Church Research Reviews Women and Man Statement
A Bishops Commission review examines how the Church has put into practice its 2000 social justice statement on women.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Women’s Issues
The Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry has released research reviewing implementation of Woman and Man: The Bishops Respond, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference's 2000 social justice statement. The commission chair, Archbishop Christopher Prowse, announced it will establish a group to advise on supporting women.
Why it matters
The review examines whether commitments made a quarter-century ago have been carried through, following a 2022 Fifth Plenary Council decree calling for fuller implementation. It identifies enduring barriers that continue to limit women's participation in Church life across Australia.
The review is an evaluation by the National Centre for Pastoral Research of a statement first released in 2000, drawing on the 1999 report that preceded it. The source does not detail the specific measures used or how the commission will resolve the barriers it identifies.
The players
Archbishop Christopher Prowse
Archbishop Prowse is chair of the Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry, which oversaw the release of the research.
National Centre for Pastoral Research
The National Centre for Pastoral Research is the body that conducted the evaluation of the social justice statement's implementation.
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference is the national body of Catholic bishops that issued Woman and Man: The Bishops Respond in 2000.
The details
The research highlights women's increased education and professional roles while identifying enduring barriers including restructuring, lost institutional memory, limited funding and networks, poor sharing of experience, clericalism, stereotypes and gendered expectations. Archbishop Prowse said the commission will establish a group to advise on supporting women and guiding future initiatives.
Timeline
1999: Research report Woman and Man: One in Christ Jesus is published.
2000: The social justice statement Woman and Man: The Bishops Respond is released.
2022: The Fifth Plenary Council of Australia issues a decree calling for fuller implementation.
2 October 2026: Pope Leo XIV meets the Association of Women at the Vatican.
5 November 2026: The evaluation is released and the advisory group is announced.
Historical Context
The review revisits Woman and Man: The Bishops Respond, the 2000 social justice statement issued after the 1999 report Woman and Man: One in Christ Jesus. It assesses whether the commitments made in that statement, reinforced by the 2022 Fifth Plenary Council decree, have been carried through a quarter-century later.
Catholics across Australia may see changes in how parishes and Church structures support women's participation, though the source does not specify concrete measures. The review's findings on funding, networks and shared experience point to practical areas where local ministry could be affected.
The takeaway
Commitments on women in the Church depend on sustained structures, funding and shared experience rather than statements alone. The review suggests that without these, earlier goals can lose momentum over time.
What happens next
The commission has announced it will establish a group to advise on supporting women and guiding future initiatives; no specific dates for that group were given in the source.
Further reading
For more on the wider debates shaping women's roles, see Women’s Issues.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CathNews.
