Tony Flannery: My reflections on the Synodal Event in Kilkenny.
I have followed the Synodal process since the beginning, being very grateful to Francis for this initiative, and as a member of the ACP I did whatever I could to promote it. I know it has given hope to many of us who have longed and worked for reform in the Church.
I attended the Synodal meeting in Athlone three years ago, and I came away feeling excited and energised by what I heard there. It seemed that the process of change had really taken hold in the Church here, and that the bishops were fully behind it.
And then I went to the recently held Synodal event in Kilkenny, where over two hundred people gathered, and where we hoped that the movement for change would continue. I came away disappointed, and dispirited. It was dramatically different to the Athlone event, and, rather than moving forward, it seemed to me to be going in the opposite direction.
I have great time for Julieanne Moran, and her committee, who are trying to steer this movement, and I wouldn’t want anything I say here to be a criticism of them. Also, what I am presenting is my personal opinion, and I don’t present it as any more than that.
The movement up to now, both in Ireland and internationally, has highlighted specific issues in the Church that needed to be addressed, issues around women, priesthood, sexual teaching maybe especially to do with LGBT people, certain other doctrines, and many more. These were noticeably absent in Kilkenny. Rather than being specific, we spent the day largely dealing with generalities, and that, in my experience, has always been a way of avoiding having to make decisions.
We were grouped in tables of seven or eight, and in the course of the day we had a number of table conversations, using the ‘conversation in the Spirit’ method, as defined by the Synodal process. I did not think it was helpful; the structure dictated that it was more personal, with little possibility of interaction between the members. As a consequence, a proper examination of a topic leading to a decision was practically impossible, and by the end of the morning our summary of the discussion amounted to a few generalised words (‘mission’, ‘kerygma’, ‘inspiring’) and others that carried no real movement towards action. Reading after lunch what other groups had put up on the display, I could see they were largely similar.
The absence of most of the areas in Church life needing attention that featured in reports from around the world, and in Ireland, during the past few years, was noticeable.
What had happened to change the process? I don’t know, but there were a couple of things that I was aware of.
The attendance in Kilkenny was very different to Athlone. I had a sense that at least some of the bishops were exercising more influence, leading to a much more traditional conversation. There seemed to be a much higher proportion of people from Northern Ireland, and a stronger ‘evangelical style’ content.
I believe that the Church in Ireland is in serious decline, and I have had great hope in the Synodal process. But over the five or so years, I do detect, among both laity and priests, a gradual waning of interest. The reason I came away disturbed from Kilkenny was that I believe that if this process does not bring about some real and noticeable change the decline will accelerate, so that when the generation around my age dies there will be only a small minority left, probably of a very traditional bent.
I know that I will be dead and gone, and in that sense it shouldn’t matter very much to me. But I can truly say that I have given a great deal of my life to the Church, and despite all my travails with the institution, I still love and value it deeply.
I pray that the initial momentum can be restored, and that change will happen.
Tony Flannery
I attended the day in Kilkenny as well. Tony has put into words what I felt. I came away with a vague sense of disappointment and frustration, but hadn’t really reflected on it since. The one question that I kept feeling I should ask, but didn’t, was “Why did the priests and Bishops feel it was necessary to wear clerical garb, considering the fact we were there to celebrate our equality by dint of our Baptism? I felt it set the tone for the day, before we even started talking. A bit of some being more equal than others? This is just my own personal reaction.
Jo I agree with your assessment on the “clerical garb.” Years ago when my husband and I did prison ministry with the Catholic Chaplaincy we were advised to “dress down.”
I had never heard the term before but was very familiar with “dress up.” Going into prison in jeans set the stage for a possible encounter with these suffering men.
In retrospect these were some of my happiest days.
I am saddened by your observations of the Irish meeting in Kilkenny
I had hoped in the last two years that Ireland, Australia, and Germany would lead the way, that synodality was going to be a process and not a nice ecclesiastical concept.
I too attended the synodal day in Kilkenny last Saturday and was one of those Archbishop Eamon Martin referred to as ‘not having been at the Athlone meeting but very happy to be able to join the movement in Kilkenny’. Good news had come out of Athlone!
In advance of heading to Kilkenny our diocesan team had met, reflected and discussed the ‘seven priorities’ which were, we believed, to be the focus of the day. I had anticipated hearing how the views of other groups / dioceses on these seven issues might converge or depart from ours as well as how we might begin to address some or all of the priorities.
I was hopeful the Holy Spirit would lead the way.
By lunch time we had spent almost two hours in small group conversations – much of which was spent with people expressing general views on a range of church topics. There was no focus in the questions posed on the seven priorities so instead the conversations got diverted into discussions on personal agendas and experiences of church.
Where I wondered were the facilitators, trained in leading ‘Conversations in the Spirit’, who could enable us to focus our discussions more constructively ? (Many who were in attendance were not familiar with using ‘Conversations in the Spirit’ and even those who were, admitted it’s still a very new and challenging way of conducting discussions).
By evening time I found myself wondering – like the journey from Mayo to Kilkenny with its many twists and turns – had we once again lost our way as church or was it more a case of had we lost our nerve? Instead of being encouraged that this synodal journey was moving forward, however slowly, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, I felt it had paused, turned back and we were now hoping the Holy Spirit would let us start again and find more comfortable and familiar priorities for the year ahead.
The journey back home felt a lot longer. Rising the troops for another gathering next year may well prove to be more difficult and result in many more new faces.
Tony – may The Lord bless and sustain you in your steadfast prophetic role. Thanks to you, Jo, and Monica for the reports.
Synodality is a foreign word for most lay people. We trust that the project is about setting up some form of modern Catholic democratic structures. Earlier definitions of synodality were incomplete since they mainly talked about dialogue, listening and walking together. They did not stress the crucial next steps of voting, decision-making, change and substantial reform. Some Catholics may wish to live in the past but it seems healthier to be fully alive in the modern world. Some may wish to persist with traditional clerical control while leading the sheep around in circles. Most Irish Catholics are tired of such nonsense.
The Catholic religion needs to be presented in new narrative, modern language and concepts, renewed ritual as well as updated structures. It is not possible to evangelise people today in the language of sexism, misogyny, patriarchy, monarchy, homophobia and exclusion. Elements of that language in the Catholic presentation are a hindrance to parents trying to transmit the core riches of our precious Christian faith.