Italian bishops approve synodal synthesis Leaven of Peace and Hope in 781-28 vote, urging inclusion, women’s roles, and missionary renewal.
Newsroom (05/11/2025, Gaudium Press ) Italy’s bishops have overwhelmingly approved a synthesis document concluding their four-year national synodal process. Titled Leaven of Peace and Hope, the text was adopted October 25 with 781 votes in favor out of 809 cast, closing the third and final assembly of the Cammino Sinodale.
The process, launched in 2021 at Pope Francis’ urging to foster synodality — the practice of “walking together” — holds outsized significance in Italy, home to the Vatican. Its outcomes are poised to shape Rome’s own deliberations.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), hailed the vote as “a passage from words to responsibility.” Addressing the assembly, he called on pastors to prioritize implementation: “Synodality and collegiality must now become our way of being Church.”
The document, set to guide the CEI’s November 2025 general assembly, is structured in three interconnected sections: renewing ecclesial and missionary life; forming all baptized in synodal and missionary principles; and promoting shared responsibility in leadership.
Bishops emphasized shifting from “a pastoral model of categories” to a “missionary style” attuned to a changing world.
The path was fraught. In April, progressives forced a postponement, criticizing an earlier draft for insufficiently addressing LGBT pastoral care, women’s roles, and clerical abuse. Revisions followed, balancing dialogue with Gospel fidelity.
The final text urges overcoming “discriminatory attitudes” and supporting “homosexual and transgender persons, as well as their parents” within communities. It calls for “paths of accompaniment, discernment, and integration” for those in non-sacramental unions — including second marriages, civil unions, or cohabitation — without altering doctrine on marriage or ordination.
Other measures include lay-led parish teams, synodal seminary reforms, theological study of the female diaconate (aligned with Vatican research), and greater women’s roles in teaching and governance.
On ethics, dioceses are encouraged to divest from arms-linked finance, advocate nuclear disarmament, and enhance governance accountability.
Monsignor Erio Castellucci, synodal committee president, called the years “beautiful” for their “gift, effort, and sacrifice.” Over 50,000 small groups participated, marking Italy’s largest modern ecclesial consultation.
Most proposals passed with 90%+ approval; women’s and governance items drew 75-80%, reflecting debate but tempered tones.
Father Sabino Chialà of Bose framed discussions as transformative discernment. Pope Leo XIV, meeting delegates earlier, urged embracing the Spirit’s “provocations.”
The bishops’ message to the Pope pledged synodality as “mindset” and commitment.
At its core a theological exercise in communion, the document prioritizes accompaniment amid fidelity. One participant noted: “The text is not perfect. But it breathes with the faith of our communities. It’s not a destination — it’s a way forward.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Zenit News
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