Bishop Leahy, along with Bishop Alan McGuckian from Belfast, attended the recent Synodal Assembly on behalf of the Irish Bishops Conference, with this year’s session reaching a conclusion with the publication of a ‘Final Document’ that he said reaffirms the Church’s determination to move forward.
Reflecting on the Synod experience, Bishop Leahy, who met Pope Francis on a number of occasions during the gathering and conveyed to him the greetings of the people of the Diocese of Limerick, also thanked all the people across the diocese who contributed in various ways during the Synod journey across the past two years.
There were, he said, a number of key issues traversed, which amounts to a full acknowledgement of the Church’s need to embrace change.
“No one is ignoring the challenges and it is absolutely impossible to find a space that satisfies everyone fully, but there’s no doubt but progress is made across a range of issues,” Bishop Leahy said.
“For one, the contribution and role of women in the Church authority structures and governance was an important theme. In the Final Document, we also hear a call for much greater participation by lay people in the overall governance and decision-making of the Church.”
The formation of priests resolves around four dimensions: human, spiritual, academic, and pastoral. In many parts of the world, it is exclusively or mostly priests who are involved in formation programmes for seminarians regarding these aspects.
Here in Ireland, while it is mostly priests, there are some women involved in theology, pastoral accompaniment, and vocational counselling.
The Synodal Assembly encouraged all to look more to see how lay people, in particular women, could be more involved in the formation programmes for seminarians.
“There’s a clear call for parish and diocesan councils involving laity to be made mandatory,” Bishop Leahy said.
“The atmosphere of the recent Synodal Assembly was positive. The issues that emerged from all over the world were heard. Pope Francis was very present.”
There were also, Bishop Leahy said, many moments of prayer to seek forgiveness for “sins and failures of the Church”, asking for peace in our troubled world and recalling the Second Vatican Council and the desire for unity among Christians.
He concluded the Synod was “a special time and I, like others there, have been renewed with hope by it”.
“While some people may be frustrated that the Final Document is not revolutionary enough, I believe it is a significant turning point that offers us new directions for the future.”