Early next month, Bishop Shane will travel to Rome in preparation for the first Assembly of the XVI Synod of Bishops. Bishop Shanee is participating at the Synod in his capacity as a delegate from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. He will be joined by four fellow Australian Bishops and five “non-bishop” voting members from Australia, three of whom are women.
This is the first synod in which lay people (and professed women) have been given voting rights.
Joining Bishop Shane at the Synod are fellow Australian Bishops: -
Archbishop Patrick O’Regan, also a delegate of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference; Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, member of the Council of the Secretariat of the Synod;
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference; and
Bishop Anthony Randazzo, President of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania
Non-bishop participants from Australia are: -
Dr Trudy Dantis, Director of the National Centre for Pastoral Research;
John Lochowiak, Chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council;
Kelly Paget, Chancellor at the Diocese of Broken Bay;
Professor Renee Kohler-Ryan, National Head of Philosophy and Theology from the University of Notre Dame Australia; and
Fr Sijeesh Pullenkunnel, Chancellor of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Melbourne.
The first Session of the Assembly will rely on facilitators entrusted with moderating various proceedings over the four weeks of discernment.
Six Australian spiritual conversations facilitators will join facilitators from across the globe to moderate proceedings over the four weeks of the first Session.
They are:
Dr Sandie Cornish, from ACU;
Fr Ormond Rush, also from ACU;
Br Ian Cribb SJ, key Plenary Council facilitator; and
Susan Pascoe, Adjunct Professor, member of the Synod Methodology Commission
Two other facilitators, who live in Australia have also been called to Rome:
Fr Asaeli Raass SVD, Divine Word Missionary (who is listed as a Fijian expert but is serving in remote central Australia); and
Fr Eamonn Conway, a priest of the Diocese of Tuam (listed for Ireland, but is professor of Integral Human Development at the University of Notre Dame Australia).
