Noticing the Gaps: The Limitations of Synodality and the Task of Theologians

In this paper, I observe a gap between the theological aspirations of synodality and its structural implementation. Synodality emphasizes mutual relationship and dialogue as means of discerning the fullness of the sense of the faithful (sensus fidelium) in service of proclaiming the Gospel to the world. However, in practice synodal processes involve acts of selection and curation that do not account for dimensions of Christian community life that are not immediately legible to the norms of formal facilitated discourse. To theorize these “left out” dimensions, I draw on the non-representational theory of Ash Amin and Nigel Thrift and note resonances with Orlando Espín’s examination of lived experience and popular devotion as expressive of the sensus fidelium. Finally, I argue that these gaps suggest a role for theologians, as teacher-scholars, to create occasions to thematize and articulate dimensions of Christian community life that are not accounted for in formal synodal processes.