A CATHOLIC lobby group has railed at bishops to be more accountable, reject discrimination and do more listening to their flock.
In a scathing open letter to the Pope and Australian
bishops sent to parishes across the country, Catholics for Renewal says
that the church no longer adequately inspires people.
"It has alienated too many adults who were born of
Catholic parents, attended Catholic schools and lived a sacramental
life," the letter says.
"It has become disconnected from, and irrelevant to, the
lives of too many of our children ... it appears as an institution
focussed on centralism, legalism and control, with few effective
structures for listening and dialogue, and often more concerned with its
institutional image and interests than the spirit of Christ."
It says
the church "has been tainted by injustice and blemished by bad
decisions".
Followers are still reeling from the sexual abuse scandal
which rocked the church, the letter says.
The church's claim of
infallibility was stifling discussion on important issues, including
human sexuality and new forms of ministry for women and married men, it
says.
The Catholics for Renewal chairman, Peter Johnstone,
called for "ordinary Catholics" to speak out and for priests to listen
to them.