Women

In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis speaks of the dignity of baptism and how this broadens our understanding of the need to nurture and encourage men and women alike, to spread the Good News of Jesus (120). He acknowledges the challenges that lay before us as we seek to not only engage the gifts of all God’s people, including women, in the task of evangelisation, but to accompany them in their own faith journeys (102-109).

The role of women in the Catholic Church has, for many years, been a matter of some note. In recent times, the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia acknowledged that there was a strong understanding that society and the Church persists in their “disregard” of an equal dignity of women and men. The Plenary Council noted Pope John Paul II’s Letter to Women when he wrote:

Women's dignity has often been unacknowledged and their prerogatives misrepresented; they have often been relegated to the margins of society and even reduced to servitude. This has prevented women from truly being themselves and it has resulted in a spiritual impoverishment of humanity (Pope John Paull II).

The NCE notes, both from the findings of the Plenary Council and its own consultation with a diverse range of Australian Catholic women, that the experiences of Church life can be greatly varied. Some women express a sense of joy and happiness in the way they can serve the Church, while others experience barriers and a lack of support in their efforts to do likewise.

The NCE therefore seeks to promote various ways in which Catholic women, with their diverse experiences and needs, can be formed and accompanied enabling them to flourish in their desire to live and share the Good News of Jesus.

Formation and Leadership

The question can be asked whether formation looks different for women? In many aspects of faith formation, the baptised – and those seeking to become Catholic – will have similar needs. However, in the ways formation is offered and in dealing with themes primarily affecting women, then it can and does look different.

It is also important to be purposeful in empowerment and support of women to take up formation, academic study and leadership. The voice of women offering experiences, interpretations and styles of leadership are critical for the Church moving forward.

"This Assembly asks for full implementation of all the opportunities already provided for in Canon Law with regard to the role of women, particularly in those places where they remain underutilised. There is no reason or impediment that should prevent women from carrying out leadership roles in the Church: what comes from the Holy Spirit cannot be stopped," (XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops: For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission Final Document, 60).

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) Initiatives and Resources

Australian Young Catholic Women’s Fellowship (2024-25)

In 2024-25 the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, through the National Centre for Evangelisation (NCE) will be offering eight fellowships for post-graduate theological study. More details can be found at the link above.

Catholic Women's Leadership Video Series

A video series featuring five senior female leaders who offer their perspectives on key questions about leadership was produced by the National Centre for Evangelisation in 2024. These videos are available on Evangelise Plus.

Research: Woman and Man: One in Christ Jesus (1999)

The research project on "The Participation of Women in the Catholic Church in Australia" was undertaken for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference by the Bishops' Committee for Justice, Development and Peace, Australian Catholic University and the Australian Conference of Leaders of Religious Institutes. The project was launched by Cardinal Clancy on August 21, 1996 and the report of the project presented to the Plenary Meeting of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference on April 12, 1999.

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