"Synodality refers to the way that the synods make decisions. It is a model that includes listening to a broad range of people and then discussing the issues together with the goal of hearing where the Holy Spirit is calling the church.  After the discussions, the bishops of the synod draft a document and vote, paragraph by paragraph, to approve it. The pope uses this document to inform his decisions following the synod.

"Pope Francis seems to have decided that the best way for the church to figure out what synodality means in practice is to try it out.

"The process 'For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission' will begin with a diocesan listening phase from October 2021 to April 2022,  followed by a continental phase from September 2022 to March 2023 and a final 'universal church phase' in October 2023."

(Excerpted from “Explainer: So, what exactly is a synod?" by Colleen Dulle, America Magazine, Oct. 8, 2021)