In 2001, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was drafted in at the last minute to take over the key role as moderator (relator general) of a Synod of Bishops gathering in the Vatican. It was his experience at this meeting of bishops which convinced the future Pope Francis of the urgent need for the Church to deepen its understanding of what it means to become truly synodal, with free and open discussion and genuine openness to the Spirit.

While Francis has made decisive steps in this direction during his pontificate, an open letter signed by dozens of bishops warning that the German synodal pathway could lead to schism shows just how far things still have to go. The dispute over the German process has now become a proxy war about the Francis papacy and the more synodal Church he is trying to create.