Synodality as the Listening Church: Pope Francis Continues and Expands Vatican II's Teaching on Collegiality

Author

Toan Van Phan O.Cist, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's UniversityFollow

Date of Award

5-5-2022

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Theology (Th.M)

Department

School of Theology and Seminary

First Advisor

Kristin Colberg

Second Advisor

Shawn Colberg

Subject Categories

Catholic Studies | History of Christianity | Religion

Abstract

At the Ceremony Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Institution of the Synod of Bishops, 17 October 2015, Pope Francis affirmed that synodality is an essential dimension of the Church, and it is what the Lord asks the Church in the third millennium. The goal of this thesis is to investigate the origins and history of the concept of synodality in the life and mission of the Church in the light of theology and doctrine. The theoretical intention is to study what is old and what is new in Pope Francis’s idea of synodality and how the old is made new in his vision of the synodal way. In completing the analysis, I want to raise some issues about the limits of his theology: what are to be the parameters and practices of synodality in the global Catholic Church of today?

Recommended Citation

Phan, Toan Van O.Cist, "Synodality as the Listening Church: Pope Francis Continues and Expands Vatican II's Teaching on Collegiality" (2022). School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses. 1933.
https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/sot_papers/1933