Synodality from feminist perspective: implications and challenges for the 21th-century church

Abstract

To talk about synodality in the Church it is necessary to reflect seriously on the mission of women in the 21th-century ecclesiastical community. Therefore, the following paper aims to identify the implications and challenges derived from the prophetic claim of feminist theologians facing the active participation of women, as part of an integral proposal for the Spirit in the development of a Church in synodality. Thus, the text starts introducing some characteristics of the conciliar model that, expressed in the ecclesiology of God’s people, enlightens the topic. Afterward, this paper identifies various challenges pointed out by women theologians, as well as the synthesis of the first stage of the Synod on synodality in the search of women visualization within the ecclesiastical context, the leadership shared with men and the decision-making. Finally, the text sets out different feminist proposals towards a consolidation of a synodical church. Consequently, the construction of an authentic synodality inexorably implies the incorporation of women within every ecclesiastical scenery.