Irish Jesuit theologian Gerry O'Hanlon SJ was one of the participants at the National Pre-Synodal meeting of the Catholic Church in Ireland on October 18, 2025, at the Kilkenny Convention Centre. Over two hundred lay people, priests and bishops from across Ireland attended.

The meeting, it was hoped, would be a further step in the Irish synodal process and an important precursor to the full National Synodal Assembly in Ireland scheduled for autumn 2026. But Gerry O'Hanlon SJ, among others, felt a 'sense of deflation' at the end of the day, that was in marked contrast to the conclusion of a previous synodal meeting in Athlone last year.


So what happened at the Kilkenny meeting, and what lessons can be learnt from it that might enhance the National Assembly next year, and ensure the ongoing the momentum for change that has been the hallmark of the synodal pathway? Gerry O'Hanlon shares his views on these questions in this podcast interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications.