Nr. 1/2026EMMA GRAZIELLA SARACENI Further Reflections on the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development: after the Reform of the Roman Curia and the Synod of Bishops on Synodality
Nr. 1/2026PAOLO PALUMBO Ecological conversion in the Catholic church: the normative “debt” of the transformation of structures and persons
ABSTRACT
This contribution aims to show that synodality is not foreign to canon law, but rather constitutes one of its intrinsic dimensions, capable of shedding light in a particular way on the administration of justice in the Church. Drawing on the magisterium of Francis and Pope Leo XIV, the article argues that the Church’s journeying together becomes concretely manifest in ecclesial bodies of participation and shared responsibility, especially at the diocesan and parish levels, and reaches an eminent expression in the canonical process for the declaration of matrimonial nullity. Within this perspective, the judicial process is not presented as a merely technical procedure, but as an ecclesial itinerary marked by listening, discernment, and decision, in which different persons and competencies contribute to the search for truth concerning the marriage bond, in fidelity to justice and the salus animarum.
KEYWORDS
Synodality; canon law; administration of justice; matrimonial process; declaration of nullity; ecclesial co-responsibility; discernment; listening.
