Listening and responding to the cries of the poor and the earth is central to the mission of the Church.

That is the conclusion of the Bishops Commission for Social Justice, Mission and Service as it welcomes the release of a major new international report.

Australian Catholic University senior lecturer in theology Dr Sandie Cornish coordinated one of 10 study groups arising out of the XVI General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops convened by Pope Francis in 2023 and 2024.

The final report of the study group, whose theme was “To hear the cry of the poor and the Earth”, was released in Rome on Tuesday night.

While there are an estimated 700 million around the world who live in extreme poverty, the group identified many other forms of poverty.

The only study group to be led by an Australian and comprise mostly women, its membership brought together clergy, lay experts, theologians, and pastoral practitioners from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, North America and Oceania.

Among the recommendations were:

• Encouragement of use of the Mass for the Care of Creation during the Season of Creation
• Ensuring representation of vulnerable groups, women, and those from territories affected by climate change and conflict on participatory bodies
• Establishment of regional or international structures for listening to Indigenous Peoples and monitoring caste-based discrimination
• Creation of an ‘Ecclesial Observatory on Disability’ and adaption of this model locally
• Formation in Catholic Social Teaching of those engaged in social ministry, advocacy, conflict resolution and alliance-building
• Prioritising direct encounters with people made poor and vulnerable ensuring a diversity of voices such as women, children, Indigenous communities and creation itself are heard
• Facilitation of access to theological education for lay people, especially women.

Commission chair Bishop Tim Harris said that when the late Pope Francis famously said in 2023 that “poverty is a scandal” he was urging people to find new ways to spread charity and love.

“This report gives us a blueprint for examining the material, cultural and spiritual poverties around the world,” Bishop Harris said.

“We must listen and respond to the cries of the poor and the earth in new and better ways, as this is central to the mission of the Church.”

Dr Cornish said the study group itself sought to model the things it was recommending such as “diverse participation, humble learning, listening across boundaries and responsiveness to the concrete cries of people and the earth”.

“Its recommendations offer strategic pathways for strengthening the Church’s capacity to become ever more a community that listens with the heart of Christ,” she said.

The full report and General Secretariat of the Synod news release can be found here: News

(Image of Dr Sandie Cornish, second from left, and representatives at the XVI General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops courtesy of Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.)