In light of the COVID-19 situation, a decision was taken in March 2020 by the Assembly Business Committee to hold a Commission of the General Assembly to agree ‘straightforward, time-critical and non-controversial decisions’ – with which the Legal Questions Committee concurred under Act VI 1997.

The Governing Body had been due to meet in April 2020 in Llandudno but, like so much else, this meeting was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown imposed by the Welsh Government.

Like so much else, this year's Synod was very different from what had been planned. As the Church of Ireland marks 150 years since disestablishment, this last Synod of the current triennium was to be held in May in Croke Park, the home of the Gaelic Athletic Association and a politically significant venue. Instead, pursuant to section 30 of the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions Act) 2020, which provides for the validity of remote meetings of an unincorporated body, notice was given that an ordinary meeting of the General Synod would be held by electronic communication technology on 1, 2 and, if necessary, 3 December 2020. It was the first Synod for its new President, Archbishop John McDowell, following his translation to Archbishop of Armagh on 28 April 2020.

The 2020 meeting of the General Synod had originally been planned to take place in June. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a change in plans and the meeting was postponed. It ultimately took place as a one-day virtual meeting in December 2020. Owing to the fact that the meeting was limited to a single day, rather than the usual two and half days, the business programme was restricted to those items regarded as essential.

The period under review continued to be dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Westminster Government and the devolved administrations issued a joint statement on 16 December 2020 outlining a series of relaxations on social contacts between 23 and 27 December but even so it seemed that there were mixed feelings about any relaxation. The Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, continued to stress that the Scottish Government's recommendation was to celebrate Christmas at home and to keep interactions with other households to a minimum. The Welsh Government decided that social interactions should be limited to two households only, to be followed by a further lockdown from 28 December.