The General Secretariat of the Synod published on Wednesday the final report of the Canonical Commission, which explicitly endorses several proposals to amend the Code of Canon Law related to the participation of laymen and laywomen in the life and governance of the Church.
Specifically, the document supports changes to canons concerning the ability of lay faithful to exercise “offices, roles, and ministries within the Church for which they are qualified and competent, including in the realm of ecclesiastical governance.”
The text, originally drafted in Italian and also available in English, is not binding and must now be examined by Pope Leo XIV. It is one of the reports prepared by the 10 study groups created by Pope Francis in 2024 as part of the Synod on Synodality. These groups are dissolved once their work has been completed and published.
The commission tasked with studying the reforms was coordinated by Archbishop Filippo Iannone, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, and included prominent experts in canon law.
Its members included Jesuit Cardinal Gianfranco Ghirlanda; Dutch canon lawyer Myriam Wijlens; Monsignor Matteo Visioli, referendary of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura; Monsignor Giacomo Incitti, professor at the Pontifical Urbaniana University; Hungarian canonist Péter Szabó; Father Alphonse Borras; Professor José San José Prisco, dean of the Faculty of Canon Law at the Pontifical University of Salamanca; Father Benedict Ndubueze Ejeh, dean of the St. Pius X Faculty of Canon Law in Venice, Italy; and Italian Father Gianluca Merlini, secretary of the commission.
A limited but significant reform
The commission considers that a “profound reform of the canonical legal system” is not necessary in order to implement the ideas that emerged from the synodal process.
According to the report, “the Church’s current legal system already provides adequate provisions for greater recognition and designation of lay persons to assume roles and functions of ecclesial co-responsibility together with the pastors.” Nevertheless, it acknowledges that these provisions are “often overlooked” and, in some cases, “require greater normative affirmation to be more practical and effective.”
For this reason, the proposals seek to adapt certain aspects of canon law to the conclusions of the synod, especially regarding the participation of laypeople in the Church’s mission.
The document also insists that the synodal process “does not diminish the decision-making authority of the bishop, the college of bishops, or the pope, but integrates the contribution of the People of God, giving the synodal act a truly communal character.”
Among the canons examined are Canons 204, 208, and 212, which affirm the equal dignity of all the baptized and their right to participate in the life of the Church; Canons 228 and 230, which regulate the possibility of laypeople exercising ecclesiastical offices and ministries; Canon 145, concerning ecclesiastical offices; and Canon 275, which promotes collaboration between clergy and laity.
Papal infallibility under review
Also studied were Canons 476 and 483, related to certain functions of governance and administration in dioceses; Canon 1112, which under specific circumstances allows a layperson to validly assist at the celebration of marriages; Canons 1421 and 1425, concerning lay participation in ecclesiastical tribunals; and Canon 749, which regulates the exercise of the infallible magisterium of the Catholic Church.
Should the proposals advance, it would not be the first time the Vatican has examined reformulating the understanding of papal infallibility. In June 2024, a study by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, titled “The Bishop of Rome,” collected suggestions for adapting the exercise of Petrine primacy in light of the fruits of decades of ecumenical dialogue.
Greater weight for laity and religious
Among the most significant proposals is the revision of several canons to strengthen the synodal dimension of particular councils, diocesan synods, and pastoral councils.
One of the most notable changes would affect Canon 443, with the goal of making possible “the participation of all members of the People of God … in a proportion equal to that of the ‘ex officio’ members” in particular councils.
The proposal goes beyond expanding the presence of lay faithful and men and women religious. It also calls for removing the Latin word “tantum” (“only”), which currently limits their participation to “a consultative vote” in various ecclesial bodies.
This restriction appears in several canons of the code, including Canons 443 and 444 concerning particular councils; Canon 466 regarding the diocesan synod; and Canons 500, 514, and 536, which regulate the presbyteral council, diocesan pastoral council, and parish pastoral council, respectively.
If approved, these bodies would no longer be structured solely according to a consultative logic but would move toward stronger forms of power in decision-making.
Greater autonomy for bishops’ conferences
The proposals also seek to strengthen the role of bishops’ conferences and promote greater decentralization. Among the suggested changes is a revision of Canon 440, Paragraph 1, to establish a “ten-year frequency” for the celebration of particular councils. The aim is to encourage their regular convocation and restore a more significant role for them in the life of the Church.
Likewise, the commission proposes modifying Canon 1112 to eliminate the need for intervention by the Holy See when a bishops’ conference authorizes laymen and laywomen to assist at marriages under the circumstances foreseen by law.
The reforms also include adjustments to Canon 403, Paragraph 1, to provide a clearer definition of the nature and mission of auxiliary bishops within the pastoral governance of dioceses.
Similarly, a modification to Canon 450, Paragraph 3, is proposed to allow retired bishops to serve on commissions of bishops’ conferences, thereby making use of their pastoral and governance experience after they have stepped down from leading a diocese.
Accountability in episcopal governance
The third section of the report emphasizes that the “widest possible” participation of the baptized requires institutional mediation, especially within the local Church, and describes participatory bodies as “primary places of participation,” where the faithful contribute according to their “canonical condition, charisms, ministries, and competencies.”
Another of the report’s most significant developments is the addition of a new paragraph to Canon 391 inspired by the synod’s final document. The proposal explicitly introduces the principle of “accountability and evaluation” into the exercise of episcopal governance.
If approved, the change would represent a significant step toward greater transparency in the administration of dioceses by strengthening the obligation to explain and justify pastoral and administrative decisions within the processes of Church governance.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.