Catholic Church Reform International – Advancing Women’s Leadership in the Catholic Church
| Advancing Women’s Leadership in the Catholic Church Tuesday June 2, 2026 Sponsored by the Association of Pittsburgh Priests How far have we come toward full participation of women in the church’s ministry and leadership? Elizabeth (Betty Anne) Donnelly will share her own journey. She is convinced that people’s willingness to engage with the Good News of Jesus and Catholic social teaching has been impaired by several issues, including women’s second-class citizenship in the church. She will outline origins and successes of the Catholic Women Preach, and then efforts both to restore women to the Catholic diaconate and to permit lay Eucharistic preaching. Ms. Donnelly is the Co-Founder of and Preacher Coordinator for the Catholic Women Preach website. Having grown up in Squirrel Hill, she was educated at Georgetown University, Harvard Divinity School, and its Department of Government. She was a Maryknoll Lay Missioner in Lima, Peru (1981-83), and has served on many boards, including Bread for the World, the Ignatian Solidarity Network, and Maryknoll Lay Missioners. She is happily married for 40 years to Dr. Phillip Pulaski, a fellow former Maryknoll Lay Missioner and retired physician with Boston Healthcare for the Homeless, and is the very proud mother of three extraordinary daughters. Zoom: To find the times for you in your locale, click on Our Universal Calendar. To register, click Register Here. |
| POPE LEO XIV AND JUST WAR THEORY IN THE CATHOLIC TRADITION Thursday 11 June 2026 Presented by the Council of Australasian Catholics (CAC) (Formerly Australasian Catholic Coalition for Church Reform)and Garratt Publishing How should Catholics think about war, peace, and moral responsibility in an age of global conflict and human suffering? This webinar will explore Pope Leo’s contribution to Catholic social thought and the development of Just War theory within the Catholic tradition. Drawing on Scripture, theology, and contemporary realities, it will reflect on the Church’s evolving understanding of violence, justice, conscience, and the pursuit of peace. Speaking from his area of expertise will be Professor Darius von Güttner Sporzyński, Campus Dean at the Australian Catholic University in Canberra, with a response from Robert Fitzgerald AM, Chair of Caritas Australia, NSW Ageing and Disability Commissioner. The webinar will be recorded and made available the week following the event. You must be registered to receive the link to the video. To find the times for you in your locale, click on Our Universal Calendar. To register: REGISTER for POPE LEO XIV AND JUST WAR THEORY Webinar Synodality won’t work by Justin Stanwix When opening the Synod of Bishops in 2021, Pope Francis prayed that the Holy Spirit would “inspire new tongues and place words of life on our lips, to keep us from becoming a ‘museum Church’: beautiful but mute, with much past and little future.” Nearly five years later, his next petition seems even more striking: that the synodal experience “not lose our enthusiasm, dilute the power of prophecy, or descend into useless and unproductive discussions.” An unintentional prophet? Was Francis also being unintentionally prophetic? As John Warhurst has recently observed, the outcomes of the Australian Plenary Council already risk becoming relics. Synodality is alive in some dioceses, but nationally the uptake is undeniably patchy. There is no need to prepare a museum exhibit just yet, but neither is there cause to build a hall of fame. Why the reluctance? Why the hesitation to embrace a papal initiative so clearly reinforced — not only by Francis, but explicitly by Pope Leo XIV? The subject of an intense Synod with clergy and laity, women and men, from every region represented, with global contribution. The outcome summarised in a readable Final Document signed off by Pope Francis. Yet many are frustrated by the thin explanations offered for this inertia, and by the lack of action where it is most needed. Back off — or go differently? Given that many Plenary Council resolutions now lie dormant in the Roman catacombs, should we retreat from promoting synodality? Or consider a different strategy? If synodality is, in part, an antidote to clericalism, is it realistic to expect the hierarchical custodians of clerical culture to be its most energetic champions? Perhaps not. Grassroot lessons The Plenary Council preparations offer an important insight. Parish-level conversations, listening sessions, and submissions from communities across Australia created a genuine experience of shared discernment. They demonstrated that the People of God are capable of engaging synodally — and that they hunger for fundamental changes. This suggests a complementary path. While episcopal leadership remains essential, we need not wait passively for synodality to “trickle down.” It can — and should — be cultivated at the parish level. Synodality will have achieved its greatest heights when it reaches even beyond parish to our homes and daily practice. This is not a new idea. Pope Francis has called for local churches to be involved “in all the different phases of synodality and from the bottom up.” The Final Document positively includes local church but more especially adoption of the process throughout every parish. Facing the obstacles Resistance will arise: discomfort with the word itself, fear of change, and concern about adding “one more thing” to parish life. These reactions must be managed with patience and clarity. Since we are talking about a synodal process, not a new standalone program, they should not be major obstacles. Formation is essential, pastor support enlisted and parish councils primed to take the running. The council should adopt synodality as its mode of operation, share the approach with the broader parish and arrange formation sessions. An authoritative guide, Leadership after the Synod by Anne Benjamin and Charles Burford, is planned for release in a couple of months — complete with history, analysis and discussion points. After 5 years of talking and listening let’s walk the walk. Justin Stanwix is an active permanent deacon in the Diocese of Wollongong, Australia. After 40 years in commercial law practice he was ordained deacon. He has a love for liturgy and especially for its artful practice dating from Vatican II deliberations. He presents and writes on current Church topics including for some years in La Croix International. Justin has a commitment to synodal layout of church interiors and the way we assemble for Eucharist. Your donations are most appreciatedYOUR GIFT – IN ANY AMOUNT – IS PRICELESS When you make a donation to support our cause, you join with others who are investing in restoring our Church to what Jesus intended. The dollars we receive are used to run our programs and to reach a broad spectrum of the People of God. We are focused on reaching out to the Faithful, reform activists, young adults as well as those who feel abandoned by the Church, to mention just a few. Your personal contributions in offering your suggestions and your donations are most appreciated. On behalf of the CCRI steering committee, Rene Reid, CCRI director. |