The first in a series of articles looking at the issues to be discussed at the forthcoming synod argues that what is decided will be less important than how the decisions are made. It will be the key test for Pope Francis’ vision of the Church What is really at stake at the forthcoming Synod of Bishops, which meets in Rome in October? Marriage and family life will be discussed and they are of course at the heart of the life of the Church. But perhaps the real test for the synod will be whether the collegial style of governance in the Church taught by the Second Vatican Council but stifled in the years since will finally be realised. Let’s start by reminding ourselves of two basic facts. First, in church-speak, the words “synod” and “council” are virtua