Australian Catholic University has hosted a groundbreaking conference to explore the participation of disabled people in the Catholic Church.
It is the first gathering to tackle the issue since the global Synod on Synodality called for the creation of a peak body within the Church to consider disability.
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ACU's Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry and The Loyola Institute brought together pastoral practitioners, theologians, activists, interpreters, representatives of intentional communities and people with lived experience of disability for 'Idol Talk: In the Image of the disabled God'.
Keynote speakers included Archbishop Peter Comensoli, Archbishop of Melbourne, Vittorio Scelzo of the Dicastery for Laity Family and Life, Professor Daniel Horan from St Mary's College Notre Dame Indiana and The Loyola Institute's Fr Justin Glyn SJ.
Archbishop Comensoli stressed the humanity which all people, with impairments and without, have in common.
Fr Justin Glyn argued for a Church which moves beyond "inclusion" to take seriously the limitedness of all the Church's members and allow everyone to cooperate as the body of Christ.
Professor Horan used Duns Scotus' concept of haecceitas ("thisness") to argue for a reconception of the human person that treats people with a disability as individuals.
Vittorio Scelzo stressed the need to use the Church's own theological language to speak about disability, rather than the secular language of rights which risks being sidelined.
Other speakers looked at wide-ranging issues including friendship, ageing and dementia, access to social services and the NDIS to interpreting and accessing the liturgy) and the Church's narratives around disability.
Fr Glyn said the conference had brought together diverse voices from the Church, academia and the broader world of disability.
"We hope to continue the work of deepening these connections and growing a Church which both fosters the belonging of its disabled members and takes up its prophetic role to speak more broadly against exclusion," Fr Glyn said.
ACU is home to The Loyola Institute, which was originally established by the Australian Jesuits to promote the research and advocacy of Jesuit scholars in Australia and abroad. The Loyola Institute brings together ACU experts across the university with Australian and international Jesuit scholars to work on collaborative research projects.
