text: Part 2
  So, the bishops of the world did not have any papal synods.  Popes John Paul II & Benedict could meet with groups of bishops, but they didn't have to take their input.  John Paul II pointed to collegial structures of the first millennium as a way for the church to approach the third millennium [in Ut unun sint 55-56], but he, himself made no attempt to establish such a synod.
  
  The popes of the first millennium did not exercise a universal government of the whole church.  the popes in their capacity as bishop of Rome and successor of Peter were the bond of communion for all the other local churches and a final court of appeal in major disputes.  But they did not exercise the kind of centralized government of the whole church, especially as we witnessed during the pontificates of JP II and Benedict.
  
  The first papal synods that we even had were with Pope Francis---who invited in input of lay Catholics from the parish pews.  We need more.