The Role of Consultation in a Synodal Church

Abstract

Focusing on a term included in the theme of the 2023 Synod, “participation,” the presentation examines an institution already extant in the Eastern Catholic Churches, consultation. Beyond the narrow understanding of consultation for the purpose of consent or counsel, the consultation can also serve to coordinate and build consensus. The study examines the forms, requirements, and the role of consultation at the level of the Church sui iuris in the patriarchal, major archiepiscopal and metropolitan Churches.