On April 10th 2025 ACI held a Zoom meeting of all members and supporters who wished to respond to the Final Report of the XVIth Synod of 2023-24 on Synodality –  in Rome – to help discern ‘priorities’ for the projected Synodal Assembly of the Irish Church to take place in the Autumn of 2026, and the Autumn 2025 Pre-Assembly.

At that meeting on April 10th 2025 all were asked to access a feedback form on the ACI website over the following few days, to enable the Steering Group to make a submission of views on ‘Priorities’ to the National Synodal Team by May 1st, 2025.

All of that information was then processed – resulting in the ACI responses to the Feedback Template as copied here below.

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Feedback Template

1. Name of Parish or Group: Association of Catholics in Ireland
2. How many people took part in Conversations?  42  (Total no. of participants)
3. Indicators of Age and Ranges Select all applicable age ranges

• • Under 18
  • 18–35
  • 36–55 X
  • 56 and above X

4. Which dominant themes emerged from the conversations?

• • Women
  • Sexuality and LGBTQ+ Issues
  • Co-Responsibility
  • Faith Formation
  • Liturgy
  • Abuse
  • Catechesis
  • Belonging
  • Lay Ministry
  • Baptism

4.1 Give a brief outline of why these themes were deemed important.

There is a strong alignment around ‘themes’ of Women, Sexuality and LGBTQI+, Abuse and Belonging, which create barriers and cause alienation for many lay Catholics. These themes must be prioritised by acknowledging different perspectives and supporting rather than masking any resultant tension.

• • Women’s discernment in Church decisions that concern them, such as ordination must be equal and proportionate to men’s. There is no credibility or justice in dogmas that have emerged from exclusively clerical male discernment.
  • Sexuality: Despite efforts to affirm and welcome people of different sexualities and genders, the existence of Church teaching on ‘Chastity and Homosexuality’, is a cause of despair, instead of hope. This teaching reflects a stagnant theology and limited understanding of reality of human variants /diversity, and prejudice from an era when differences in sexuality were stigmatised and regarded as aberrations and disorders.
  • Abuse: in all its forms, including abusive theology and spirituality which generate shame, guilt and fear. The Culture of Denial, as articulated by Archbishop Dermot Farrell, must change. We need to find ways at every level, parish to diocesan, to mark our ownership, sorrow and apology for crimes of all forms of abuse and cover-up in the Church and our national institutions.
  • The full reckoning called for by the Irish national synodal synthesis of August 2022 – a reckoning that (a) uncovers the full story of the hiding and mismanagement of clerical sexual abuse by the world’s Catholic bishops and (b) pays adequate tribute to the victims of abuse whose sufferings changed the church forever, and (c) is ready to provide just and adequate reparation. If the church is lacking integrity, it cannot do justice to the Gospel or teach the virtue of integrity (i.e. holiness) to anyone.
  • A common priority around Co-responsibility, Lay Ministry, Liturgy, Faith Formation/ Catechesis and Baptism as the future of the Catholic Church
    1. 1. Co-Responsibility / Lay Ministry
          Co-responsibility must replace the monarchical clerical male pyramid. Through Baptism we all have the responsibility to promote Christ’s core message of love. Co-responsibility means shared decision making within democratic structures. Baptism is the primary sacrament – and ordination to the Eucharistic ministry is just one way of answering that baptismal call, not the definitive way.  Everyone is called to Christian witness, and the elevation of the ordained to a supposedly superior and controlling role has damaged the Church. Lay voices need to be included and equally valued in the sharing of insights into Sacred Scripture for example at Sunday Eucharist.
       2. Liturgy
          Language and ritual needs to be accessible and facilitate an encounter with God’s love. There needs to be freedom and creativity in celebrations, with inclusive language and participation.
       3. Faith Formation / Catechesis
          Most adults have had no faith formation since leaving school, so do not have an understanding of what they may believe. They do not have the vocabulary nor confidence to pass on the faith to their children. Catholic education including sacramental needs to take place in the family and community rather than schools.

5. List themes around which notable differences in opinion occurred in the ‘Conversations in the Spirit’.

There were no significant differences in opinions

6. Were there any groups of themes that naturally seemed to come together in the ‘Conversations in the Spirit’?

• • Co-Responsibility, Lay Ministry, Women, Baptism
  • Sexuality and LGBTQ+ Issues, Abuse, Belonging
  • Faith Formation, Catechesis, Liturgy

7. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, which themes have been identified as priorities?

• Themes that are associated with barriers and alienation from the Church:
  • Women,
  • Sexuality and LGBTQI+ Issues,
  • Abuse
• Themes that will support and sustain the Church:
  • Co-responsibility,
  • Lay Ministry,
  • Faith Formation,
  • Catechesis,
  • Liturgy,
  • Belonging

8. From the sessions, explain why these need to be prioritised at this time?

We urgently need to dismantle any barriers to a sense of belonging in our Church. This means active, open and intentional acknowledgement and representation of different perspectives of all the baptised, lay and clerical with regard to the themes that can cause alienation.  Representing respectfully different perspectives creates belonging and diminishes alienation. We need at all levels in the Church to allow and hold the inevitable tension that will exist due to different and sometimes conflicting perspectives formed by our individual conscience around themes such as Women’s ordination, LGBTQI+ and clerical celibacy.

• We need to prioritise a meaningful ‘ownership’ and expression of sorrow for the legacy of all forms of abuse in our Church institutions This should be without any implied wish for ‘healing’ of those who have been abused as this can be construed as arrogant. This can include both a commitment to a just ‘reckoning’ and initiatives such as commissions of permanent visible art works to mark our sorrow as communities for abuse perpetrated in our Church Institutions.
• We need to develop complementary yet equal roles for the lay baptised and clerical priesthood so they can work together as partners proclaiming the Gospel message of faith, hope, love and justice in attractive and accessible liturgies and community-building servant leadership and social justice outreach initiatives.
• We need to create vibrant opportunities for different stages of faith formation within parishes and dioceses, from emerging childhood faith to mature adult faith, so that faith never becomes stagnant.