Local consultation to start Vatican revision of synod process In October, Pope Francis will open a three-year synodal journey with three phases of consultations and discernment Updated: May 24, 2021 05:32 AM GMT Trending View from the Synod of Bishops. (Photo: Vatican Media) Approving the revision of the entire process of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis has asked that it begin with serious, widespread consultations with laypeople on the diocesan level. "In reality, without this consultation there would be no synodal process, because the discernment of pastors, which constitutes the second phase, emerges from listening to the people of God," Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, told Vatican News on May 21.