocese, which demands cooperation with laypeople.