This is the text of Archbishop Bathersby’s address to Synod Members at their first preparatory day.

FIRST SYNOD PREPARATION DAY

12 OCTOBER 2002

 It is good to be with you this morning and I thank you most sincerely for your presence.  Recently at the national gathering of Secondary School Principals at Coolangatta I renewed friendship with Thomas Groome, an expert in Religious Education, who first came to Australia in 1978 when I was Spiritual Director at Banyo Seminary.  He was delighted to hear me announce to the assembled Principals that we are holding a Synod in 2003. He acknowledged that in these difficult times it is a brave thing to do and admired our courage. His comment made me ask myself: “When is the right time to hold a Synod considering that all time is God’s time?” and “Indeed could not the present moment even with the Church under so much pressure be absolutely the very best time to do so?” Perhaps the world has never needed the Church’s good news more than it does and surely such a time of need is the very best time to hold the Synod.

What we are hoping for from the Synod is nothing less than the renewal of the Archdiocese so that we can better face the challenges of this new century, and be better able to contribute to the transformation of the world according to the mind of Jesus Christ. There is no good or bad time for trying to do that, rather there is a certain excitement is pursuing such a challenge when the odds are against us as they are at the present time and, as they were in the life of Christ Himself.

Could I just spell out some of the challenges we are facing and indicate how the priorities indicated in the consultation might constructively engage them.

1. Firstly at an international level most commentators follow the American Professor Huntington’s predictions of a future clash, not of nations or ideologies, but of civilizations based upon religion, where friend and foe alike mingle within the same national boundaries, sometimes for less than worthy motives.  In such a situation only dialogue between different religions pursued with vigour and over time can possibly safeguard peace and coexistence.
Social Justice must also be pursued in the hope that the gap between rich and poor, that in the clash of civilizations is an added cause of resentment, will also be addressed if people are to live in harmony.  Certainly care for the environment, an essential element of Social Justice, could be a point of unity among people of different races, colours, and creeds who must be concerned by the environmental neglect of our shared world that needs to be passed on intact to future generations. 
Always, Christ’s overarching vision of the people of the world belonging to the one family of God must capture the imagination of world leaders, both religious and political if we are to cope with our rapidly shrinking world. Moreover science, which can be such a potent force for good, is also capable of developing the most horrible forms of warfare for the destruction of innocent and guilty alike, which makes armed conflict in the world of the future entirely unacceptable. 
Only dialogue based upon the dignity of all people as children of God, can possibly lead to the peace for which the world longs. This dialogue must be both inter-faith and inter-Church. For Catholics, ecumenical activity is integral to the practice of the faith and a top priority of the present Holy Father. Dialogue between all religions and all Christians is an absolute necessity for the future.

2. At a national level , in Australia we are conscious of the drift from mainstream religions under the pressure of an ever increasing secularization of society.  Secularization is good insofar as it challenges inadequate forms of religion.  It is evil when it seduces people into believing that they can live without God.  The religion that Christ has left us is not a comfortable religion.  The cross stands starkly at its centre and Christ encourages us to enter the Kingdom of God by the narrow gate. Perhaps the loss of the cross from Christianity is one of the larger heresies of our time.  Somehow secular Australia has seduced people into believing that they can get by as individual Spiritual operators, rather than as fully committed worshipping members of that faith community we call the Church. 
Individual prayer is absolutely essential as it was in the life of Christ Himself, but it must be joined to prayer with others, especially Eucharistic prayer that draws us into the paschal mystery of Christ, and then sends us out to proclaim good news to the world by word and action.  I have recently experienced splendid examples of community and liturgy in this Archdiocese, which seems absolutely essential if we wish to attract people to our beliefs. The spiritual tragedy of Australia is that so many Australians try to live without God. Both in the Old and New Testaments life without God leads to national tragedy. Australia and Australians must avoid these consequences by returning to faith as the only viable way of life.  Recently Archbishop Carnley, the Anglican Primate of Australia, pointed out in a ceremony at the Queensland University that the number of Australians describing themselves as “having no religion” had levelled out marginally in the last census and that this trend might continue into the future.  I hope he is correct.
At the same time the remarkable growth of Pentecostal Churches seems to show us a way forward even as it parallels the erosion of membership in mainstream Churches.  The percentage of worshipping Catholics in this Archdiocese, 13%, continues to be a cause for great concern, particularly when this percentage increases significantly with younger age groups.
Our Archdiocesan consultation has indicated that reaching out to young people must be a priority for the Church if we wish to capture their energy and enthusiasm for the present, as well as their membership for the future.  World Youth Day is one event that suits their culture and deepens their faith, and it must be possible to reproduce its features at the local level.  As well there seem to be a number of other youth movements that have correctly gauged the spirit of young people today and we must use them as well.
 Cardinal Arinze has recently spoken about the rise of new religious movements and suggests that there is much that we could learn from them.  They certainly make demands on their membership which contrast sharply with our rather casual laid-back initiation of new members into our Church.  They are also wise about the power of the media for spreading good news and we too must learn that wisdom if we wish to communicate Christ effectively to the modern world.

  At an Archdiocesan level we cannot overlook the reality of ourselves as the fastest growing Catholic Church area in Australia.  This brings its own particular problems. In such a situation how do we make contact with our general membership in rapidly developing areas as well as providing adequate services for them?  The role of the laity in all of this is critical. For a host of reasons, not peculiar to our tradition alone, as indicated in the recent Uniting Church news, there is a scarcity of ordained ministers. For a variety of reasons Church leadership roles today do not easily attract candidates.  Across the mainstream Churches they appear too difficult.
Nevertheless while we search for candidates for ordained ministry with a real sense of urgency we cannot just sit back and allow Church development to stagger to a halt because people who filled these roles in the past are no longer available. New strategies must be developed as quickly as possible to address these challenges.  We cannot blame people in newly developing areas for being attracted to other religions if their own Church has made no real effort to contact them. 
The establishment of new communities of faith must continue if we are to strengthen and protect our membership.  It was interesting to read recently that Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez de Maradiaga of the Honduras, often mentioned as a future candidate for papacy, has prepared 15,000 “delegates of the word” who lead liturgies in the large rural areas of his Archdiocese.  Like him we too need to think laterally if we are to halt our declining membership. Describing ourselves by the title “people of God” is a hollow claim if we do not effectively enlist lay people into the ministry of this Archdiocese to confront challenges that have arisen recently. 
As well as establishing new communities of faith we also need to improve the quality of our older communities. As mentioned before, I have recently experienced Archdiocesan faith communities full of hospitality, energy, and vitality, and predictably packed with young people. Strangers who experience such communities are attracted by their vitality, and become regular members. Typically such communities emphasize well-planned liturgy and music which once again are features of the Pentecostal Churches from which we can learn.
 So my dear people there are significant challenges for us as we gather in Synod but thankfully the priorities indicated in the Archdiocesan consultation touch all these areas of concern. As I have already stated, the foundation priority must, I believe, be education in the faith .  Until we understand the mission and vision of Christ, until we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, there will be no urgency to become involved in mission, which belongs to the essence of the Church established by Jesus Christ. Like the Scarlet Pimpernel of old we live in the best of times and the worst of times, but there is no denying the excitement of this present moment, nor the excitement of the faith we are trying to communicate.
Accompanying the gifts of life and faith is Baptism into the community of the Church.  Many people do not recognize the privilege of belonging to the Church.  Yet despite being battle scarred and weary, the Church is the only means by which we can come to know Christ, and as a result it needs to be valued for what it truly is - the mystical body of Christ. I hope we can learn to love it and enjoy it.

I am sure our Synod will be a time of vitality and excitement as we gather in this temporary community drawn together to listen to the voice of God’s Holy Spirit.  Value those people whom you will meet because, like you, their lives are marked by a generosity of spirit that under the further inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit will draw forth further riches from the wisdom of God, things both new and old to energize this Archdiocese for its mission to the world at the beginning of this new millennium.

 Thank you again for your presence here today. I hope that this gathering will be full of wisdom and action and, knowing the Holy Spirit, I am sure not a few surprises as well. May Mary, Mother of the Church, and the first believer, intercede for us as we seek to better understand and communicate the vision of her Son, and may Blessed Mary MacKillop inspire us with her determination and faith as, following in her footsteps, we too seek to claim Australia for Christ.