A newly published report from the Synod on Synodality is calling for new measures involving “gender equality,” lay participation and shared decision-making within Catholic institutions, as the Vatican continues implementing proposals that emerged from the synodal process.
The General Secretariat of the Synod released the final report of Study Group 6 on Sept. 8, along with the second portion of Study Group 7’s report concerning bishops and their ad limina visits to Rome.
According to LifeSiteNews, the documents include proposals concerning relationships among bishops, consecrated religious, ecclesial associations and the Holy See, while also recommending greater participation by the faithful in certain Church processes.
Study Group 6 specifically examined relationships among bishops, consecrated life and ecclesial associations from what it calls a “synodal and missionary perspective.” The group conducted its work from April 2024 through February 2026, consulting bishops, consecrated persons and leaders of ecclesial associations through questionnaires and interviews.
Among the proposals attracting attention is the report’s explicit inclusion of “gender equality” in agreements governing Catholic workplaces.
The Synod’s executive summary calls for mandatory memoranda of understanding between dioceses and religious institutes covering several areas, including “mission, formation, gender equality, compensation, and management of patrimony.”
LifeSiteNews highlighted the proposal in its coverage, reporting that the documents emphasize the implementation of “gender equality” and “co-responsibility” in workplaces. The outlet also reported that the proposals envision participation by consecrated laywomen in processes involving the selection of bishops and chaplains.
The Study Group 6 report goes further in proposing “full representation of consecrated persons and laypersons in decision-making bodies.” It also recommends establishing a delegate or vicar for consecrated life in every diocese and holding annual meetings involving bishops, consecrated persons and conferences of major superiors.
The report describes its broader goal as promoting a “relational conversion” within the Church. According to the Synod’s executive summary, this involves moving beyond “functional or purely hierarchical approaches” and developing relationships based on trust, mutual listening and an exchange of gifts.
At the same time, the document lists among its guiding principles the “reciprocity and co-essentiality” of hierarchical and charismatic gifts, which it says should work together harmoniously within the Church.
Study Group 7 addresses another aspect of the Synod’s proposals: the relationship between dioceses, their bishops and Rome.
According to LifeSiteNews, the report proposes allowing the “People of God” to participate in preparing reports associated with bishops’ ad limina visits. These periodic visits bring diocesan bishops to Rome to meet with Vatican officials and the Pope and report on the condition of their local Churches.
Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Synod, described the broader approach behind the two reports by saying, “There is no mission without transformed relationships.” He said the documents center on what the Synod has described as “differentiated co-responsibility.”
Despite the scope of the recommendations, the proposals do not constitute new Church law or policies approved by Pope Leo XIV.
The General Secretariat of the Synod stressed that the documents contain proposals submitted to the Pope and “are therefore not decisions that have already been taken.”
Pope Leo directed that the reports be made public so the results of the study groups’ work could be shared with the wider Church. The competent Vatican dicasteries and the General Secretariat of the Synod must now consider how the recommendations could be translated into operational proposals before any such measures are submitted to the Pope.
The reports form part of the continuing implementation of the Synod on Synodality and the work of study groups originally established under Pope Francis to examine issues arising from the synodal process.
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