The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, Alphonsus Cullinan, has said the Irish national synthesis sent to Rome revealed “an attitude to what could be termed ‘traditional’ faith which is mildly dismissive.” As reported in the Irish Times, the bishop felt the synodal process which led to the synthesis was rushed, while “a number of things emerge from the synthesis which challenge church teaching which she has held since the beginning”.
As the Catholic Herald recently reported, the Church in Ireland sent a synthesis of 26 diocesan reports seeking reforms to the Vatican following Pope Francis’s launch of a worldwide consultation in advance of the Synod on Synodality in 2023. The diocesan phase began with consultations throughout Ireland’s 26 dioceses, with all 26 reports – alongside 29 submissions from various Catholic organisations and individuals - considered at a national assembly last June. A steering committee prepared a synthesis report which was sent to Rome last month, calling for a greater role for women, removal of mandatory celibacy, and changes in attitudes to matters LGBT.
