Plenary Council Livestream – Monday, October 4, 2021

[Music] thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] your culture which shows the lasting genius and dignity of your race must not be allowed to disappear your songs your story your paintings your dances your languages must never be lost [Music] [Music] you have lived in this land and fashioned a culture that endures to this day and during all this time the spirit of god has been with you [Music] when i read the gospels i read them as an aboriginal so many of the things christ said and did and the way he lived makes me think of the good things of our way of life christ did not get worried about material things he looked at them as things that get in the way and make it hard to get to our true country [Music] he was born in the countryside in a cave like many of us have been born he walked about like us with nowhere to lie his head he died with nothing on the cross so many of our people die with nothing he was strong and sharing we do a lot of things like that of course he went a bit further [Music] in the eucharist he shared himself as nobody else [Music] heart to could oh lord i give my heart to you [Music] [Music] lord i need my heart to [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is [Music] my heart to you [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] oh [Music] being catholic is really important to my family and i my mum grew up on three missions in south australia the public schools those days wouldn't educate them my grandmother had 15 children and it was the catholic schools that took him in and gave them an education being catholic lifted our profile into something that's very important to my family [Music] aboriginal and torres strait islander people are the fastest growing group in the australian catholic church today we love the church the plenary council is an opportunity to make the church even better [Music] i'm john lacoviak from the national aboriginal and torres strait islander catholic council i'd like to welcome everyone from all over australia to this important event i'd like to acknowledge our elders both past present and emerging all our elders from all over this country we're the oldest living continuous culture we have a spiritual connection to land the reason i feel very honoured to be able to do a welcome to country is once we welcome you then we have a duty you care to make sure that you're safe and taken care of [Music] can you see me hello and a very warm welcome to the opening plenary of the first general assembly as together we commence the celebration of the fifth plenary council of the catholic church in australia welcome particularly to the people of god across australia and throughout the world who join us online through the live stream it's a blessing to have you praying with us thank you for accompanying the plenary council members in this way i begin by acknowledging the barometrical people of direct country whose land i stand on today and i pay my respects to elders past present and emerging who have been custodians and carers of this land for over sixty thousand years for time immemorial i also extend that respect to other aboriginal and torres strait islander people who are present with us today i am in awe of the deep connection first nations people have to this land and in the spirit of makarata commit myself to journeying with first nations people for healing reconciliation peacemaking and justice peace be upon this house this is the greeting when visiting a new space in the liturgical syriac language of my church a language which derives from aramaic the language which jesus spoke himself my name is teresa simon i'm a proud maronite woman i'm a mother wife daughter sister and have backgrounds in both education and law i have grown up in the catholic church in australia i am delighted to say i am a member of the plenary council and it is with great privilege that i am our chairperson for today's opening plenary session [Music] let us now join together in prayer [Music] can you say [Music] so [Music] open up your heart [Music] open up your ears [Music] from across australia united by our baptism called into god's mission we begin our prayer in the name of god the father the son and the holy spirit amen [Music] as we breathe we call upon the holy spirit [Music] we know that you are with us god today we begin the celebration of the fifth plenary council of the catholic church in australia we have journeyed together for nearly four years praying for the guidance of the holy spirit sharing our stories of our faith and listening deeply to one another and to god [Music] our aboriginal and torres strait islander sisters and brothers have been storytellers and deep listeners for thousands of years to know me is to breathe with me to breathe with me is to listen deeply to listen deeply is to connect [Music] it's the sound the sound of deep calling too deep daddy the deep inner spring inside us we call on it and it calls on us [Music] we are river people we cannot hurry the river we need to move with the current and understand its ways we wait for the rain to fill our rivers and water our at this [Music] we wait for our young people as nightborne [Music] the time for rebirth is now if our culture is alive and strong and respected it will grow it will not die and our spirit will not die i believe that the spirit of deity that we have to offer will blossom and grow not just within ourselves but in our whole nation [Music] so [Music] let anyone who has an ear listen to what the spirit is saying to the churches [Music] [Music] we come listening for the whisper of god's holy spirit to the church in australia pope francis teaches us that synodality means becoming a church which listens which realizes that listening is more than simply hearing it is a mutual listening in which everyone has something to learn the faithful people the college of bishops the bishop of rome all listening to each other and all listening to the holy spirit [Music] we must continue along this path teaches pope francis the world in which we live and which we are called to love and serve even with its contradictions demands that the church strengthen cooperation in all areas of her mission it is precisely this path of synodality which god expects of the church of the third millennium [Music] we are sent to be missionary disciples by christ as the father has sent me even so i send you we are sign and sacrament of god's kingdom the church's mission is not an addition to that of christ and the holy spirit but is its sacrament [Music] me [Music] the universe reveals god we learn of god from the universe we will be saved with the universe we cannot be saved any other way and then we have the holy spirit from the very beginning the spirit the spirit is involved in creation spirit breathes over the world and the spirit has worked in all kinds of religions and all kinds of movements throughout history until in the end in his time god sends his son into the world [Music] and this son is supposed to be the revelation of who god is and to achieve god's purposes jesus jesus was consumed with mission the three things they say about jesus was one he needed no enemies he had enemies but he didn't need them a lot of us define ourselves according to our enemies he was very close to his father he was very intimate with god and he had a sense of mission he was he was a kind of a driven man and the best sense of those words and his vision for the world he expressed us the kingdom of god and at the end of his life he entrusts that mission to the church the church is to be the sign and sacrament of the kingdom of god and the church is not the kingdom of god but it is the servant of the kingdom of god and it should reveal the kingdom of god [Music] [Music] yes [Music] loving god we pray knowing that where two or three are gathered in your name you are with us together we pray for the catholic church in australia that the outpouring of the holy spirit throughout the plenary council might lead to a renewed more missionary and more christ-like church together we pray hear us oh god [Music] for all members of the plenary council that our hearts and minds are open to receive the holy spirit as we pray and discern god's will for the church in australia together we pray hear us oh god for all who care for the earth fathers gardeners conservationists and ecologists that god of all creation may sustain them in their work together we pray hear us by god for those who are most vulnerable in australia that they may find comfort and companionship among us and through our care come to know the goodness of god's love and mercy together we pray hear us [Music] gracious guide you desire that your mission flourish here in australia and throughout the world hear these our prayers we ask this through christ our lord amen [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] i mean our lady help of christians pray for us saint mary mackillop pray for us [Music] is [Music] [Music] uh i am a first generation maronite catholic in australia my parents hailed from small villages just below the cedars of lebanon and just above the cadesha valley the holy valley of saints and like so many of us gathered here today our forebearers left their nations from all corners of the world bringing with them their catholic faith together we now gather in the rich tapestry of diversity joined here together in one lord one faith one baptism and all made to drink of one spirit what a beautiful way to begin our first plenary session yesterday with the opening mass of the holy spirit the church in australia transit transitioned from preparation to celebration and what a beautiful celebration it has been so far in 1937 the clerical leadership of the church then gathered for the fourth plenary council traveling on horseback journeying for days to come together today some 84 years later we gather virtually for our first of two general assemblies using technology that wasn't even dreamed of in 1937. together in the session ahead of us this morning we shall formally open the fifth plenary council for the catholic church in australia and for the first time in our history of having councils the membership of the fifth plenary council includes women youth leaders and young leaders young people deacons religious congregational leaders lay leaders of ministry church agencies and faith community groups our youngest member is just 20 years of age and is from orange in western new south wales in the diocese of bathurst one of our eldest members is the vicar general from the diocese of cairns in northern queensland and he was just five years of age when the 1937 council was held when this plenary council journey commenced we would not have imagined that we would be gathered here today virtually because the world is in the grips of a covert 19 pandemic a horrible virus affecting the lives of people across the world especially the most marginalized here from my home in western sydney where we have perhaps more poignantly seen the consequences of covert 19 in recent months i know we are all mindful of the sickness death lockdowns border closures separation from loved ones and uncertainty of a future in all this though we as catholics know of hope that the world will begin to open and we are deeply grateful for the miracles of science and the work of frontline workers we pray that the months ahead bring relief to the many here in australia and around the world who are suffering to formally welcome all members advisers and guests and open the plenary council i am delighted to invite most reverent art bishops timothy costello archbishop of the diocese of perth and president of the fifth council in australia to address the plenary thank you teresa very much and good morning to everybody this is a formal address and i'm very honored to be able to present it to you this morning so dear brothers and sisters in christ my first words of you must to you must be words of welcome to you all we are all brothers and sisters in the faith and all are equally welcome in saying that i do want to acknowledge a number of people special guests and others including monsignor john baptist itamura and monsignor giuseppe quirigetti from the apostolic nunchucha in canberra and also a number of other observers and guests some of whom have joined us this morning and some of whom will join us throughout the week and included in those are cardinal john dew the archbishop of wellington and president of the new zealand catholic bishops conference cardinal charles bowe archbishop of yangon and president of the federation of asian catholic bishops conferences most reverend peter loy chong archbishop of suva and president of the federation of catholic bishops conferences of oceania most rare and anton barr archbishop of madame in papua new guinea and president of the catholic bishops conference of papua new guinea and the solomon islands most reverend paul donohue bishop of rarotonga in the cook islands and president of the episcopal conference of the pacific the right reverend philip huggins anglican bishop and president of the national council of churches in australia and mr roberto schenner and mr ross castle from catholic church insurances to all of you i say grace and peace to you all from god our father and the lord jesus christ i have greeted you this morning in this opening session of the first general assembly of the fifth plenary council of the church in australia with these words of saint paul the great apostle to the gentiles and in many ways the great spearhead of the infant church's extraordinary missionary outreach to the many peoples and cultures of his own time perhaps it was with this missionary energy that pope francis had in mind when he spoke of a missionary option for the church a missionary impulse he said capable of transforming everything so that the church's customs ways of doing things times and schedules language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelical evangelization of today's world rather than for her self-preservation as today we take this bold and crucial step in our own response to the call for the church's transformation we can be encouraged and inspired by the energy persistence creativity and fidelity of saint paul and by the dream of pope francis whose words have helped to inspire and shape the agenda which will guide us through the days ahead most importantly we can be confident that we are being guided by the holy spirit of god how often have we prayed together or individually the plenary council prayer asking for the grace to see the face of god in each other and to recognize jesus who journeys with us how many times have we ask for the power of god's spirit who can help us to hold together in creative tension the readiness to speak boldly and the determination to listen humbly how many times have we prayed for a discerning heart which will enable us to hear what god is saying in and through and under and beyond all the voices to which we have tried and will continue to try to listen so carefully this is the grace for which we have prayed ever since our journey towards this moment began do we really believe that god who promised to give good things to those who ask him would not give us this good gift in praying sincerely for this gift we have perhaps without realizing it also prayed to be open to both receiving and using this gift and it is this prayer which must guide us throughout the coming week as we begin our work this morning it is important to recall that we are participants in an historic moment for the church in australia plenary council is a solemn and authoritative gathering of the catholic church in a particular time and place and it is one in which the very nature of the church finds expression plaguery council is an instrument of synodality of collegiality and of communion with the church throughout the world a communion which is expressed in the petrol ministry of the bishop of rome it is an event governed by canon law and by the richness and diversity of our catholic tradition and its purpose to which we will seek to be faithful this week is to ensure that the pastoral needs of the people of god are provided for the statutes and regulatory norms which will guide us throughout this week and which echo the canon law of the church specify the four areas which must be our concern as we seek to discern under the inspiration of the holy spirit a way forward for the church in our land these four areas are firstly an increase of faith then an ordering of common pastoral action then the direction of morals and lastly the preservation introduction and defense of a common ecclesiastical discipline it will be our task to discern through the practice of synodality of collegiality and of communion with the worldwide church whatever whatever seems opportune for us to decide and to do to bring to life this four-fold renewal of the church we will be engaged therefore in a work of discernment the voice we will most need to hear and to be attentive to is that of the holy spirit so we will listen to each other carefully and respectfully as pope and pope francis invites us to do alert for the voice of the spirit we will scrutinize the signs of the times in the light of the gospel as gaudium expeds calls us to do we will test the spirits to see if they come from god we will listen to what the spirit is saying to the churches we will keep in mind the plea of saint paul not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we may discern what is the will of god what is good and acceptable and perfect this week our speaking will be so important but our listening will be even more important many of us come with high hopes great expectations to this assembly and rightly so many of us also come conscious of the heavy responsibility we bear and rightly so in the mysterious ways of god's providence it is we who have been called together to undertake this historic and grace-filled task on behalf of the whole catholic community of our nation in an important sense therefore we come as representatives of the people of god in australia we carry with us as a privilege and as a responsibility the precious and sometimes fragile faith of god's people we carry their hopes and dreams their pain and suffering their joy and their optimism their fears and their hesitations the task we share together therefore is not that of being a representative voice for any one organization or ministry or spirituality within the church we've not been called to advance any particular agenda be it our own or someone else's we have been called together to enter into a sacred space as brothers and sisters in christ to listen deeply for the voice and to be alert to the leadings of the holy spirit as these emerge through all the different elements of our week together and as they have emerged and matured over the years of our preparation for this moment at times this week the holy spirit of god may be experienced as happened at the first pentecost as burning flame and roaring wind turning everything upside down at other times the voice of god and the presence of the spirit will be experienced not in the mighty wind not in the earthquake not in the fire but in the still small voice the gentle breeze as jesus himself reminds us the spirit blows where he wills and this week we must be alert and attentive to all the ways in which the lord is speaking both in those ways we are expecting and in ways which perhaps this morning we can hardly imagine the spirit will speak in the full assemblies each morning the spirit will speak in the reflective encounters of our spiritual conversations in the afternoons the spirit will speak in our formal moments of prayer in our celebrations of the eucharist and when we find ourselves disconnecting from our devices in order to take a break from the pressures of our work originally of course we had hoped to be all together in adelaide and would have been alert for the voice of the spirit in our morning tea breaks our meals together and in the down time each evening when the day was over and we could relax together while it would be understandable to lament the loss of these opportunities the god in whom we trust can work through whatever circumstances we encounter the locked doors of the upper room did not prevent the risen jesus from coming to be with his disciples the restrictions imposed by the pandemic will not prevent the holy spirit from moving our minds and our hearts if we remain open to the spirit in recent decades and still today the catholic community in australia has had to face the reality of our betrayal of so many of our young people through the horror of sexual abuse so many lives have been diminished and even destroyed because of this dreadful failure we carry the weight of our shame with us into this assembly and equally we also carry an unshakable conviction that our care for those who have suffered so much and our responsibility to make our church settings places of safety and security for our children our young people and vulnerable adults must remain two fundamental aspects of our life and ministry as the church in australia this reality is surely one of the signs of the times which we are called to discern together in the light of the gospel there are of course many other signs of the times which have found expressing expression in the responses to the listening and dialogue in our six discernment papers in the working document of this assembly the instrumental laborers and in the agenda we now have before us as we consider all this we can recall that pope francis has spoken of the mission of the church as a call to be a healer of wounds and a warmer of hearts in doing so he is reminding us of what it means to be a community of disciples of jesus who himself emerges from the pages of the gospel as the great healer of wounds and the great warmer of hearts if we are to be together an effective sign and instrument that is a sacrament of the ongoing presence of christ in the world then this is at the heart of our discipleship many of the submissions which emerged from the listening and dialogue phase of our plenary council journey indicated that many people did not and do not always experience the church in this way others of course indicated that this is exactly the way they do experience the church there is no need for me to enumerate here all these matters we are aware of them all and we carry them with us in our hearts we must be prepared for the holy spirit to show us the way to affirm and deepen all that is life-giving about the church and equally the way the holy spirit will call us to conversion and renewal so as to purify the church and equip us to to take up the missionary option of which pope francis speaks but we must be prepared to be surprised we do not want the lord to have to say to us as he once said on an occasion to simon peter get behind me satan for you are an obstacle in my path the way you think is not god's way but a human way as we look back over the years of preparation for this moment we can do so with gratitude with amazement at all that has been achieved so far and with confidence that we have set out on a path opened up for us by the holy spirit each one of us i hope could tell our own stories of moments along the way when we recognized or felt the power of the holy spirit at work the decision of the bishops after a long period of gestation to convene the plenary council was one such moment for me so too was the unexpected decision to convene the year of grace where we were all encouraged to contemplate the face of christ before we began to deal with the challenges facing us the shaping of the fundamental question which guided the listening and dialogue phase of the journey was experienced by me as another spirit-filled moment as we realized that it was god's will for the church which might or might not correspond with our particular hopes for the church which must be at the heart of everything and perhaps most strikingly was the consensus which suddenly and unexpectedly emerged that the agenda must take the words of pope francis about the choice of a missionary option as the central theme of the council in a few moments when i finished this address i would ask that we all briefly pause for some quiet reflection and i would invite each of us to try and identify our own moments along the way when we too in one way or another have discerned the presence of god's holy spirit then we can carry not just these moments but the conviction and lived experience of god's spirit at work among us into the week which lies ahead we do not know quite where we will find ourselves at the end of this week at the end of this week we do know that whatever emerges from this week will need to be assimilated and discerned and deepened over the coming months as we move towards the second and final assembly of the plenary council at the end of this week our work will not have concluded indeed it will have only just begun as i indicated at the beginning of this address there are many of us and many among the people of god in australia who feel somewhat worried or anxious or battered or bruised by the situation in which the church finds itself at this time in our history to the extent that this is true and it is not of course the whole story but to the extent that it is true we are perhaps not unlike the disciples of jesus who once found themselves in a boat battling in a heavy sea against a strong headwind in the gospel of matthew's account of this experience jesus comes towards his disciples through the storm and calls out have courage it is i do not be afraid when jesus invites peter to step out from the boat and come to him across the roiling ways peter does so first with his eyes fixed on jesus he walks confidently through the storm but then his faith and courage failed him he takes his eyes off jesus and he begins to sink save me lord he cries and jesus stretches out his hand takes peter by his hand brings him safely back into the boat and steals the storm this is the lord whose disciples we are this is the christ in whose name we gather and who promises to be with us and stay with us today he says to us just as surely as he said to his first disciples and as he has said to his disciples across the centuries have courage do not be afraid i am with you so let us keep our eyes fixed on him throughout this week he is after all the way the truth and the life may we all show ourselves this week to be in everyone his true disciples so i invite you now just to pause for a few moments of reflection and then together we will pray and pronounce uh the nicene creed as our solemn act of faith at the beginning of this special plenary council assembly we are all called to be members of the plenary council united by our shared baptism we will in a moment profess our faith hearing but one voice at a time yet listening with our hearts to the chorus of faith that joins us across australia and after our profession of faith i invite you to use your heart emoji in teams to indicate your amen these hearts together with us submitted and formally recorded our men sent from all the members yesterday evening share a resounding expression of faith and commitment to our church our living faith gracious and loving god i invite you to mute your microphones in your hearts with this profession of faith i believe in one god the father almighty maker of heaven and earth of all things visible and invisible i believe in one lord jesus christ the only begotten son of god born of the father before all ages god from god light from light true god from true god begotten and not made consubstantial with the father through him all things were loved for us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven by the holy spirit was incarnate of the virgin mary and became man for our sake he was crucified under pontius pilate he suffered death and was buried and rose again on the third day in accordance with the scriptures he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end i believe in the holy spirit the lord the giver of life who proceeds from the father and the son who with the father and son is adored and glorified who has spoken through the prophets i believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church i confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and i look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come amen amen thank you archbishop tim and thank you for your words inspiring us all to keep our eyes on jesus and to have courage for all those joining us online we continue now with a few formal steps of opening the council the first is the members of the plenary council being invited to confirm the statutes and regulatory norms which provide the scaffolding for the procedures staffing and work of the plenary council thanks archbishop tim thank you teresa i now hold up before you the statutes and regulatory norms of the fifth plenary council for australia the text is the one that has been available on the plenary council website these statutes and regulatory norms have been approved by the australian catholic bishops conference i invite you to show your consent by clicking the applause icon at the top of your screen we now come to the recognition of membership this is an important step because it records for all of history the members who have been called and are here sharing in this significant moment in the life of the church in australia the scrutineers have presented me with the verified list of members present and i concur with my signature as i now sign this document oh good call me this indeed thank you um wow the scrutineers have presented me with the verified list of members i've signed that document and i now present the confirmed list to you all and i invite you to show your consent again with the applause button there are also a number of people who have informed us that they are prevented from attending by a just impediment and i invite you to show your consent by clicking the applause button at the top of your screen well archbishop tim we now have everyone officially here the next step we take is to recognise the officers the officers of the plenary council are essential to the effective work of the members some officers are members and others are not members but have been appointed to their roles to offer their gifts and expertise to support the work of the plenary council i now offer for confirmation the list of those named by the australian catholic bishops conference to the following functions vice president secretary and recorders chairpersons canonical committee drafting committee scrutineers steering committee facilitators liturgy committee media and communications committee the just logistics committee i offer this information to the members of the plenary council for your reference and to show your applause on the screen thank you archbishop tim for now that concludes your presidential duties and we are progressing well through the first plenary session of the first assembly now i invite the president of the australian catholic bishops conference most reverent archbishop mark khalid coleridge archbishop of brisbane to read the message from the members of the plenary council to his holiness pope francis from the very beginning this journey has been deeply embedded in the universal church and sign of that is that the holy father the bishop of rome the universal pastor gave his ascent to the plenary council some time ago he has sent a message which will also be read to us and at the end of this period of celebration once we have promulgated the decrees again the pope will give his ascent to signal that these are teachings in deep harmony with the doctrine and discipline of the universal church so i read now the message of communion that this assembly sends to pope francis holy father dear brother grace to you and peace from god our father and the lord jesus christ in the name of all the members of the plenary council of australia i send greetings to you as we begin our first of two assemblies we had hoped to meet in person in adelaide at this time last year but the pandemic made that impossible it has also meant that even after a one year postponement we have to hold the first assembly in a holy online environment which with 300 members and others in attendance will have its challenges yet if the risen lord can walk through locked doors he can also move through the doors of technology to breathe the holy spirit upon us we are convinced that the plenary council is the work of the holy spirit it was the spirit who inspired the bishop's decision the spirit who has sustained the process of consultation and discernment since then and the spirit who will shape the work of this first assembly and all that lies beyond come holy spirit is the cry that rings out as we begin the work of this assembly we are deeply conscious that the plenary council takes its place within the universal church a powerful sign of that is the ascent which you yourself gave to our request to celebrate a plenary council another sign has been the way in which the dicasteries of the holy see most especially the congregation for bishops have accompanied us on our journey so far the church in australia is at a point when we will have to face the truth of our situation with eyes wide open and make bold decisions to ensure that the future is according to the mind and heart of christ at a time when we are under pressure and in some ways diminished we will have to imagine and enact new ways of mission rather than retire to some self-protective world our ardent hope is that the plenary council will be a gift not just for the church in australia but for the church around the world pope saint john paul ii described the second vatican council as the great grace given to the church in the 20th century for us the plenary council is the great grace given to the church in australia at the dawn of the 21st century therefore in the grace of communion we now seek the apostolic blessing of the successor of peter just as we sought your ascent when the journey began and will seek your ascent again when the decisions are made and the decrees decided with the deepest respect and affection i remain yours sincerely in christ mark archbishop of brisbane president teresa you're unmute thank you archbishop mark now i warmly welcome mancinia itaruma from the australian nunchucher to read a message of affectionate greetings to the members of the plenary council from the holy see you are most welcome mancinia itaruma thank you treasure you are grace the most reverend mark coleridge archbishop of brisbane and president of the australian catholic bishops conference as the church in australia solemnly inaugurates its 50 preliminary council his holiness pope francis sends cordial greetings and good wishes to all gathered for this significant accretion event which represents a single journey together of god's people in australia along the paths of history towards a renewed encounter with risen christ in the power of the holy spirit his holiness prays that the council may be a grace location for mutual listening and a spiritual discernment marked by profound communion with the successor of peter the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity of both the bishops and the old company of the faithful human jessie 23 in this considerable process the church in australia is challenged to listen to the voice of the holy spirit and to the bear and bear witness and to bear renewed witness to the perennial truth of the gospel and to develop new and creative expressions of evangelical charity in this way building on the solid foundations led by the past generations it will become increasingly a home with open doors a community of communities a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey and a center of constant missionary outreach evangelion 28 with this great affection the holy father entrusts all taking part in the council with intercession of mary mother of the church and willingly imparts his apostolic blessing as a pledge of peace and joy in jesus her divine son cardinal pietro parolin secretary of state thanks theresa thank you at this point i invite archbishop tim to return to our screens in order to take the last but by no means the least step in the formal stages of the opening of the plenary council and that is to present the agenda and program for the coming nine months thank you teresa as we all know the agenda and the program which i formally present to you this morning are the result of a long process which first began with the listening and dialogue phase of the plenary council the results of that national consultation through a period of prayerful discernment led to the formation of the six thematic areas from which emerged the six key discernment papers a further important step in our discernment was the drafting and redrafting of our working document the instrumental laboratories and it was from this as the end result of a long and careful process of discernment that the agenda emerged in one sense it is a distilling of all the work previously undertaken in our journey of prayer reflection discussion and discernment in another sense it is an instrument which is structured in such a way as to allow questions to be to be considered and carefully discerned and taken in all the various directions which the spirit will prompt throughout these days with a great sense of hope therefore and confidence that the spirit continues to be at work with us and that the agenda is the fruit of the holy spirit's leadings i formally present to you the agenda and accompanying timetable for the plenary council i invite you to show your consent now by clicking the applause button at the top of your screen thank you archbishop tim we are now more than halfway through our program for the opening plenary and at this point we say goodbye to all those who have been watching us along at home through the live stream thank you very much for joining us it's been an honor to have you with us and we look forward to seeing you online again tomorrow morning you can find the full schedule for live streaming on the plenary council web page that is plenary council one word dot catholic dot org dot a u you

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Published: Mon Oct 04 2021