Cardinal Blase Cupich has described synodality as “the Church learning to dance”.

Writing in the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, the Archbishop of Chicago argued that “both dance and synodality require a shift from individual performance to collective harmony”, transforming individuals into “a single, moving body”.

The reflection, published on 7 July under the title Synodality is like dancing, sees the cardinal use his childhood experience of learning the Croatian kolo, a Slavic folk dance, in his parish hall to explain one of the central themes of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate.

Rather than presenting synodality as a process centred on meetings or structures, Cardinal Cupich argues that it is fundamentally about listening to the Holy Spirit and to one another while remaining rooted in the Church’s tradition.

Reflecting on the kolo, in which dancers join hands and move together in a circle or chain, Cardinal Cupich writes that the dance became “a means of socialising” and helped him understand the meaning of synodality, which derives from the Greek word synodos, meaning “walking together” or “travelling the same path”. Like the dance, the Cardinal writes, synodality “invites the entire community to assume the responsibility of moving forward in unison, attentive to the Holy Spirit and to one another.”

The cardinal repeatedly returns to the importance of listening, arguing that just as dancers cannot begin without first listening to the music, so the Church cannot become authentically synodal without listening before speaking.

“The fundamental step is not to speak or promulgate policies, but to listen deeply: to the Holy Spirit, Scripture, tradition, but also to listen attentively to one another, especially those on the margins,” he writes. “Just as a dancer who ignores the music becomes disconnected from the group, members of a community who don’t listen cease to act synodally.”

He goes on to explain that synodality is not intended to diminish the distinct responsibilities of bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful. Instead, he argues, each vocation contributes to the Church’s common mission in much the same way that individual dancers perform different movements within a single choreography.

“The hierarchy, the laity, religious communities and theologians all have different charisms and roles,” Cardinal Cupich writes. “Synodality doesn’t flatten these differences; rather, like a great choreographer, it intertwines them. The beauty of dance depends on the fact that each dancer’s movement is needed for the entire performance to function.”

The article also portrays synodality as a process requiring flexibility and trust rather than rigid planning. Describing it as “inherently a journey into uncharted territory”, the cardinal argues that dialogue inevitably brings moments of tension but that such disagreements should become opportunities for discernment rather than division.

“When a community encounters tension or disagreement,” the Archbishop of Chicago writes, “synodality requires it not to abandon the stage, but to use that friction to pivot, adapt, and find a new way forward together.”

Another central theme is continuity with the Church’s past. Comparing the dance floor to the foundations laid by previous generations, Cardinal Cupich argues that today’s Catholics inherit a tradition that makes genuine creativity possible rather than restricting it. He warns against what he calls the “tyranny of the present”, insisting that authentic synodality must remain in conversation not only with those living today but also with the saints and earlier generations of believers.

“The boundaries set by Scripture, dogma, and historical councils are not restrictive cages,” Cupich writes. “They are the stable parameters that give our current movements context, security, and legitimacy.”

The article concludes by returning to the image of dance as a way of expressing the Church’s communion. “Synodality is the Church learning to dance,” Cardinal Cupich writes. “It is a constant practice of listening to the divine melody, honoring each participant’s unique steps, and moving forward in a beautifully coordinated witness to the world.”