Plenary Matters Ep 4: Lay Women At The Council

Formal proceedings got underway today at the Plenary Council offering a taste of things to come. Geraldine talks to two of the 58 women involved, both lay and religious. Her two guests are Angela McCarthy, Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Theology at Notre Dame University in WA and Dr Maeve Heaney, senior lecturer in the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy at the ACU based in Brisbane, where she’s also Director of the Xavier Centre for Theological Formation. One of the key issues before the Church is the need for greater female involvement in the institution and in leadership roles. How will the bishops respond to this clear request of the Church’s in the pews? It's a difficult dilemma for them, because any final recommendation about anything substantially new could run foul of Rome’s plans.