Author Description

A guide to the Synodal Method, exploring "conversation in the Spirit" for Church discernment and decision-making. The Final document of the Synod on Synodality (2021-2024) was agreed using a method some describe as the most expansive conversation in the history of the Church to date. Neither dialogue nor debate, neither democratic nor authoritarian, conversation in the Spirit encourages us to come together, recognising that the Spirit speaks in and through us all. As old as the church itself, conversation in the spirit was practised by St Augustine and St Ignatius of Loyola made it the basis for the Society of Jesus. It can inform decision-making at every level, from parish through to the local, regional and even universal Church. In Conversation in the Spirit: A Guide to the Synodal Method, authors Juan A. Guerrero Alves SJ & Óscar Martín López SJ draw together the contributions of Augustine, Cassian and Ignatius, the formal documents of the synod, and practical examples of conversation in the Spirit in action. Working with Austen Ivereigh, Alves and López have prepared this revised English-language edition of a soon-to-be classic guide to synodality and discernment.