Reading Saint Paul in a Time of Synodality
Examines the new synodal document “Recollecting: Accompanying the preparation of the local Church’s evaluation Assembly: Notes for Bishops and synodal teams,” noting its procedural focus and limited theological depth. Highlights a tension between the document’s emphasis on meetings and Pope Leo XIV’s claim that synodality is a spiritual style, suggesting a gap between rhetoric and practice. Draws parallels between Saint Paul’s prison epistles (circa 60‑62 AD) and present‑day Church challenges, pointing out similarities in political tension, doctrinal confusion, and the human condition. Argues that the synodal movement risks becoming a charitable NGO if it lacks theological reflection, echoing Marc Cardinal Ouellet’s concerns in his 2025 book.
about 2 months ago
Reading Saint Paul in a Time of Synodality argues that the current synodal process in the Catholic Church lacks deep theological reflection, contrasting the rich, salvation‑focused teachings of St. Paul with the procedural emphasis of recent synodal documents. The author, Carl E. Olson, calls for a return to doctrinal clarity, a stronger sense of the Church’s heavenly identity, and a unified pastoral‑theological vision rooted in Paul’s epistles. 1
The July 27 synodal text, “Recollecting: Accompanying the preparation of the local Church’s evaluation Assembly,” is brief (19 pages) but dense with bureaucratic language, repeatedly mentioning “process,” “experience,” and “journey.” While Pope Leo XIV describes synodality as a “spiritual style,” the document itself focuses on meetings and methods, suggesting a tension between the Pope’s vision and the text’s execution. 1
Olson highlights three timeless truths from Paul’s prison epistles (Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians):
Sin and Redemption – Paul portrays humanity as “dead in sin” and alive only through Christ’s mercy (Eph 2:1‑10; Col 2:11‑15). He warns that contemporary “bourgeois Christianity” often neglects this stark soteriological reality. 1
Heavenly Identity – Paul’s eschatology is lived‑out, not abstract; believers are called to see themselves as citizens of heaven (Phil 1:21; 3:20‑21). Olson notes the scarcity of resurrection language in recent synodal texts. 1
Integration of Doctrine and Pastoral Life – For Paul, theological truth and moral exhortation are inseparable (Col 3:5‑11). Olson argues that synodal documents that privilege “lived experience” over doctrine create a false dichotomy. 1
Drawing on Cardinal Ouellet’s 2025 book, Olson points out that the synodal movement’s “lack of theological reflection” risks reducing the Church to a charitable NGO. He observes that synodal publications seldom address sin, the Cross, or personal conversion, leaving a theological vacuum. 1
The essay concludes that authentic unity and joy—exemplified by Paul’s rejoicing amid suffering (Phil 4:4‑5)—require a Church grounded in clear doctrine, a heavenly self‑understanding, and a pastoral life that reflects that theology. Processes and documents alone cannot convey the hope Paul espouses; the Church must return to the “dogma” of Christ’s salvific work as the source of true freedom and communion. 1*
Investigate synodality’s theological roots in Paul’s prison epistles
Paul’s prison epistles do not use the modern term synodality, but they articulate several of its decisive theological foundations: communion in Christ, reconciliation across divisions, participation through baptism, unity amid diversity, ordered incorporation into the apostolic Church, and mission shaped by self-giving. Synodality, therefore, should not be read back into these letters as though Paul were describing a contemporary ecclesial procedure. Rather, the epistles disclose the ecclesial reality that synodal practices are meant to serve.
The International Theological Commission defines synodality as the Church’s way of living and acting as the pilgrim People of God, particularly through “communitarian and apostolic discernment.” It is not merely an administrative technique but an expression of the Church’s communion with Christ in the Holy Spirit.
The prison epistles offer a theological grammar for this reality.
A fundamental root of synodality in Ephesians is Paul’s account of salvation as a corporate incorporation into Christ. God does not merely rescue individuals in isolation:
“God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.”
The expression “alive together with Christ” is ecclesiologically important. Salvation creates a people whose life is shared in Christ. Believers are raised and seated “with him,” and they are created in Christ “for good works” that constitute their way of life.
This corresponds closely to the International Theological Commission’s theological account: the Church is a people gathered into Trinitarian communion, journeying toward God through the Son in the Holy Spirit. The source, form, and purpose of synodality are found in this communion and in the responsible participation of all members in discerning and carrying out the Church’s mission.
Thus, the first Pauline foundation is not “everyone having an opinion,” but everyone being made alive together in Christ. Synodal participation is the consequence of a prior sacramental and spiritual communion.
The clearest social and ecclesial foundation appears in Ephesians 2. Paul addresses the division between Gentiles and Jews. Those who were formerly “far off” have been brought near through Christ’s blood. Christ “is our peace,” having made the two groups one and broken down the dividing wall of hostility.
Paul’s argument is not simply that two groups should tolerate one another. Christ creates something new:
“He might create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace.”
This is a profoundly synodal vision. The Church is not a coalition in which separate constituencies negotiate a temporary compromise. It is a new people created by the Cross. Its unity is Christological—that is, founded on Christ himself—and pneumatological, since both groups have access to the Father “in one Spirit.”
The implication for synodality is significant: listening and discernment must aim at communion, not merely representation. Synodal processes can give space to different experiences and perspectives, but their theological goal is not to preserve permanent factional identities. It is to allow the Church to recognize, in Christ, the deeper unity that overcomes hostility.
The International Theological Commission likewise describes synodal life as the unity of “free and different subjects” who become one communitarian subject in Christ. Diversity is therefore not denied, but it is integrated into communion.
Ephesians grounds reconciliation “through the cross,” where Christ puts hostility to death. Synodality consequently cannot be reduced to techniques of consultation. It requires conversion from rivalry, self-protection, ideological possession, and the desire to control the Church’s direction.
Paul’s theology suggests that the Church becomes synodal when its members are willing to undergo the Paschal pattern: self-emptying, forgiveness, truth, and renewed communion. Synodal discernment is Christian only when it is cruciform—formed by the Cross rather than by competition for influence.
Colossians presents baptism as participation in Christ’s death and resurrection:
“When you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God.”
The baptized are not merely adherents to a teaching. They have been joined to Christ’s Paschal Mystery. God has made them “alive together with him” and forgiven their trespasses.
This supplies a sacramental basis for the active role of the faithful in the Church. The International Theological Commission states that all the faithful are synodoi, “companions on the journey,” and that they are called to active participation because they share in Christ’s one priesthood and receive charisms from the Holy Spirit for the common good.
Colossians 2 does not itself provide a developed account of ecclesial consultation or decision-making. Its contribution is more foundational: the baptized share a common participation in Christ’s death and resurrection. Synodal involvement must therefore be rooted in baptism rather than in social status, professional expertise, ideological influence, or mere institutional power.
Ephesians also insists that salvation is by grace and is not a human achievement:
“By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
This has two complementary consequences for synodality.
First, no group can claim to be the source of the Church’s life. The Church is received as God’s gift.
Second, grace creates responsibility. The faithful are God’s workmanship, created in Christ for good works prepared as their way of life. Participation is therefore neither self-assertion nor optional activism. It is a response to grace.
Synodality is properly understood as graced participation: the Spirit enables members of the Church to contribute to the Church’s life and mission, while the Church remains founded on Christ rather than on the preferences of its members.
Ephesians 2 gives an important corrective to interpretations of synodality that would equate it with unstructured egalitarianism. The Church is:
“Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.”
The community is “joined together” in Christ and grows into a holy temple, a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Three dimensions belong together:
This triadic structure is essential. Synodality requires the participation of the whole Church, but participation takes place within the apostolic faith and under Christ’s authority. The International Theological Commission similarly describes synodality as ordered participation in discerning and implementing the Church’s mission.
The word ordered is important. It means that participation is not arbitrary or detached from the Church’s constitution. Synodality is neither clerical domination nor the replacement of apostolic authority by majority rule. It is communion in which different members contribute according to their vocation, charisms, and responsibilities.
The Pauline vision does not produce unity by eliminating difference. Ephesians begins with two historically distinct peoples—those near and those far off—and describes their incorporation into one body without pretending that their histories were identical.
The International Theological Commission develops this principle by describing the synodal Church as composed of “free and different subjects” who are united in communion.
This offers a useful theological distinction:
Synodality thus involves listening to the particular experiences of local Churches, cultures, vocations, and states of life, while discerning how these experiences belong within the one apostolic faith. The Pauline model is not the multiplication of competing centers but the reconciliation of differences in Christ.
Synodality has an outward purpose. The 2024 Synod document states explicitly that synodality is not an end in itself but serves the mission entrusted by Christ to the Church in the Spirit. It links synodality with evangelization, sacramental life, the appreciation of charisms, and the Church’s witness to fellowship and unity in Christ.
Ephesians 2 supports this missionary orientation by portraying the Church as a growing temple and dwelling place of God. The Church’s reconciled unity is not private harmony; it is a sign of God’s action for humanity.
Philippians adds a particularly intense missionary and vocational dimension:
“For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.”
The verse supplied here is brief, so it cannot by itself establish Paul’s entire ecclesiology in Philippians. It does, however, reveal the apostolic orientation that should animate synodal life: existence is ordered to Christ, not to personal advancement. The synodal Church journeys together because its members are called to place their lives at the service of Christ’s Gospel.
The 2024 Synod document summarizes this relationship: mission illuminates synodality, while synodality impels the Church toward mission.
The designation “prison epistles” also raises a theological question: what does it mean that these reflections emerged from a context of apostolic vulnerability? The supplied passages do not provide detailed information about Paul’s imprisonment, so claims about the historical circumstances must remain limited. Nevertheless, Philippians 1:21 presents a spirituality in which life and death are interpreted in relation to Christ.
This has a possible synodal significance. The Church’s discernment should not be governed principally by security, prestige, or institutional self-preservation. A Church centered on Christ can listen from a position of humility, including attentiveness to those who suffer, are marginalized, or lack influence.
This is not romanticizing suffering, nor does it mean that every marginalized viewpoint is automatically correct. It means that the Church’s discernment must be conformed to Christ’s self-giving and remain attentive to where the Gospel is being lived under conditions of vulnerability.
The available Pauline passages strongly support these theological roots of synodality:
At the same time, the supplied texts do not directly establish a complete theology of synodal procedures, the precise relationship between bishops and other members of the faithful, or the mechanics of ecclesial decision-making. Those questions require additional biblical and magisterial evidence. The International Theological Commission supplies the broader doctrinal synthesis: synodality is the Church’s essential way of living communion and carrying out mission through responsible, ordered participation.
Paul’s prison epistles provide synodality’s deepest theological premises rather than its institutional blueprint. They present the Church as a people made alive together in Christ, reconciled across hostility, incorporated through baptism, founded on the apostles, inhabited by the Spirit, and sent in mission.
From this perspective, synodality is authentic only when it remains:
The theological root of synodality in Paul is therefore the Church’s identity as one reconciled Body in Christ. The Church journeys together because, by grace, God has already made her one in the crucified and risen Lord.