500 young Catholics in Ireland have signed a statement stating their respect for the teachings of the Church but that the process building up to the Synod on Synodality in Rome had not given them a chance to be heard.
They express worry that the current synodal process may erroneously suggest that all Irish Catholics want reform.
The correspondence is directed to the Synod Steering Committee, which is in charge of compiling and summarising replies to the questions included in recent surveys for the Irish Synodal Pathway.
Additionally, a copy was forwarded to the Irish bishops.
One of the letter’s organisers, Peadar Hand, told the Irish Catholic that “there’s no yearning for [a change in Church doctrine] among those who are truly practising and doing their best to live their religion.”
He said, “The role of the Church is not to change alongside the society, but to transform the world.
As young practising Catholics, we would want you to hear our opinions on events involving the Synodal Synthesis, the letter says.
“We are concerned that the growing synthesis, in light of the talks at the Pre-Synodal National Gathering in June, runs the danger of presenting a misleading conclusion, namely that the Sensus Fidei is in opposition to the teaching and practise of the church today.
Particularly, this has to do with ordained ministry, marriage, and human sexuality.
The sensus fidei, also known as sensus fidelium, is described as “the miraculous appreciation of faith on the part of the entire people, when, from the bishops to the last of the faithful, they display a universal consensus in questions of faith and morality” in the Catholic Church’s Catechism.
The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference has been contacted by CNA for comment.
In order to “offer an opportunity for the whole People of God to determine together how to go ahead on the road towards becoming a more synodal Church in the long-term,” Pope Francis called a Synod on Synodality in March 2020.
Consultations at the diocesan level began the synodal preparation process in October 2021.
According to the Synod on Synodality’s website, a continental phase will start in March 2023.
The XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, with the subject “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission,” will take place in the Vatican in October 2023 to kick off the last and universal phase.