As it gradually became evident during the earlier years of the pontificate of Pope Francis that he was determined to restore the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, and that he was using the process of synodality as his modus operandi, over time it became clear to me that he was on to something very different, and quite radical.
We knew about synods. After the Council there were one or two interesting ones while Paul VI was still alive, and though they were exclusively a gathering of bishops, there seemed to be some free and interesting discussion going on.