We have a new Pope. Does a new era beckon for the Catholic Church in Australia and the world? Join Geraldine Doogue and an inter-generational cast in The Big Tent, hosting an honest, contemporary search that aims, in the prophet Isaiah's words, to 'enlarge the space of your tent'. Welcome!
What can Australia offer a global church that is learning to walk together? Geraldine Doogue and Julie Thorpe are joined by Anne Benjamin and Charles Burford, Catholic educators and co-authors of a new book, Leadership After the Synod, to discuss what kind of leaders we need on the ground to be able to develop that synodal vision. Synodality is a culture, Anne and Charles argue, and cultures don't form without leaders willing to shape them. So how might the Catholic Church in Australia take shape – across hospitals, schools, parishes, dioceses and beyond – if leaders asked themselves: what would we look like at our best?
Links mentioned:
Anne Benjamin and Charles Burford, Leadership after the Synod (https://www.garrattpublishing.com.au/product/9781923095298/leadership-after-the-synod/?srsltid=AYCX9vJfYIt9d6D1REWVCnP3xPFVSZrC20657UrDeX0sGfMfo5R_tlPh), Garratt Publishing
Pope Leo's address (https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/speeches/2026/september/documents/20260925-francia-sede-unesco.html) to UNESCO
Rowan Williams, The Skills of Survival (https://www.thetablet.co.uk/features/dr-rowan-williams-on-the-skills-of-survival-from-ideology-to-practice/), in The Tablet
Tomas Halík, What Europe can offer the global Church (https://www.thetablet.co.uk/features/what-europe-can-offer-the-global-church/), in The Tablet
Cardinal Mario Grech's events in Melbourne on 4th November and Sydney on 5th November organised by University of Notre Dame Australia's Global Centre for Catholic Leaders (https://www.notredame.edu.au/research/institutes-and-initiatives/global-centre-for-catholic-leaders)
Kim Daniels' public lecture on AI, Pope Leo and The Future of Human Dignity (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27ACc16LGgU) in the Diocese of Parramatta
Thanks for joining us in The Big Tent! Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/470527097325405/) for more episode updates and news.
13 Oct 2026
From Austria to Australia: 175 years of the Jesuit mission at Sevenhill
At Sevenhill in South Australia’s Clare Valley, Julie Thorpe joins Jesuit priest Fr Brendan Kelly to uncover a remarkable journey from revolutionary Europe to the Australian frontier. Marking 175 years since the mission began, they explore the spirituality of its Austrian founders, their encounters with the Ngadjuri people, and the creative adaptation captured in Fr Alois Kranewitter’s enduring words: patience, courage and hope.
Recommendations:
Sevenhill Cellars Heritage Trail (https://sevenhillheritagetrail.com.au/)
Rowan Williams, The Skills of Survival (https://www.thetablet.co.uk/features/dr-rowan-williams-on-the-skills-of-survival-from-ideology-to-practice/), in The Tablet
Thanks for joining The Big Tent in Sevenhill! Find more on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/470527097325405).
25 Sept 2026
Is the Vatican the last international?
As the institutions that once held the world order together falter, can a transatlantic pope bridge the gulf between competing global visions? Historian Massimo Faggioli speaks with Geraldine Doogue about whether the Vatican is 'the last international' that can offer an alternative voice on democracy, technology and human dignity. But how much can the leader of a global church realistically carry without becoming, as Massimo warns, a spent force?
Massimo Faggioli is professor of historical theology at Villanova University. His latest book, Leo XIV and the Global Church: Unity and Peace (https://litpress.org/Products/03109/Leo-XIV-and-the-Global-Church), is published by Liturgical Press. You can also keep up with his writings on Commonweal (https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/users/massimo-faggioli-1) and Global Catholic (https://www.globalcatholic.com/author/massimo-faggioli/).
More recommendations:
Tomas Halík, ‘What Europe can offer the global Church (https://www.thetablet.co.uk/features/what-europe-can-offer-the-global-church/)’ in The Tablet
E.J. Dionne Jr, 'The U.S.-Born Pope Is Changing U.S. Catholicism (https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/us-born-pope-changing-us-catholicism)' in Commonweal
Colleen Dulle, 'Vatican Notebook: The convening power of the church (https://www.americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/09/18/vatican-notebook-pope-leo-convening-power-church/)' in America Magazine
Let us know your thoughts! Send a message on The Big Tent Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/470527097325405/) page.
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