Listen to people on the margins

Synodality requires leaders to seek out and engage with a diverse mix of individuals, particularly those historically excluded, those on the margins, and those who have left the Church.

• Develop channels of communication that are open, accessible, transparent, and empower all members of the Church to be in honest and truthful dialogue.

• Use parish, diocesan, or organizational communication channels to share what is being done to engage those on the margins and to open those channels to those individuals.

• Meet people where they are online and develop procedures to actively and appropriately engage them in synodal dialogue in digital spaces as well as formal synodal consultations.

• Create a toolkit of best practices in synodal leadership that parishes, dioceses, and Catholic organizations can use to form their staff and volunteers in synodality.

• Seek out and connect to others who can amplify and share the synodal work happening in parishes, dioceses, or Catholic organizations and create networking opportunities to share ideas and best practices.

• Create opportunities to engage those who have left the Church, especially young adults, to understand their experience and to create avenues to help reconnect them to their faith.

• Ensure women and lay leaders are present at all decision-making tables of parishes, dioceses, and Catholic organizations.

• Work to include those historically on the margins into leadership and other decision-making bodies.

• Prioritize having a diversity of experience and thought represented in all leadership and decision-making bodies, and actively engage those who are historically excluded.

• Establish processes for actively engaging those who are outside of the majority in more than just synodal consultations, but in all aspects of Church life.