In the Catholic Church, a synod is a gathering of bishops to discuss specific issues and provide advice to the pope. Since the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s, bishops have met periodically in synods to continue the collegiality of that landmark meeting. The Synod of Bishops is considered an advisory body for the pope and is one of the ways in which the bishops render cooperative assistance to him in exercising his office.

The Synod on Synodality is a two-year process of praying, listening, dialoguing, and discerning which will culminate in the celebration of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2023. It is a multiyear assembly that aims to discuss how to work together for the good of the church. The Synod on Synodality specifically stands out for including the people of God at the local level in the decision-making processes of the Church. The synodal process will conclude in 2024.

In addition to the papal Synod of Bishops, each patriarchal church and each major archiepiscopal church within the Catholic Church has its own synod of bishops. Unlike the body that normally assists the pope only by offering advice, these synods of bishops are competent, and exclusively so, to make laws for the entire sui iuris church that each governs.