In a recent video interview with Fr Bill Kemmy from iCatholic, Julieann Moran (pictured), the General Secretary for the Synodal Pathway of the Catholic Church in Ireland, discussed how the Synod on synodality is still a work in progress.
Reviewing the different stages of the universal synodal process to date, Ms Moran said that one of the main things that has remained with her is the sense of belonging that the faithful desire. She recalled a line from the National Synthesis that later made its way into the continental document, Enlarge the Space of Your Tent, and resonated with many of the participants at the Continental Assembly in Prague in February 2023: “those who feel at home in the Church feel the absence of those who don’t.”
When asked by Father Kemmy when she people might hear something more official from the Vatican about the outcomes from the universal process, Ms Moran noted that, whilst the synodal assembly will conclude in October 2024, the process of becoming a synodal Church won’t. She said there is a sense that “we still have our training wheels on our bicycles…” but she could see clear pathways in the second Instrumentum Laboris (working document) for becoming a synodal Church.
Discussing this latest working document, Ms Moran said the document lays out the foundations and relationships that need to be in place for a synodal Church, as well as the proposed adaptations to governance, structures, formation, and canon law so more people can participate in the decision making processes of the Church.
The full interview can be found on the homepage of www.synod.ie and on the YouTube channel of iCatholic.
ENDS
