02/07/2026 09:00 - 11:10

HALL: Pola - A102

Contact: Dillon M.

Chair: Dillon M.

Synodality - as ethos and practice - was a defining characteristic of Pope Francis's tenure, and the lay-centered synodal themes selected (family, youth, and synodality itself) amplified his stated commitment to a rebalancing of the church's priorities and a new openness to reflexive dialogue between doctrinal ideas and lived realities. Since ascending the papacy, Leo XIV has signaled his commitment to a synodal Church and the consistory of cardinals he convened in January 2026 reinforced this ethos as a central element of a Church that seeks to be relevant and in dialogue with a healthy secularism. In the spirit of interdisciplinarity and contextual theology outlined by Ad Theologiam Promovendam, this panel invites papers from the social sciences and theology and from within a diversity of macro and micro settings to address issues of synodality and inequality. Specifically, what new opportunities does synodality offer for the implementation of Vatican II's more egalitarian model of the Church as the People of God? And what structural and cultural challenges, whether located within the hierarchy's and/or the laity's lived practices, impede a truly synodal Church at this current moment?