When Pope Francis launched the Synodality movement in the Catholic Church some years ago, it was greeted with considerable enthusiasm here in Ireland, especially among reform movements, but also initially by the Irish bishops.

After the first series of gatherings around the country, there was a meeting attended by the bishops, representatives of dioceses, and various groups and associations.

The openness of discussion and the expressions of enthusiasm were remarkable, and we came away with a renewed hope that a vibrant future might just be opening up for the Irish Church.

We were well aware that, while there was real movement at that level, the response was much more patchy at the local and parish levels. Many priests were less than enthusiastic, and as a consequence, nothing was happening in some parishes.

I find it hard to blame the priests. They are mostly old men who spent most of their priestly lives in a different style of church, one where the priest had the final and ultimate authority in his parish, and this notion of giving a voice to the people seemed just too much for them to take on.

Also, many ordinary Catholics, themselves also getting older, were happy just to continue going to Mass and saying their prayers without bothering very much about Church renewal. This is all very understandable.

It was obvious to us that while this project was promising, it needed real leadership to bear fruit.

Enthusiasm begins to fade

Following the initial enthusiasm, at an official level, things have begun to change. The more recent national gathering lacked the freedom of discussion of the first one.

Most notably, the issue of women’s equality, from being one of the main topics of discussion, had now almost completely disappeared from the agenda.

This was brought to a head recently when one of our more senior bishops issued a statement saying that any discussion of ordained ministry for women, either as deacons or priests, was now concluded, and the answer was a clear negative.

Even though he is also a Jesuit, he went so far as to criticise Pope Francis for not closing off the discussion much earlier.

He used the old theological image of the bridegroom and the bride to justify his position.

The equality question

We, in the Association of Catholic Priests, reacted strongly, describing his theological images as outdated.

We stated that unless the Church faced up to the issue of the equality of women, the Synodality movement — which states that the fundamental sacrament is baptism meaning that all are equal — would be in serious trouble.

We called the other bishops to go public in support of women’s equality in an effort to salvage the situation.

Unfortunately, as I write, there is nothing but silence.

Women’s growing disillusionment

Speaking to some women about the possibility of getting momentum behind a public expression of support, I was met with a definite lack of enthusiasm.

All I spoke to were believers and churchgoers, but they are disillusioned with the institution and no longer have the energy to keep trying to bring about change.

One even said to me that it would be better to let the Church as we know it die out, and to return to the early church practice of small groups meeting to pray and celebrate without the need for any ministerial approval.

• Tony Flannery (www.tonyflannery.com) is a native of Galway, Ireland. He joined the Redemptorists and was ordained in 1974. In 2010, he co-founded the Association of Catholic Priests, and two years later was sanctioned by the Vatican for writings it considered heretical. Since then, he has been forbidden to minister publicly as a priest.