Abstract
This chapter argues that synodality must be understood in relation to conciliar theory. But in order to understand conciliar theory, and its value for synodality, the concept and tradition itself must be expanded or decolonized. Growing what counts in this tradition is more than just considering conciliarist’s influence on early modern secular or political thought, but also considering alternative frameworks for conciliar thinking during the fourteenth-century conciliar controversy. To that end, Barlaam of Calabria is examined, covering his understanding of the papacy and its relationship to the ecumenical pentarchy. Further, conciliar theory and conciliarity’s distinction from synodality are drawn out, suggesting precisely in this distinction there is a pathway to expand and in fact buttress the path that Pope Francis called for in the third millennium. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.