Wounded Synodality: Youth and the Limits of Ecclesial Mediation in Lebanon

Abstract This article examines the reception of synodality in the Catholic Church in Lebanon through a re-reading of A New Hope for Lebanon (1997) in light of ongoing socio-political fragmentation. Combining an analysis of magisterial texts with qualitative research (2022–2024), it identifies a persistent gap between ecclesial discourse and the lived experience of young people. Rather than reducing this gap to a pastoral failure, the study interprets it as a structural tension in the mediation of synodality. It argues that this tension becomes particularly visible in contexts marked by division and instability, where the Church’s capacity to embody communion, participation, and mission is put to the test. The article proposes “wounded synodality” as a theological lens, suggesting that marginal forms of engagement reveal not only the limits of current ecclesial practices but also the conditions for their possible transformation.