The ‘Synodal’ Revolution

The crisis of the Catholic Church is, first and foremost, a crisis of authority. Authority does not concern only the doctrinal and moral sphere but, above all, the form and manner in which power is exercised. Every institution is sustained by a power structure that ensures its unity and continuity. In the case of the Church, this structure is a mixed regime of divine law: monarchic, because the Pope exercises supreme, full, and immediate power over the entire Church, guaranteeing the unity of faith; aristocratic, because the bishops—ideally chosen among the ‘best’ (aristoi)—govern the dioceses with real autonomy, while remaining in communion with the Pope; and ‘republican’ (in the classical sense of the term), because power does not belong to a dynasty or a caste in the Hindu style but can be conferred, through election or appointment, to anyone—regardless of social origin—who meets the conditions required for access to the hierarchy.