Caption Julieann Moran, General Secretary of the Irish Synodal Pathway
- The following opinion article was written by Julieann Moran, General Secretary for the Irish Synodal Pathway, and was published in The Irish Catholic on 26 June.
In this Jubilee Year, we are invited to be ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, purposeful travellers on a path guided by the Holy Spirit. That path, for the Church today, is called ‘synodality’.
But what is Synodality? Synodality is the way the Church listens, discerns, and walks together. For me, synodality is not simply a Church initiative or a new trend introduced by Pope Francis, may he rest in peace, but a deep rediscovery of what it means to be the People of God journeying together. It is the way God is calling us to be Church today or as Pope Leo XIV said recently, “it is a word that aptly expresses how the Spirit shapes the Church.” And this is a cause for profound hope.
To be a pilgrim is to walk with purpose. And our purpose is rooted in Christian hope: the conviction that Christ is risen, that love triumphs over death, and that God is leading us even when the road ahead seems uncertain. As Easter people, we proclaim with our lives that “Alleluia is our song!” Hope is not a vague optimism, but a virtue anchored in the promises of God. In these times of global uncertainty, ecclesial change, and spiritual hunger, we need this kind of hope more than ever; hope that walks, listens, and acts.
The Meaning of Christian Hope
The scriptures offer us a rich vocabulary for understanding hope. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew words Qavah and Yachal capture the essence of hope as waiting; sometimes tense, sometimes patient, but always trusting in God’s timing. In the New Testament, the Greek word Elpis expressed a confident expectation in the promises of God, fulfilled in the risen Christ. Early Christians clung to this hope in the midst of persecution, misunderstanding, and marginalisation. And so must we because Christian hope is not a passive wish or optimism but a dynamic trust that God is at work in the world and in us. As Hebrews 6:19 reminds us, this hope is “an anchor for the soul.” It’s what drives us to serve, to persevere, to love, and to keep walking forward, even when the destination is unclear. Hope is not just theological; it is practical. Hope does things! As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in Spe Salvi, “The one who has hope lives differently.” Pope Francis echoed this in Spes Non Confundit when he said, “Works of mercy are also works of hope.”
This Jubilee Year, we are called to be that hope in action, a light in the darkness. When we feed the hungry, visit the sick, accompany the lonely, or stand with those on the margins, we live out our baptismal identity and become living signs of the Kingdom. But we must also remember that hope is needed and deepens even in moments of joy, when we recognise God’s blessings and anticipate even greater things to come. Just as Mary trusted in God’s promise before she could see its fulfilment, we too are invited to a radical hope – a courageous hope-filled ‘yes’ to God.
Synodality: Walking the Path Together
The word Synodality itself comes from two Greek words: syn, meaning together and hodos, meaning the path or the way, so it literally means syn-hodos, ‘walking together.’ It’s not simply a process of consultation or a series of meetings. It’s a way of being Church; one that reflects our common baptism and shared mission.
We want to be a synodal Church, a Church that moves forward, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close, above all to those who are suffering”
It’s about moving from passive observation to active co-responsibility. The Church is not some vehicle driven by bishops or other clergy, with the rest asking “Are we there yet?” Neither is it a ‘top-down’ institution. It’s a horizontal, participative, Spirit-led community of believers with each of us contributing our unique gifts to this shared journey. Pope Francis often reminded us that the nature of “the Church is synodal or it is not Church at all.” So, synodality shifts our understanding of leadership, encouraging collaboration rather than control. Even if we had an abundance of vocations tomorrow, synodality would still be essential. It is not a response to scarcity, but an expression of ecclesial maturity and trust that the Holy Spirit is working through the entire People of God.
And crucially, synodality includes everyone. Young people, women, migrants, LGBTQ+ persons, those hurt by the Church, those who feel far from it; all are called to the table. In his first words from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica on May 8, Pope Leo XIV said, “we want to be a synodal Church, a Church that moves forward, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close, above all to those who are suffering.” So, a synodal Church welcomes, listens, and walks with all. That is why this journey gives us real hope. It is a vision of the Body of Christ, the Church, where every voice matters and where every person has a place.
Listening and Discerning Together
One of the most hopeful aspects of this synodal process is the renewed emphasis on listening. In Ireland, our synodal journey began in 2021 with the question: ‘What does God want from the Church in Ireland at this time?’ The response was powerful. Across dioceses and communities, thousands of voices were heard. We identified longings for inclusion, healing, shared leadership, adult faith formation, and radical hospitality. A particularly moving line from our national synthesis stated, “Those who feel at home in the Church feel the absence of those who don’t.” That is a profound recognition and a call to action.
Since then, the Synodal Pathway of the Catholic Church in Ireland has trained hundreds of people (ordained, religious and laity) across Ireland to facilitate ‘Conversations in the Spirit’ – a model of prayerful, respectful dialogue that prioritises listening to the Holy Spirit through one another and discerning God’s will together. We’ve embraced the principle of ‘circularity’ – a way of feeding back, checking in, and refining our collective wisdom ensuring that listening leads to deeper discernment, not dead ends. This is not tokenistic consultation. It is shared decision making and it is the hard and holy work of walking together in faith.
Rooted in Christ,Movedbythe Spirit
Becoming a synodal Church is not a one-time project and will not happen overnight. It’s a long-haul journey, a spiritual commitment. It demands that we exercise our ‘synodal muscles’ which means forming habits of prayer, listening, dialogue, and discernment. It’s not always easy, but it is deeply worthwhile.
To embrace and sustain this vision, we must root ourselves in five essential principles reflected in the life, mission and example of Jesus Christ.
We must listen for the Spirit together, trusting that the Spirit speaks through all the People of God”
The first is baptism. Our identity as members of the Body of Christ and our call to co-responsibility begins here. We were not just baptised at some point and time in history. We are baptised – active participants in the Church’s mission. The second is prayer. Like Jesus, who prayed before every major decision, we must ground this journey in conversation with God our Father. We can’t discern God’s will without being in dialogue with Him. The third is Scripture. We cannot discern the God’s without listening to God through the Word of God. The Word of God is our compass. We must allow it to shape how we listen and discern. The fourth is listening. Jesus listened deeply to others – to their stories, fears, hopes, and needs. So must we. And the fifth is the Holy Spirit, our constant guide and source of unity. We must listen for the Spirit together, trusting that the Spirit speaks through all the People of God. We see this beautifully illustrated in the Acts of the Apostles, where the early Church faced difficult questions. In the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), the apostles didn’t impose decisions from above — they gathered, listened, debated, prayed, and reached consensus. And they wrote: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” That is synodality in action.
A Church of hope
So why is synodality a reason for hope? Because it makes visible what we pray every time we say the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Synodality is a tangible way of seeking God’s will, not my will or the bishops’ will or the Pope’s will, but God’s will, and seeking it together. It is how we build Kingdom values here on earth, as it is in heaven, and not just hope for it. It is how we embody the Gospel in today’s world.
In a fragmented society, a synodal Church models unity in diversity. In a time of disillusionment, it offers trust. In the face of exclusion, it offers belonging. It is a way of being Church that reflects God’s own communion: a Church not of hierarchy alone, but of grace-filled participation, where decisions are shaped by prayer, dialogue, and the Holy Spirit. As pilgrims of hope, we walk forward, not alone, not in fear, but together. We walk with purpose, we listen with love, and we hope with confidence so we may continue to say, with courage and conviction: It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.
- For more information on the Synodal Pathway in Ireland, please visit www.synod.ie.