synodality

The Council of Cardinals plans to examine the themes of synodality and the "healthy decentralisation" of the church during its meeting of February 2016.

From the beginning of his papacy Pope Francis, who had twice been elected head of the Argentine Bishops' Conference, has advocated increasing the role of collegiality and synodality in the development of Church teachings.

At the wider level, "In the Anglican Communion as a whole the Primates' Meeting, the Anglican Consultative Council, the Lambeth Conference and the Archbishop of Canterbury serve as instruments of synodality."

It treats some fundamental themes in ecclesiology such as the relationship between the Trinity and the Church, attributes of the Church, Bishops in Apostolic Succession, synodality and primacies in the Church, and the Church's mission.

Bishop Victor of Rome ordered synods to be held to settle the matter - an interesting early instance of synodality and indeed of popes encouraging synods - and excommunicated Polycrates of Ephesus and the bishops of Asia when their synod refused to adopt the Roman line.