Organised by the International Reform Network, Spirit Unbounded is a virtual assembly running in parallel to the current Synod on Synodality, attracting participants from all over the world.

Keep Mother Earth in good heart

Drawing on the almost universal Mother Earth concept, McGowan compared puny human life to Kauri or Totara trees.

He told the assembly the trees have been on earth for tens of millions of years without changing at all. Individual human beings, by comparison, are here for just a short while.

"From a Maori perspective, we're all children of Tane. (God of forests and birds.)

"We are one of the most recent species that have come into being. Everybody else is more senior (tuakana) to us and in a Maori world when the junior, (teina) oversteps the senior, things go wrong, things get all messed up.

"We kept taking and take and take and now we've got a mess."

McGowan's solution is found in mauri, defined as "an essential life force" found in the connections that give life and which is intrinsic to humanity and nature.

When those connections are strong, the mauri is strong, and life thrives.

McGowan says that when connections are strong then the mauri is strong and life thrives.

He says mauri is intrinsic to humanity and nature.

"When the water's well, when it's full of fish, all of those things that give life to it are well, then the people that live on its banks they will be well.

"When the river deteriorates, well so do we.

"And so our big job as people is to look after those connections that give life."

As the youngest of Tane's children, we are charged with looking after the world gifted to us, he told the virtual global assembly.

It is important for humanity to find its rightful place in the order of things.

That means we'll have to change our thinking, reorder our priorities and put the earth and its care first.

"When Papatuanuku and Mother Earth is well, everything else will be well. So that's our first priority and there are no exceptions to that.

Addressing Spirit Unbounded McGowan said that if we duck looking after Mother Earth we are actually punishing ourselves.

We also have to remember we are not the most senior members of creation.

"When we act like small brats, you know, the youngest of the big family, we are actually hurting ourselves as well as the whole of creation."

Blair is a barrister and women's rights advocate.

She spoke by video at a parallel Synod event, Spirit Unbounded, an assembly organised by the international reform network

Blair began her speech praising Pope Francis' Synod on Synodality as a step toward Church reform.

"It can only be a good thing that efforts are being made to hear and to listen to the voices of people in the Church, not least the voices of women," said Cherie Blair, speaking of the Synod.

Discussing her personal faith journey, Blair credited her early experiences with the Church, particularly her grandmother Vera and the nuns at Seafield Convent School in Crosby, Liverpool as being "instrumental in her academic success and career in the law".

Church does not do enough for women

However Blair criticised the Church's track record on women's issues as "at best mixed".

She pointed out that while women increasingly have roles in theology, aid agencies and even in some Vatican positions, "there remains a strong sense that the Church does not do enough for women."

She added that the Church's teachings and priorities, particularly on birth control, "do not always serve women well."

No need to fear change

Drawing on working documents from the 2022 synod, Blair said consultations revealed that many women feel their lives are "often not well understood, and their contributions and charisms not always valued.

"The Church needs to change and should not fear change," said Blair.

She said the synod demonstrated what can be accomplished.

"Where there is a will…" she said.

Church reinvigoration

Blair stressed the importance of "listening to women's voices" and understanding the broader social and cultural context in which we all live.

"Women have continually proven that they can shatter glass ceilings and create opportunities where none existed before" and she is urging the Church to harness this energy to "reinvigorate" itself.

Reflecting on the success of the Cherie Blair Foundation, Blair was passionate about the rise of women in entrepreneurship.

The rise of women "is not just a story of empowerment. It is a story of innovation, resilience and the power of diversity. It's a story that's changing the world for the better" she said.

"We need to harness and replicate that story in our quest to reinvigorate the church."

A moral issue

She argued the Church is well-positioned to join the cultural shift toward true equality of opportunity.

Blair labels the cultural shift towards true equality a deeply moral issue.

"If it makes it much more apparent that it is on the side of women and that the dignity of women is of vital importance as a deeply moral issue, then it will have profound consequences for all women, both within and without the Church," she said.

Men too

Blair also urged the Church to be more supportive of parents, criticising its tendency to "idealise motherhood" while neglecting the role of fathers.

She said, "An involved fatherhood means men take their responsibility too for childcare and everything that involves bringing up the next generation."

Blair concluded that a long-overdue debate on birth control and family needs should occur and be transformed into action.

"I hope and pray that together we can finally not only have that debate but also see it transformed into action," she said.

Source

From the far reaches of New Zealand to the very heart of Catholicism in Rome, the Pink Shoes Into The Vatican Campaign is making a bold statement on gender inequality within the Church.

Led by Be the Change Aotearoa New Zealand, this grassroots initiative will take the form of an eye-catching art installation in October, featuring worn-out women's shoes adorned with pink ribbons.

However, these aren't just shoes; each pair tells a tale of women's hardships within the Church.

Christina Reymer, an active member of Be the Change, is personally taking the shoes to Rome.

The Pink Shoes Into The Vatican campaign, launched in Auckland and Wellington last year, is set to be a vivid reminder of one of the Church's largest overlooked constituencies — its women.

It has already sparked international interest and seems certain to ignite conversation — and possibly even controversy.

"While the official synod will for the first time include lay people, including women, the concern is that this will still be a highly orchestrated event with vain hope for real change" says Reymer.

"We want to cast the net wider, to hear from the ‘majority', most of whom have already left, having felt marginalised by the church's abuses of gender discrimination, clericalism, patriarchy, sexual and emotional abuse, colonialism and other injustices, including the environment."

The Pink Shoes art installation will stand as a graphic illustration of one of the largest marginalised voices in the Church, the voice of women.

Spirit Unbounded

While in Rome, Reymer will also attend the Spirit Unbounded lay-led synodal assembly from October 8-14.

Spirit Unbounded is an independent gathering that will run parallel to Pope Francis's Synod on Synodality.

"While the Pope's initiative is a step in the right direction, many worry it's too controlled, too orchestrated," Reymer told CathNews.

"We aim to hear from those who've already left the Church, disheartened by its failure to fully address gender discrimination, abuse and other social and environmental issues."

Spirit Unbounded seeks to create a global network of Catholic reform and other Christian groups that actively embrace diversity and work to include groups marginalised by the hierarchical Church.

Spirit Unbounded currently enjoys 43 companions.

The Spirit Unbounded event, which is both an in-person and online event, will feature more than 100 global speakers including notable figures such as Benedictine Sr Joan Chittister and Dr Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland.

Other Spirit Unbounded voices include Pa Ropata, Professor Thomas O'Loughlin, Dr James Alison, Professor Leonardo Boff, Cherie Blair, Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, Dr Tom Doyle and Fr Diarmuid O'Murchu.

The ‘Human Rights in the Emerging Catholic Church' event aims to push the envelope even further, insisting that the Church must evolve to address contemporary global challenges from social injustice to environmental degradation.

Sources

• Supplied - Be the Change Catholic Church Aotearoa
• CathNews NZ
• Spirit Unbounded