What does it mean to be a Roman Catholic in contemporary Australian society? The monoculture of 1960s Catholicism has long since departed and the remaining remnants of cultural Catholicism are ageing, insular and sceptical of progression. Despite attempts to batten down the hatches, Australian churches will continue to change because of increased cultural diversity.
For more than 65,000 years, the First Nations people of Australia have observed and made changes, coexisting in diverse and interrelated nations. Pope Francis recognises that modern society has much to learn from First Nations peoples, ‘where differences coexist, complementing, enriching and reciprocally illuminating one another, even amid disagreements and reservations’ (FT #215).
Based on the Gospel of Jesus and the context of 18th century theology and culture, colonial and missionary proselytisation interrupted these ancient ways of living, imposing a superior way.
Skip forward 250 years and we are desperately trying to recover what was lost, stolen and abused in the pursuit of advancement and evangelisation.
REDISCOVERY
The Church is rediscovering herself, having moved on from doctrines of discovery and colonialism. She now seeks to give ground, bring healing, offer peace and be made new with First Nations people. In the 2023 Joint Statement of the Dicasteries for Culture and Education and for Promoting Integral Human Development on the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’, the Church has committed to ‘a renewed dialogue with indigenous peoples, especially with those who profess the Catholic Faith . . . With their help, the Church has acquired a greater awareness of their sufferings, past and present’. This is the foundation of reconciliation and from here we can begin to recover a greater sense of what it means to be an Australian Catholic in 2024.
If Catholic identity were based on census data alone, it would paint a gloomy outlook, with a continued fall in identified belief and practice. However, there are some interesting upticks, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholics being the ‘youngest and fastest growing demographic in the Australian Catholic Church today’, with a gain of seven per cent from 2012 to 2016 (NATSICC).
In addition, the rise in immigrant parishioners and priests is adding to the diversity of faith expression in parishes and schools. These changes have rocked the steady Roman Catholic boat, which has been dominated by European culture and practice.
DIVERSITY IN PRACTICE
Catholic culture is changing and now sees a diversity in practice, formation and approaches to catechesis and religious education. The recently published Plenary Council decrees began by stating that we will not be ‘fully the Church that Jesus wants’ us to be until Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have made their contribution to the life of the Church and ‘until that contribution has been joyfully received by others’ within the Church.
These words, spoken John Paul II in 1986, are a clear direction to recover the genius and gifts of First Nations people and to give ground rather than monopolising Catholicism. Reconciliation Action Plans are a consultative process designed to allow bodies such as the Catholic Church to reflect, innovate, stretch and elevate their commitment to reconciliation. It may be more fitting to speak of a Reconciliation Covenant that is heartfelt, binding and two-way, and puts the hope of the Gospel into practice. A covenant is much more than a statement of inclusion, an acknowledgement of country or a date on the calendar. Rather, it reflects a Gospel of healing which embraces diversity with an awareness, sensitivity and intentionality each and every day.
WHAT WILL BE
Our Judeo-Christian story continually moves us from what was to what will be. The prophet Isaiah raises the eyes of the Israelites to see Yahweh doing a new thing, turning wastelands into streams and making new ways in the wilderness (Isaiah 43:19). Writing to the early Christian communities of Corinth, St Paul reminds believers that they are a new creation in Christ – the old has gone and new life has begun. First Nations people are connected to the cycles of death and life and celebrate these in their spiritual seasons. Pope Francis’ pontificate has proposed the rediscovery of an integral ecology that embraces the interconnectedness of all creation and is a move towards embracing diversity and new ways of living the call of the Gospel to love our neighbour. In Querida Amazonia Francis calls for ‘intercultural relations where diversity does not mean threat, and does not justify hierarchies of power of some over others, but dialogue between different cultural visions, of celebration, of interrelationship and of revival of hope’.
Giving ground is challenging, but taking a step towards each other is the first part of reconciliation. Fear, mistrust, racism, intolerance and a whole host of misunderstandings stem from a lack of relationship. Some believe that an elevation of First Nations spirituality and cultural inclusion detracts or conflicts with traditional Catholic belief and practice. A visual example of that step towards each other is the incorporation of First Nations artwork and symbolism alongside traditional European sacred art and iconography.
PANGS OF CHANGE
Change is rarely easy, and we see this in the early Christian communities, with the Apostle Paul writing to the Roman church, ‘all creation groans with the pains of childbirth’. This is where education and faith formation play a critical role in the transformation of Australia Catholic communities.
In 2025, Pope Francis is calling us to walk together as ‘pilgrims of hope’. Schools and ministries with young people must take this important step towards celebrating the Gospel in diversity. Education offers an opportunity to discover new ways of thinking and being, where failure is not feared and where diversity is intentionally embraced and celebrated.
High quality faith formation for staff and students will pave the way forward to realising Francis’ dream of a polyphonic culture that values the individual, promotes dialogue and makes the uncomfortable comfortable.
