Call for church accountability

SYDNEY -- A conference that attracted 250 Catholics from across Australia ended here on April 17 calling for far reaching changes in the operation and direction of the church in Australia.

The “People's Conference”, which does not enjoy the imprimatur of the church hierarchy, demanded that the church adhere to state and federal anti-discrimination laws. “As the biggest non-government employer in Australia, the Catholic Church should be made accountable to the non-discriminatory principles that all other employers in the country are bound by”, said conference facilitator Louise Redmond.

The conference was organised by Catholics in Coalition for Justice and Peace, an organisation formed following the closure of the official Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, which was seen by the church establishment as being too radical.

Other demands adopted included a call to reform the exclusive and hierarchical culture of the Catholic clergy; the use of non-sexist and non-racist language in all liturgies and documents; and for the national Bishops Conference to be open to all interested Catholics.

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