Synodality and Discernment: The Affective Reconfiguration of the Church

While most reflections on synodality refer to the discernment of spirits as a crucial element, it is usually not specified what discernment entails. After exploring some possibilities, this article focuses on Ignatian discernment and elaborates what it means for synodality. Firstly, it presupposes God’s direct interaction with his creatures, a theological conviction that comes with the spiritual requirement of inner freedom. Moreover, discernment engages one’s interiority: it is an affective undertaking. Synodality presupposes a similarly active view of God: it is about 'receiving the new things that the Spirit wishes to reveal to us' (Pope Francis). Therefore, it comes with the same spiritual requirement and the same affective focus. As the affective realm is a relatively unfamiliar aspect of Church life, its growing importance amounts to an affective reconfiguration of the Church.