Martina Purdy
Bishop Michael Router poses with the steering committee during the launch of the national synthesis at Knock on Tuesday. Pictured with the bishop are Janet Forbes, and Fr Eamonn Fitzgibbon, both with the task group, Nicola Brady, chairwoman of the Irish synodal pathway steering committee, and Julieann Moran. Photo: John McElroy. The new Bishop of Derry has urged Catholics to view the upcoming Synod as an opportunity to evangelise and to bring back those who have “walked away”.
Bishop Michael Router, who is part of the National Synod Team, and steering committee, rejected the notion that it is a “talking shop” with an agenda to change Church teaching.
“It’s about building relationships,” he said, “particularly reaching out to those who have moved away from us. It’s a missionary task, an evangelical task.”
“People won’t come to church nowadays unless they really feel that it benefits them so we’re preaching to the converted most of the time. To me, synodality is a way to reach out to those who have walked away from us. It’s a great opportunity.”
The first major assembly will be in Meath on October 17.
Bishop Router acknowledged that priests were among the critics but suggested this may be due to having to manage a growing workload. “Synodality can be seen as just another thing, another addition to their work. There’s a feeling that ‘it’s just another talk shop’.”
He said priests are already “living synodality” through their pastoral councils and co-responsibility with the laity.
He also said synodality is not a new concept and that Jesus himself spoke and listened to people as part of his mission.
Synodality builds unity when it is approached in the correct way – not with expectations created by a “liberal” or “conservative” media.
“It’s bringing people together, to discuss these issues, to talk, to be fed – to be fed the teaching, the doctrine of the Church.”
The bishop said he has found that people are more accepting of Church teaching and doctrine once they have discussed it as part of the synodal process. “Now, they may say things that we don’t agree with,” said Bishop Router, “but I think, actually, they learn a lot from that. Because they’ve talked that out, very often, people say, ‘I can begin to understand why the Church teaches what it does’.”
Bishop Router is involved with issues around healthcare as well as ethics.
He told The Irish Catholic that it could be “years” before abortion law is reversed but urged Catholics not to give up. “It is going to be a difficult battle to reverse, but we shouldn’t be disheartened. We must keep on fighting the good fight, and never let go of that belief that we hold dear, the principle that life is sacred from conception to natural life. Without that, there is no true peace in life. We will never have personal peace or communal peace until we accept that. It is worth fighting for.”