About 1000 people at the Sydney Town Hall on September 7 heard her argue for a greater role for women in the Church.

"The old boys' club are going to have to go," she said.

Mrs McAleese said trying to be heard by the Catholic Church hierarchy was comparable to shouting at children.

"If I'm yelling it's because you didn't listen to me when I said it nicely . . . I look at the curia and I don't know too many of them who have gone through equal opportunity training."

Mrs McAleese said the governance of the Church "and the structure of church government needs to change".

"The Church is not terribly happy with criticism," she said to laughter from the audience.

"I'm saying that as gently as possible . . . the Church which will not listen to people who speak out of love has a very big problem."

Sydney archdiocese's Catholic Weekly had refused to advertise the event at which Mrs McAleese spoke.

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The reasons cited by Catholic Weekly editor Peter Rosengren are Ms McAleese's views on homosexuality and the ordination of women.

Ms McAleese is the guest of Catholic think-tank, Catalyst For Renewal, and will give the Rosemary Goldie lecture at the Sydney Town Hall on September 7.

The organisation's aim is to "prompt open exchanges among the community of believers".

But Mr Rosengren told Sydney's Irish Echo newspaper that "No matter how admirable a person she is it places me in some difficulty as editor of the Catholic Weekly."

He said that neither he nor the Church "see homosexuality as a sin", but added that male and female gender have meaning in God's creation.

"Having previously employed an openly same-sex attracted columnist on an official Catholic newspaper I feel quite entitled to make these observations," he added.

Up to October last year, Mr Rosegren was the editor of Perth's archdiocese's newspaper The Record, which has since closed down.

On the subject of women priests, Mr Rosengren said "I think it's quite clear that men got the consolation prize with the priesthood - only a woman could be the mother of God.

"As a married man in the . . . Catholic Church, I do not have the right to be ordained either, but I don't campaign on it as a matter of equality."

Catalyst For Renewal president Kevin Grant said he was "disappointed" the advert was refused.

Mr Rosengren said he "quite admired" Ms McAleese's reported views on abortion and divorce "both of which I understand she opposes".

Sydney archdiocese had recently rebuked Ms McAleese for criticising Cardinal George Pell for his appointment of Sydney archdiocese business manager Danny Casey to his Rome office.

Ms McAleese said the position had not been openly advertised and it looked like "the gravitational pull of the old boys' club".

Former Sydney auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robinson will introduce Ms McAleese at the lecture, which is part of Catalyst for Renewal's twentieth anniversary programme.

Earlier this year, Ms McAleese said having a synod on the family, at which only the opinions of celibate males would be canvassed, is "bonkers".

Sources

• Irish Times
• Belfast Telegraph
• Perth Catholic
• Sydney Morning Herald
• Image: Irish Independent