22 October, 2026
Moladh go deo le Dia!
We, the delegates to the National Synodal Assembly convened by the Irish Bishops have come from every diocese in the country, from religious congregations and Church movements, from city and countryside, men and women, young and hold, ordained, lay, and consecrated, united in our common baptism and in our gratitude for being part of this graced moment in the discernment of God‘s will for His Church in Ireland at this time.
We gathered to pray together, to deliberate and to discern. Our gathering forms part of a process initiated by the Irish Bishops in 2021, nourished by the global Synodal process inaugurated by Pope Francis and reaffirmed by Pope Leo, strengthened by the deliberations of the Synod of Bishops in Rome, and grounded in the faithful witness of Church communities the length and breadth of the country who continue the tradition of proclamation, ministry and service to God‘s Holy People on this island.
Our discernment today was an exercise in spiritual discernment through which we have sought to attend to the voice of the Holy Spirit rather than to advance partisan or factional interest. We have, before God, sought to discern how the people of our time can best be invited to encounter Jesus Christ and His Good News.
We recognise in the synodal process a means by which the mission for which the Church exists can be advanced by strengthening communion among all the baptised and broadening participation in proclamation and witness.
We believe that the Church will more closely approach what God asks of us by pursuing five pathways:
• the Church that proclaims the Gospel
• the Church that is a community of belonging
• the Church that is a place of healing
• the Church that accompanies
• the Church that empowers for ministry and co-responsibility.
We have offered our recommendations on the proposals before us to the Irish bishops for their consideration and further discernment. Some proposals have been highly recommended or recommended, while others have been identified as needing further discernment or have not been recommended. We recognise that these different outcomes are all part of an authentic synodal process. Discernment does not end with this Assembly, and matters requiring further reflection remain part of our continuing journey together.
Through this journey, we have learned that we can gather as the People of God to listen, pray and discern together. As we look to the Bishops’ Conference to take forward the recommendations we have discerned together, we commit ourselves to continuing this journey and to making synodality part of the ordinary life of our parishes and dioceses.
May Mary, Our Lady of Knock, Mother of the Church and Queen of Ireland, the model of discipleship, may inspire all the People of God to live their baptismal calling to draw closer to her Son and to one another.
Amen
Gormanston, Co. Meath, 17th October 2026
