Aust prelate stops MP’s speech at Catholic conference

Tuesday, February 16th, 2016

Melbourne’s archbishop has stopped a speech by an Australian MP at a Catholic conference because the speaker supports same-sex marriage.

Archbishop Denis Hart intervened to cancel a planned keynote speech by MP Cathy McGowan at a Catholic Social Services Victoria conference this month.

The reason given was that her views are contrary to Church teachings.

Ms McGowan, who describes herself as a practising Catholic, co-sponsored a “marriage equality” bill in Australia’s Parliament last year.

Her planned speech was not on marriage, but on the importance of giving the underprivileged and marginalised a voice and access to those in power.

The speech at the conference is called “The Mary MacKillop Oration”.

Ms McGowan said the decision to revoke her invitation was “very sad” and seemed at odds with Pope Francis’s view the Church’s doors should be open to discussing issues.

“Mary MacKillop was known for her support of regional and rural communities, she’s a woman, she got in trouble with the bishops, they called her insubordinate and stopped her speaking, so this decision now with me is really ironic, I reckon,” Ms McGowan said.

A spokesman for Melbourne archdiocese said there is no malice in Archbishop Hart’s decision and he did not want to embarrass Ms McGowan.

“But he would see with a conference such as this that the keynote speaker should be in line with Catholic teaching on that very important topic,” the spokesman said.

Ms McGowan has been replaced as the conference keynote speaker by barrister Julian McMahon, the 2016 Victorian of the year.

Catholic Social Services Victoria executive director Denis Fitzgerald said Ms McGowan had been invited to give the oration due to her work supporting marginalised groups, including refugees and asylum seekers.

Asked why the invitation was revoked so close to the event, he said Archbishop Hart “probably hadn’t turned his attention to it” until recently.

“It would have been better had Catholic Social Services factored in all relevant issues before we invited Cathy,” he said.

Sources