Catholics delegates at the National Pre-Synodal Assembly in Athlone which concluded with a prayer walk at the 6th century monastic site of Clonmacnoise. Photo: John Mc Elroy. The Catholic bishops at their winter general meeting have called for the Synodal Pathway which began in 2021 and which they called a “providential development”, to “now continue” and “pick up speed during 2025”. The Synodal Pathway was essentially on hold until the Synod in Rome ended in October, however Synodal maestro Cardinal Grech has repeatedly said that there is nothing stopping local churches from implementing findings from their consultations with the faithful in 2022. The Irish Bishops did say that “the themes that emerged in Ireland over this time (2022 consultation) will form part of a structured discernment process in the lead up to the first National Synodal Assembly in 2026.”
In their statement the Bishops also said they “shared how the Synodal pathway is what the Spirit is calling the faithful to pursue at this time in the Church’s journey along the pathways of history. Bishops acknowledged that a certain fatigue can set in, but as Pope Francis reminded delegates during the Mass marking the conclusion of the Synod in Rome, we need to ask the Lord to lift up our hearts and let ourselves be woken up by the power of the Gospel: “We always need to return to the Lord and the Gospel so we can get back on our feet.” It is also instructive, they said, that Pope Francis wrote to priests in May asking them to become ‘missionaries of synodality.’
The statement added: “The bishops concluded, No doubt there is more to be gained from engagement with the Final Document, and we undertake to continue to explore it further.”
The challenge now for the bishops and those working on the Synodal Pathway is to communicate that an Irish Synodal Assembly is happening in less than two years and to help laity and clergy prepare for it.