CRA supports the spirit and direction of The Light from the Southern Cross Report (the Report) and its vision for the Church. The ecclesiology, scriptural and theological basis for the Report is strong and relevant for a healthy Church in the third millennium.
While the Report arose from a Royal Commission Recommendation calling for a review of diocesan and parish governance and management in Australia, CRA President, Peter Carroll FMS confirmed that CRA is committed to actively encouraging its members to live and minister according to the report.
“The report identifies key principles of good ecclesial governance and we believe that the Plenary Council will focus on these principles and be an important platform for that discussion. It is a large document, requiring consultation and discernment with the faithful across the Church,” he said.
Collaborative models of the priesthood that offer alternatives to a culture of clericalism feature prominently in the report. Richard Lennan, one of the authors of the Report who is also a priest of the Newcastle-Maitland diocese and Professor in Boston College's School of Theology and Ministry, says “The Report offers an opportunity to reclaim an understanding of the ordained priesthood as a ministry of service, rather than privilege, a way of participating with the whole community of the baptised in the one mission of the Church.”
Other recommendations include the involvement of women in the selection and formation of seminarians, promoting lay involvement in the placement of parish priests, and embracing the perseverance, culture and spirituality of First Nations Catholics. With regards to the participation of women in the Church, the Report states (p. 72) that “the Church’s teaching on the inherent dignity of each person underpins the rationale of equal participation in decision-making of women and men.”
Br Peter said, “The Report emphasises the need to pay attention to the signs of the times in the light of the Gospel. It is the ability to share in the joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties of the people of our time that the Church will be able to become a synodal Church.”
Download: The Light From The Southern Cross
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Sylvia MacRitchie-Hook
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