Wagga Concerned Catholics to meet on church reform

The need for lay Catholics to have a leadership role in reform of their beleaguered Church will be a key theme at the inaugural public meeting of the group Concerned Catholics of Wagga Wagga Diocese.

The Wagga meeting follows the formation of Concerned Catholics of Canberra Goulburn which called for a more inclusive, accountable and transparent church, and urged a more significant decision-making role for women.

John Goonan, a driving force behind the Wagga group, said as he watched the numbers attending mass fall he knew it was time to act.

"The Catholic Church is facing a crisis, we had the Royal Commission which highlighted a lot of failings which could have been avoided if we had a more transparent, open and accountable hierarchy," he said.

"Lessons have been learnt, but not a lot has changed.

"They set up a Plenary Council which will meet in October next year to see what people think, but that is a very long-drawn-out process."

Mr Goonan said the committee does not want to into the trap of the Church and tell people what the agenda is.

"We want it to come from people, he said.

"One of the things the Church has got horribly wrong is the emphasis on rules and regulations, and Pope Francis is really challenging that.

READ MORE:

"He has called for us to be a healing, compassionate, caring and reconciling Church, and there is not a lot of that obviously happening."

Mr Goonan said he believed that people still had faith in the God and the bible, but had lost faith in the institution.

"People are quite proud to call themselves Catholic, and that does not mean they are going to Church on Sunday, but that does not mean they are bad Catholics," he said.

"I think people have a strong faith and spirituality, and they might think that you don't necessarily have to go to Church to have that spirituality and a Christian attitude towards people."

Mr Goonan said there are three key areas which need to be fixed, and the focus needs to be brought back to the messages in the gospel.

"There seems to be very little accountability," he said.

"It is not very inclusive, and there are a lot of people who do not feel welcome in the church anymore, and that is the exact opposite of what Jesus wanted.

"It is not transparent. Decisions are made that no one knows anything about."

The chairman of the Canberra group, Emeritus Professor John Warhurst AO, will address the Wagga meeting, along with Ms Marilyn Hatton, a long-time advocate in Australia and overseas for women leaders in the Church.

"The 2020 Plenary Council presents a watershed opportunity for us, the laity and clergy, to bring invigorating reforms the church so sorely needs to reflect more effectively the teachings of Christ in the modern-day," Professor Warhurst said.

"It's time for lay Catholics throughout Australia, from Canberra to Albury and throughout the Riverina to discuss and raise their views at local parish and diocesan level without waiting for the Plenary Council sessions.

"The official report on the Plenary submissions shows how widely held our views are among Catholics of good standing in the Australian church."

The Concerned Catholics Wagga Wagga Diocese meeting will be held at the Commercial Club at 7.30pm on October 24. It is a free public meeting, and all welcome.