After three years of preparation, the first session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops met in the Vatican in October. Around 400 Catholic bishops, priests, laymen and laywomen, and vowed religious from around the world joined Pope Francis for three weeks of prayer, dialogue, and listening. Most know this gathering simply as the “Synod on Synodality.”

Now, if you are somewhat unclear about what the words “synod,” “synodal,” and “synodality” mean, you are not alone. As the synod itself observed in a concluding report published at the end of October, “‘synodality’ is a term unfamiliar to many members of the People of God, causing some people confusion and concern.” Indeed.