Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun strongly criticized synodality during the extraordinary consistory of cardinals on January 7-8. The 93-year-old cardinal described the synodality process as an "ironclad manipulation" and an "insult to the dignity of the bishops." Zen also called the frequent references to the Holy Spirit during the 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality "ridiculous and almost blasphemous." The remarks were made during Pope Leo XIV's first major meeting with 170 members of the College of Cardinals.
about 2 months ago
Pope Leo XIV convened his first consistory on January 7-8, 2026, gathering 170 of 245 cardinals in Rome.2 3 4
Cardinal Joseph Zen, 93-year-old bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, met privately with the Pope before intervening during a free discussion on synodality.1 2
Zen labeled the 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality an "ironclad manipulation" and "insult to the dignity of the bishops."1 2 3 4
He questioned if the Pope truly listened to the entire People of God or if laity represented them adequately.1 2
Bishops' discernment was undermined, he argued, bypassing the Episcopal College.1 4
Zen called continual references to the Holy Spirit "ridiculous and almost blasphemous," mocking expectations of surprises contradicting 2,000 years of Tradition.1 2 3 4
He challenged claims that the Synod's final document, presented as magisterium, commits churches without being normative.1
The document allows "various mediations" and context-specific interpretations, risking contradictory views, Zen warned.1 2
"New forms of ministeriality" experiments may fall under Synod Secretariat judgment, overriding bishops' competence.1 3
Differing interpretations could fracture the Church like the Anglican Communion, Zen cautioned.1 2 4
He contrasted with Orthodox synodality, centered on the Synod of Bishops, predicting rejection of "Bergoglian synodality."1 3
Zen asked if unity would align with the Archbishop of Canterbury (10% of Anglicans) or Global Anglican Future Conference (80%).1
Pope Francis allegedly exploited "synod" while diminishing Paul VI's Synod of Bishops by including non-bishops.1 2
Vatican press and spokesmen ignored Zen's remarks, claiming no criticism of Pope Francis despite noted divergences.2 3 4
Cardinal Stephen Brislin acknowledged calls to clarify synodality; the closed-door event bound cardinals to confidentiality.2 4
Synodality’s legitimacy versus episcopal authority in Catholic magisterium
Synodality, understood as the Church's journeying together in listening, discernment, and mission, holds firm legitimacy within the Catholic magisterium as an expression of ecclesial communion rooted in Scripture, Tradition, and Vatican II. Far from opposing episcopal authority—which remains ordinary, proper, and immediate in each diocese —synodality complements and strengthens it, ensuring that participatory processes always culminate in the hierarchical exercise of pastoral governance under the Bishop of Rome. This harmony reflects the Trinitarian dynamic of unity in diversity, where the sensus fidei of the faithful, episcopal collegiality, and Petrine primacy interweave.
The modern synodal practice traces directly to Vatican II's Lumen Gentium and Christus Dominus, which affirmed bishops' collegiality while calling for structured collaboration. In response, Paul VI instituted the Synod of Bishops in 1965 via Apostolica Sollicitudo, establishing it as a "permanent Council of bishops for the universal Church," representative of the episcopate to assist the Pope consultatively—and potentially deliberatively if granted. This body evokes the Church's ancient synodal tradition, especially esteemed in Eastern Churches, manifesting episcopal communion "with and under Peter."
John Paul II further elaborated this in post-synodal documents like Pastores Gregis, portraying the Synod as an event revealing the Successor of Peter's communion with bishops and the whole Church. Its consultative role seeks truth through the Holy Spirit's guidance, not mere voting, underscoring that "the consensus ecclesiae... is the outcome of the working of the Spirit." Thus, synodality's legitimacy is not innovative but a fruit of conciliar ressourcement, balancing local episcopal autonomy with universal solicitude.
Catholic teaching unequivocally upholds the diocesan bishop's full authority as successor of the Apostles: "all the ordinary, proper, and immediate authority which is required for the exercise of their pastoral office," subject only to the Pope's reservations. This power—docendi (teaching), sanctificandi (sanctifying), and regendi (governing)—is exercised in hierarchical communion, reinforced rather than diminished by it.
The magisterium clarifies that episcopal conferences or synods do not supplant this: bishops govern particular Churches as Christ's vicars, with power "proper, ordinary and immediate," regulated by the supreme authority for the Church's good. Mutuae Relationes emphasizes bishops' unique role in unity and discernment, as "no one in the Church other than a bishop carries out an organic function of fecundity, unity, and spiritual authority" so fundamentally. Synodality operates within this framework, never eroding it.
The International Theological Commission's Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church (2018) provides a robust theology: synodality encompasses the entire People of God, broader than collegiality, involving "all" (sensus fidei), "some" (episcopal college), and "one" (Bishop of Rome). It fosters a "singularis conspiratio" between faithful and pastors, mirroring Trinitarian life.
Yet, authority remains distinct: "Working things out is a synodal task; decision is a ministerial responsibility." Pastors discern and decide, ensuring apostolicity and catholicity; synods consult without usurping. The 2024 Synod Final Document reinforces this: episcopal and papal authority is "inviolable," grounded in Christ's institution, but informed by consultative discernment to avoid opposition between consultation and deliberation. It calls for revising canon law to clarify this synergy, eliminating ambiguities like "merely consultative."
Synodality integrates primacy: the Synod of Bishops expresses "episcopal collegiality within an entirely synodal Church," always cum Petro et sub Petro. Episcopalis Communio (2018) by Francis highlights its ecumenical potential, broadening participation while affirming the Pope's ratifying role. Earlier addresses, like John Paul II's to episcopal conferences, stress that supreme Petrine power "defends, upholds and strengthens" individual episcopal power.
Recent developments under Leo XIV continue this, linking synodality to mission without diluting hierarchy. Where tensions arise—e.g., over deliberative powers—they resolve in communion, not competition, as Vatican II balanced Vatican I's primacy with collegiality.
In summary, synodality's legitimacy is unquestionable, enshrined in magisterial documents from Vatican II onward, as a vital expression of the Church's communio. It does not versus but viæ episcopal authority, enhancing it through listening and shared discernment while preserving bishops' proper governance and the Pope's primacy. This dynamic invites the faithful to deeper co-responsibility, ever under pastoral authority, for the Church's missionary path.