Plenary Council Papers Now Available
The Fifth Plenary Council of Australia is a formal meeting of representatives of the Catholic Church in Australia. Its purpose is to understand what God is asking of us in Australia. While the church should be asking that question continually, a Plenary Council is a particularly graced process for seeking guidance. It also has the authority to make Church laws.
Although in the end it will be the Australian bishops who will vote on any decisions, they will be making decisions after listening to the faithful speaking around Australia. This makes the Plenary Council 2020 different from the last Council in 1937. Everyone has an opportunity to participate and to express their views.
Six groups, one for each of the six national themes that emerged from the Council’s Listening and Dialogue phase, were tasked with writing papers to concentrate on these major themes and issues.
The Plenary Council has now published these six papers as the Church considers its circumstances and looks to the future. The papers are an important contribution to the Church in Australia.
The papers include the following themes and issues:
- Missionary & Evangelising
- Inclusive, Participatory & Synodal
- Prayerful & Eucharistic
- Humble, Healing and Merciful
- A Joyful, Hope-Filled & Servant Community
- Open to Conversion, Renewal and Reform
The papers are the foundation for the development of the Council working paper and the agenda for the Council assemblies.
The papers, available below, are a prayerful request for delegates to listen to each other and to respond to Christ’s call for ongoing personal and communal conversion, renewal and reform.
Fifth Plenary Council of Australia Discernment Papers
The first assembly of the Council has been scheduled for 3-10 October 2021 in Adelaide.
Further information, Plenary Council coordinators within the Broken Bay Office for Evangelisation:
- Mrs Jenny Hildebrandt (02) 8379 1625
- Mrs Hazel Lim (02) 8379 1626