The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne is getting rid of its pastoral planning director, just as the Australian church reels from a 13 per cent drop in weekly attendance in the past five years.
Father Maurie Cooney, director of the Catholic Research Office for Pastoral Planning, has been told by Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart that he will not continue beyond the end of the year and the role of the office is under review.
Father Cooney, also parish priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel, Deepdene, would not comment, but friends say he is deeply upset. "It's disgusting," said one. "The church is losing people, but the leadership doesn't think we need to plan."
Another supporter said Father Cooney's style was too consultative for Archbishop Hart, whose style was "very top down".
A priest, describing Father Cooney's removal as "a shock and a disappointment", said Father Cooney was too faithful to the reforming spirit of Vatican II and the Tomorrow's Church program of earlier archbishop Frank Little to suit the leadership.
Figures from the National Church Life Survey, a five-yearly church census released yesterday, revealed that the number of Catholics attending Mass weekly dropped by nearly 100,000 between 1996 and 2001 to 765,000. This means only 15 per cent of Australia's 5 million Catholics go to Mass weekly.
Father Cooney wrote to supporters and colleagues after he met Archbishop Hart on February 13, recounting the conversation and expressing hope that the planning work would continue. Pastoral planning involves helping parishes use resources and adjust to changes, plus advising the church's leadership.
Melbourne Vicar-General Les Tomlinson said that although Father Cooney would be replaced no decision had been made on whether to merge the pastoral planning office into other diocesan agencies. He said the archbishop remained committed to pastoral planning.
Declining attendance at mass has been attributed largely to an ageing demographic, but also to dissatisfaction with inflexible and authoritarian church leadership.