This Sunday Australia will the see the opening of the first Plenary Council in our country since 1937. A lot has happened both in the Church and in the wider world since this time so there is plenty to discuss. In short, a Plenary Council provides an opportunity for all Catholics to share their voice in discussing the future of the Catholic Church in Australia. It is about dialogue and looking at ways for our Australian Church to effectively continue spreading the Gospel message. It is a chance for some real decisions to be made about how we best continue to share our faith in the modern world.
There have been many opportunities so far for people in our parishes and other Church organisations to help guide the discussions to be held this coming week. There are many key issues which will be discussed including how we as a Church can accompany all people in today’s world, how we are forming ourselves to be the best Catholics we can be, how our Catholic schools are to best share the Catholic faith and how our dioceses and parishes should be structured and governed with the low numbers of clergy able to take on these roles.
With just a quick search across the many stories and suggestions on the Plenary Council website one can easily see how diverse the many responses are. How we are Catholic in Australia today is varied and already it is easy to see that people are living their vocations in different ways. When I ponder on the possible outcome of this Plenary Council I am left firstly with a great fear. My fear is that we will bring together many people from different parts of our country who will carry with them the prayerful responses of the people they represent and that instead of there developing a shared vision of the future of the Catholic Church in Australia we will find people more at ends with each other as the Plenary Council concludes. The different views across our wonderful Church are across a scale from the very conservative to the extremely liberal. We all fall into a spot along this scale and with the added inclusion of different cultures and life stories that helped form the numerous responses, things could become very messy.
People who are hoping to be heard may feel more denied than heard. People with a more theologically educated understanding of the Church will become frustrated with those who may not have the theological backing for their opinions. Those who are young may not agree with the views of those more senior to them. Those who have a love of the priesthood just as it is will not appreciate those who are calling for priests to be able to marry. The way our schools are Catholic differs not just from diocese to diocese but from school to school. How we set a common course for schools will cause enough angst on its own. How best to govern our parishes will see those who are in this active ministry come up against new ideas and new ways of being a parish from those who may not have a realistic insight into the challenges of actually running a parish.
My hope however rests in the fact that with all gatherings of the people of God the Holy Spirit is present and it will be the Holy Spirit that will guide this council. As people listen to the views and opinions of others they need to do just that, listen. If those who are meeting in the first assembly are open to what others have to offer and not just waiting to pounce with their opinions, then the dialogue will be fruitful. While recently watching the newly popular ‘Ted Lasso’ TV series, the main character quotes Walt Whitman who once famously said that we need to be curious not judgmental. This is the perfect way to enter this Plenary Council. For all of us, not just those who are attending but all of us watching and reading from home, we need to be curious as to why people hold certain views. Understanding where they are coming from and why they see a certain future for our Church is important and should be the goal.
What the outcome of this Plenary Council will be we do not know. There is however potential for some crucial decisions to be made and new directions to be envisioned. Whether we agree with the outcomes of the Plenary Council or not let us hope that this period of discernment does lead to a revived Gospel based direction for the Church that will strengthen our Church and its people and evangelise our great country. God knows we need it.
Comments