Plenary Matters

Geraldine talks to Dr Jo Laffin a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy at the Australian Catholic University. She lectures in church history and biblical studies and is currently researching the impact of the Second Vatican Council on the archdiocese of Adelaide.

Raised a protestant, Jo Laffin became a Catholic in 1994 and has dedicated her life to the understanding and teaching of Catholic spirituality and history.

Her doctoral thesis is a biography of Archbishop Matthew Beovich whose influence on Catholic belief and practice was highly significant.

Jo describes the profound changes brought about by the Second Vatican Council, and the unintended expectations placed upon priests as a result.

Geraldine catches up with Michael McGirr, best-selling author, former publisher of Eureka St and editor of Australian Catholics. His writings are known for their wisdom and gentle wit, but how has growing up Catholic influenced the life of Michael McGirr?

Born in 1961, he's had quite a journey both inside and outside the Church, joining the Jesuits at the age of 18 where he worked for 21 years (seven as a priest). He left the order in 2000, got married and had three children.

Today he's the director for mission at Caritas Australia, the Catholic Church's international aid and development agency.

He says that after leaving the priesthood his faith became more focused and more deeply spiritual. He became invigorated and excited by his faith, finding new purpose and meaning in community, work and friendships.

As the second Plenary gets underway, Michael McGirr offers some sage advice about the future shape of the church and is not timid with his admonishments.

In this episode Geraldine talks to wise old soul Clare Condon, a woman of great integrity and leadership in the Catholic Church.

Clare has been a Good Samaritan Sister for 50 years, including 12 as congregational leader. She's also the winner of a humanitarian award by the Human Rights Commission for her work with indigenous Australiasn, asylum seekers and victims of domestic violence.

As co-chair of the National Committee of Professional Standards from 2012 to 2017 she believes there should be a better response to the church to the findings of the Royal Commission.

She suggests that creating 'Liturgies of Lamet' and 'Rituals of Sorrow' may be a way to help deal with the grief and shame of what has happened, where mere words are not enough, to welcome back victims into the church and also as a public witness to the wider community.

Geraldine talks to Edmund Campion, a Sydney priest, writer, historian and academic.

Witty and profound, he describes the many changes in the religious lives of Australian Catholics and what those changes have meant.

Edmund Campion has been described as an encyclopedia of Australian Catholicism, ready to look backwards with a chronicler's honesty and gratitude as he is to look foward in hope.

In this interview Edmund Campion tells of the little-known role that lay-led organisations played 60 years ago in educating the rest of the church about the changes brought about by the Second Vatican Council.

Geraldine asks him where people today should place their best efforts in contributing to the church of the future.

Geraldine wraps up the week's deliberations by hearing from the man sitting at the official episcopal helm, Archbishop Mark Coleridge, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Council.

He initiated the whole process, celebrated the final Solemn Mass today and reflects on a remarkable week.

Crossing to Rome, she also connected with a prominent Melbourne woman Susan Pascoe, AM. Susan is a teacher by training with wide experience governing Church and government agencies, who is the Australian invitee to the Pope's Synod. She chairs the Australian Council for International Development and sits on the board of Mercy Health, is a Trustee of St John of God Health Care and sits on various Church governance entities.

Thanks very much for your company!

Geraldine talks to prominent Catholic layman, constitutional law specialist and former Vice-Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, Greg Craven.

Prepare for a feisty chat!

There are groups who believe they'd be better at running the Church instead of the bishops, but Craven begs to differ.

Geraldine speaks to two people with particular experience to share.

Sr Clare Condon is a former leader of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, who advised the bishops on setting up professional standards within the Church in the wake of the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Abuse. Also, on better pastoral approaches to people who had been so hurt.

Geraldine also speaks to Professor Francis Campbell, now Vice-Chancellor of Notre Dame University headquartered in Perth, who was the UK's Ambassador to the Holy See in the Vatican and formerly advisor to PM Tony Blair.

Both, in their different ways, are firmly looking to the future of the Church and see real opportunities presented by the Plenary Council.

In this episode, Geraldine interviews John Warhurst, Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University.

He is chair of Concerned Catholics Canberra Goulburn and a member of the Plenary Council, and a regular columnist with the Canberra Times and Eureka Street

Today, Geraldine follows the increased debate at the Plenary Council about the challenge of naming the issues at stake versus instituting some change for the better?

Hear surprising realism from Fr Gerry Gleeson, Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of Sydney, and also parish priest of Our Lady Star Of The Sea at Watson’s Bay; and Raj Rajasingam, from the Diocese of Broken Bay, who is a financial advisor and planner and also National Mission Director of the Couples For Christ movement, a covenant community.

Geraldine talks to three members for their impressions of the conversations thus far: to Virginia Bourke, the chair of Mercy Health in Victoria and St John Ambulance Victoria, who's a lawyer with considerable experience in corporate governance as well as charity work.

Fr Peter Williams, the Vicar-General of the Parramatta Diocese in NSW, ordained as a Catholic priest in 1992 having moved from an Anglican background, director of Liturgy for World Youth Day in 2008.

And to Francine Pirola, who runs Catholic family groups and the Marriage Resource Centre in Sydney.

All enthusiastic about the process, they each offer different perspectives on how members are offering perspectives on the future shape of the Church.