IT is not unusual for Townsville Bishop Tim Harris to drive four, five or six hours to visit his Catholic flock across the great expanse of North Queensland.
There’s plenty of time behind the wheel of his all-wheel-drive to reflect on this month’s historic Plenary Council assembly, and the decision made that could help reshape the Australian Church.
There’s a lot at stake, and a lot for Bishop Harris to think about.
In some parts of the Townsville diocese, priests are scarce and unavailable for weeks. The diocese stretches from Townsville inland to Mount Isa near the Northern Territory border – an area almost twice the size of the United Kingdom.
The life of a bishop here is very different to those of metropolitan Church leaders, and so too are the needs of parishioners in mining towns, Indigenous communities and on remote cattle stations.
Today, Bishop Harris, on the road to the rich agricultural Burdekin region south of Townsville, reflected on the Plenary Council assembly, particularly some of the key motions could affect the spiritual life in his far-flung diocese.
“I believe the Spirit was in that conference from beginning to end,” he told The Catholic Leader.
“And I think the Spirit was shaking us up a bit and saying to the Church gathered – bishops, priests, lay people religious, ‘Look, you know, be prepared for some surprises that things may not go according to plan.”
The ‘shake up’ moment came, according to Bishop Harris, when two motions that aimed to elevate the role of women in the Church, were initially voted down.
Some plenary members were shocked at that result, and about 60 members walked from the floor, leaving the assembly in disarray.
Bishop Harris said he was greatly relieved when those motions were redrafted by an expert panel, and passed easily. One motion supported the ordination of women as deacons in Australia if Pope Francis would allow it.
Plenary Council in motion
The Catholic Leader: So how could those motions make a practical impact across the Townsville diocese?
“My strong view is it’s the Eucharist that we need. So a deacon, whether male or female is probably not going to suit this diocese at this moment in history,” Bishop Harris said.
“But I’m not ruling it out. I’ve just got to say to myself if I’m going to have a deacon male or female, how could they be of service to this diocese?”
Bishop Harris is quick to identify the contribution that women already make, particularly in places where there is no priest, and little support.
He spoke of another plenary initiative, motion 5.2, that calls for dioceses to promote “formation for the ministries of lector, acolyte and catechist”.
“Well, women can be catechists. For example, a woman catechist in the mid-west of my diocese I serve would be very helpful, because they would speak on behalf of me, they would be commissioned, they would be leaders,” Bishop Harris said.
He named some of the isolated towns where catechists are badly needed – Richmond, Hughenden and Winton.
“A priest might arrive every two weeks, he might arrive every month. But what happens in between? Who’s actually there for the Church?” Bishop Harris said.
“Let’s select appropriate people. Give them the authority – and they’d get that as a catechist.
“This is more than being a catechist in the local state school, this is a legitimate leadership role.
“That person can sit with the dying. That person can do all sorts of things, although obviously they can’t celebrate Eucharist.
“That person can be the face of Christ in that community, and I think that’s critical.
“So there we are. We’ve opened up a ministry for women immediately.”
Bishop Harris ranked motions supporting First Nations recognition and reconciliation as key Plenary Council assembly achievements, including support for the Uluru Statement and an apology for the Church’s role in past mistreatment of indigenous peoples.
“We’ve just said to our First Nations peoples, look, we’re walking with you. And we’ve been doing it for so many years and we want to do it better,” he said.
“And we backed the whole liturgical issue of how indigenous spirituality fit into the Catholic spirituality.
“What do we have in common? How can we incorporate all those sorts of questions?
Bishop Harris said new protocols – such as the introduction of Acknowledgment to Country and Welcome to Country ceremonies – are already put into practice across his diocese.
“Every parish in the diocese starts off with an Acknowledgement of Country,” he said.
“We start every meeting in the diocese and the parishes in the same way. We are well versed in this area.”
Bishop Harris fully supported those plenary motions that backed ecological conversion.
While he conceded the impacts of climate change are significant across his diocese – more severe cyclones, floods, and droughts, the impacts on the Great Barrier Reef.
However, there are strong concerns about the future of coal mining too.
“There are a lot of people employed in the mining industry. Now a conversion needs to happen, there’s no question about that,” Bishop Harris said.
“Again, without necessarily blowing our trumpet, but we’ve been on the front foot with this already.
“We have invested millions of dollars powering our Catholic schools with solar. The power goes back into the grid.
“We’ve also now set up a local Laudato Si task force and we now are going to usher in a whole new accompaniment of our parishes to help them become aware of what they can do locally, to contribute to a greener community and world.
“We do have to find ways to remind everyone that we’re stewards of creation, that we don’t own creation.
“We’re simply people on a journey who are here for a limited time. Those motions give us a legitimacy.”
The Catholic Leader: What about some of the lesser talked about plenary motions that passed, including motion 5.6, requesting the reintroduction of the Third Rite What’s the significance of that for your Diocese?
“Well, I think it’s very significant because we now put it in the hands of the Pope – if he is open to this, we will embrace it,” he said.
“In a diocese like mine, I think the Third Rite would be very, very useful (in a limited way).
“In the west, and in the midwest of the diocese, I can’t produce several priests. I’d be lucky to get one or two. Three would be a miracle.”
Bishop Harris said before Easter and Christmas would be a “prime time” for a priest to put the Third Rite into practice by calling remote communities together for a general absolution of sins.
“It could be a wonderful way of stimulating the community… there are people on properties who haven’t been to a reconciliation for 20 years,” he said.
“Most people want to come and say they’re sorry and receive the grace of the Holy Spirit.”
“I fear that the first rite is dying. And in this part of the world it is dead. It’s provided for every week, but it’s pretty poor.”
The Catholic Leader: Another of the motions that has been talked about is one supporting a retranslation of the Roman Missal. How significant is that motion?
“Well, I think there’s a view that the language of the Missal needs to change,” Bishop Harris said.
“Many feel that that it’s too convoluted, but difficult to articulate or pray and the meaning can get lost.”
The Catholic Leader: So in terms of synodality and in terms of being on this journey, dependent on what Rome has to say, do you think the Plenary Council has put us on a new trajectory, and a positive one for the Church?
“What has transpired I think, is a pivotal moment for us… I trust the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit has taken us through the plenary process to where we are now,” Bishop Harris said.
“We’ve now got to implement these decisions once they’re approved by Rome. I’m hopeful that we will achieve, or the Holy Spirit will achieve, great things for the Church.”
