Ecclesial Learning & Synodality as the Liberation of (Not from) Magisterium

In light of the Catholic Church’s recent Synod on Synodality, synodality has been interpreted by some (especially disaffected Catholics) as a road to new ecclesial freedom, throwing off clericalist structures and doctrinal rigidity. However, such interpretations misconstrue the true nature of synodal freedom. Rather than a liberation from doctrinal authority, synodality represents a liberation of the Church’s teaching ministry, freeing it from artificially static divisions between the ecclesia docens and the ecclesia discens. Drawing on models of pedagogy from early monastic literature, this paper argues that synodality reunites ecclesial learning and magisterial authority, thus freeing and empowering the Church to teach with greater confidence and authenticity.