Frank Purcell argues the world economic collapse can be likened to the collapse of Catholicism. In this short essay he entitled "Leadership Responsibility and the Collapse of the Australian Church" he argues that a possible way forward for the Church is the calling of an Australian Synod.

Systemic Failures:

The World Financial crisis has shown the intellectual and moral bankruptcy which has led to the near collapse of our global financial system. Those who challenged the fundamentals on which it was built (I refuse to call those fundamentals "principles"), were derided for not living in the 'real world'. Not many of those who pointed out the fatal flaws in the system gained tenured positions in the halls of learning.

A similar corporate culture has taken control of the Catholic Church. The guardians of truth in the Vatican bureaucracy have now decided that any priest who questions the ban on the ordination of women will face excommunication. It is the same guardians of truth, the Cardinals and members of 'the sacred Purple' in that Vatican bureaucracy who have been in charge during the near collapse of the Catholic Church in the developed world. Like their counterparts in Wall Street they ignored all attempts to draw their attention to serious problems.

Our corporate managers in Rome have taken away the power of the local Bishops — a far more serious issue for the Church than its members wanting to discuss the possibility of ordaining women. The Roman refusal to listen is like our political leaders refusing to act on reports of the build-up of swarms of locusts or of bushfires taking hold in various patches of the countryside. 17,000 petitions from Mass-going Catholics in Australia are not even given the courtesy of a serious acknowledgment, let alone a considered response. Bishops, priests and laity who are aware of and report on the build-up of dangerous conditions for the Church in Australia are ignored by an insulting silence, or threatened and bullied by uninformed and unaccountable bureaucrats in Rome. We have even seen special envoys sent out to do the job on our local bishops.

A serious violation of Catholic teaching…

The latest news that a priest in the United States has been threatened with excommunication because he is in favour of the ordination of women says it all. Ever since the First Vatican Council there has been a misuse of the teaching on Papal Infallibility. All kinds of moral and disciplinary matters are said to be "infallible" because of the teaching of the Magisterium. That of course means the Pope and bishops together as a body, but when have our bishops ever been seriously consulted by Rome on the belief of the local churches which they lead?

That failure to consult the bishops of the local churches around the world before claiming that certain beliefs or disciplinary practices are infallible, is a serious violation of Catholic teaching. That IS the kind of abuse of authority which deserves excommunication.

If the Vatican had honestly dealt with our petition, the question of the infallibility of the ban on the ordination of women would have had to be discussed. The bureaucracy does not want the issue raised because it fears it may be forced to admit that the Church knows that there is no scriptural foundation for such a ban. The practice of ordaining men only was a pastoral decision taken in times when patriarchy ruled. Times have changed. Let the Pope and Bishops ask the real question: What would Jesus do today?

The only way forward is to call a Synod of the Australian Church…

The only way forward is for the Australian Church is to seize the moment and call a Synod of the Australian Church. At their November meeting in 2007 the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference committed itself to holding synods and consulting the members of the Church.

Let's find out if they are prepared to do that. Let's call on them to hold a national consultation to hear what Australian Catholics see as the underlying problems causing the collapse of the Church's credibility among the young. Let's find out if there are any Australian bishops willing to take a stand and publicly call on Rome to allow the ordination of married Catholics.

Let's not stand silently by and allow the Vatican bureaucracy to go unchallenged. Their calls for liturgical reforms — bows of the head and the banning of inclusive language amount to little more that a rearranging of the deckchairs on the Titanic as the church is about to slip beneath the icy waters of the 21st century In Australia.

	Frank Purcell is one of the convenors of Catholics for Ministry (www.catholicsforministry.com) and helped organise the petition to the Australian Bishops in 2007 urging a more effective response to the looming crisis in Ministry the Church faces in Australia.