The word ''synod'' comes from the Greek ''σύνοδος'' meaning "assembly" or "meeting", and it is synonymous with the Latin word ''concilium'' — "council". Originally synods were meetings of bishops, and the word is still used in that sense in Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.
Sometimes the phrase ''general synod'' or ''general council'' refers to an ecumenical council. The word ''synod'' also refers to the standing council of high-ranking bishops governing some of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches. Similarly, the day-to-day governance of patriarchal and major archiepiscopal Eastern Catholic Churches are entrusted to a permanent synod.
Plenary and provincial councils are categorized as particular councils. A particular council is composed of all the bishops of the territory (including coadjutors and auxiliaries) as well as other ecclesiastical ordinaries who head particular churches in the territory (such as territorial abbots and vicars apostolic). Each of these members has a vote on council legislation. Additionally, the following persons by law are part of particular councils but only participate in an advisory capacity: vicars general and episcopal, presidents of Catholic universities, deans of Catholic departments of theology and canon law, some major superiors elected by all the major superiors in the territory, some rectors of seminaries elected by the rectors of seminaries in the territory, and two members from each cathedral chapter, presbyterial council, or pastoral council in the territory (can. 443). The convoking authority can also select other members of the faithful (including the laity) to participate in the council in an advisory capacity.
Meetings of the entire episcopate of a supra-national region have historically been called councils as well, such as the various Councils of Carthage in which all the bishops of North Africa were to attend.
During the Middle Ages, some councils were legatine, called by a papal legate rather than the pope or bishop.
While councils (can. 445) and diocesan synods (can. 391 & 466) have full legislative powers in their areas of competence, national episcopal conferences may only issue supplementary legislation when authorized to do so in canon law or by decree of the Holy See. Additionally, any such supplemental legislation requires a two-thirds vote of the conference and review by the Holy See (can. 455) to have the force of law. Without such authorization and review, episcopal conferences are deliberative only and exercise no authority over their member bishops or dioceses.
In the Anglican Communion, synods are elected by clergy and laity. In most Anglican churches, there is a geographical hierarchy of synods, with ''General Synod'' at the top; bishops, clergy and laity meet as "houses" within the synod.
''Diocesan synods'' are convened by a bishop in his or her diocese, and consist of elected clergy and lay members.
''Deanery synods'' are convened by the ''Rural Dean'' (or ''Area Dean'') and consist of all clergy licensed to a benefice within the deanery, plus elected lay members.
===Lutheran usage=== In Lutheran traditions a synod can be either a local administrative region similar to a diocese, such as the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, or denote an entire church body, such as the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.
Category:Pope Paul VI Category:Religious law Category:Christian group structuring Category:Episcopacy in Roman Catholicism Category:Episcopacy in Orthodoxy * Category:Christian terms Category:Christian church councils
bs:Sinod ca:Sínode cs:Koncil da:Synode de:Konzil et:Sinod el:Σύνοδος (εκκλησιαστική) es:Concilio fr:Synode fy:Synoade gl:Concilio io:Sinodo id:Sinode is:Prestastefna it:Concilio he:סינוד kk:Синод sw:Sinodi lb:Konzil hu:Zsinat ml:സൂനഹദോസുകൾ nl:Synode ja:教会会議 no:Synode nds:Synood pl:Synod pt:Concílio ro:Sinod ru:Синод sk:Koncil sv:Synod uk:СинодThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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