Moving away from a vision of the “universal Church” as a kind of multinational corporation, the Church is instead to be seen as a “communion of Churches,” with growing contributions from laypersons and women. The ongoing question of female diaconate also remains open, Vatican News reported.

The 54-page English working translation (only the Italian edition is considered final at present) begins with the following introduction:

“Every new step in the life of the Church is a return to the source. It is a renewed experience of the disciples’ encounter with the Risen One in the Upper Room on Easter evening. Like them, during the synodal Assembly, we too felt enfolded in His mercy and drawn to His beauty. We felt His presence in our midst as we lived conversation in the Spirit and listened to one another: the presence of He, who, in bestowing the Holy Spirit, continues to build among his People a unity that establishes harmony amidst difference.” 

Pope Francis convened the Synod on Synodality beginning in 2021. The pope chose not to issue an exhortation following the publication of the Final Document, breaking with tradition, intending it more as a set of guidelines than an order to be implemented.

The Final Document calls for a new approach, no longer viewing the Church as a “corporation” with branches but as a communion of churches. The term “universal Church” is reframed to emphasize unity within diversity, seeing local churches not as subordinate levels but as unique expressions of faith within a single Body of Christ.

Lay ministers are not “fill-ins” for priests, but contributors to a shared mission, particularly in secularized regions where the Church embraces a community-based rather than hierarchical structure.

The Synod’s 10 “study groups” are scheduled to conclude their work by June 2025.

Read the working English translation of the Final Document below.

Vatican News contributed to this report.