Is it in fact an official part of the Church?
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However, Pope Francis greatly increased both the authority and influence of Synods.
Francis seems to treat them both as sources of doctrine and as personal instruments of "popularizing" his own agenda, by manipulating who are invited as lay advisors (this used to be theologians, but no more); selecting who are appointed as voting bishop members (at one time there were regional synods who had their geography in common; now typically all they have in common is that they're "friends of Francis") and controlling who writes the "Instrumentum Laboris" ('the Agenda') beforehand, and the summary afterwards.
The last two meet-ups were flagrantly stage-managed from top to bottom. Even some of Francis' buds were shocked to find that the "conclusions" were largely determined beforehand. This is a clear instance of the Delphi Technique (LINK), a recognized set of steps valuable in manipulating ANY meeting toward a predetermined end.
I've seen it in action (not a Synod, but the Delphi Technique in another context.) This is manufacturing a pseudo- "grass-roots movement" ---astro-turfing --- corralling people to think they "own" an already-settled conclusion.
Some might call the conduct of Synods under Francis "Ecclesiastical Peronism".
If anybody wants to jump in and say more, I hope they will.