Worship Times

The 2000 Summer Olympics is not the only news out of Australia. The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference has agreed to establish a Commission for Australian Catholic Women, one of several responses to the report on the participation of women in the Catholic Church, Woman and Man: One in Christ Jesus, which the bishops received last year.

The bishops plan to ask the commission to assist in improving the participation of women in the Catholic Church and to play a part in facilitating an ongoing dialogue about their participation.

“The Bishops recognize that there were differences among women in the way that they responded to the questions from the original research,” said Bishop Michael Putney, spokesman for ACBC. “We sincerely trust and hope that through the guidance of the Holy Spirit our recommendations and decisions for future actions will bring women and men to a fuller communion with the Catholic Church.”

The report was the result of one of the most comprehensive research projects ever undertaken by the Catholic Church in Australia. Over a three-year period, the researchers received more than 2,500 written submissions and listened to about 500 people at public hearings. They also used other research instruments, including targeted groups and comprehensive surveys of churchgoers, Catholic organizations and theological institutions.

“We believe this research is one of the largest of its kind in the world focusing on the issue of women and their participation in the Catholic Church,” said Cardinal Clancy, president of the ACBC. “I am hoping that this document will stimulate theological reflection and that it will assist pastoral planning and the promotion of dialogue on the issues raised.”

The report will be published in book form by HarperCollins. ML

What do YOU Think?
Send an e-mail to ML Editor
or post an entry on the ML Current Issue Discussion Board. (All submissions become the property of RPI and may be edited for length.)