<p><em>&ldquo;... a realistic, hopeful and authentically Catholic roadmap for the forthcoming Australian Plenary Council.....&rdquo;</em><br />
-Frank Brennan SJ, AO</p><p>The Catholic Church has gone &lsquo;off mission&rsquo;. The scandal and tragedies of clerical child sexual abuse and the cover-up by bishops is symptomatic of a deeply ailing church.</p><p>Getting Back on Mission focuses on Jesus&rsquo; mission for the Church; it exposes dysfunctional governance involving a grave lack of accountability and transparency, and the exclusion of the People of God &ndash; particularly women.</p><p>This is a contribution to the Australian Plenary Council 2020/21. Its purpose is twofold: to get the Church back &lsquo;on mission&rsquo;; and to show how that can be achieved &lsquo;together&rsquo;.</p><p>The reforms proposed are based on sound evidence and analysis. For Catholics wanting genuine renewal of their Church, this roadmap for change is a must-read and an essential companion book for the Plenary Council.</p><p>Getting Back on Mission is forward-looking and founded on trust in the Spirit &ndash; it is about hope.</p><p><strong>Catholics for Renewal</strong> is a group of committed Catholics that has been advocating Church renewal for a decade. A legion of Catholics has supported its work involving surveys, open letters, articles, and public evidence at major government inquiries.</p><p>Catholics for Renewal believes that the Church will change only if individual Catholics take up the challenge and drive that change. Many renewal groups throughout Australia are doing just that.</p><p><u><strong>Testimonials</strong></u></p><p>&ldquo;<em>This new book is a most comprehensive compendium of necessary reforms for consideration not only for the Plenary Council 2020 but immediately by every church leader as a matter of urgency</em>.&rdquo;</p><p><em><em>- </em></em>Emeritus Professor John Warhurst AO, Chair of Concerned Catholics Canberra Goulburn, and Member of Australian Bishops&rsquo; Church Governance Review Panel</p><p>&ldquo;<em>Want to know what the 2020 Plenary Council should be dealing with?&nbsp; The read Catholics for Renewal&rsquo;s Getting Back on Mission.</em>&rdquo;<br />
-Eric Hodgens (retired) Catholic Priest</p><p><em>&rdquo;I hope this book helps navigate our Church&rsquo;s sacred pastors to the wisdom and action needed to get us out of this mess.&rdquo;</em><br />
&ndash; Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland</p><p><em>&rdquo;... the Church as an institution is in question, by the state and by the People of God... &ldquo;</em><br />
&ndash; Dr Hans Zollner SJ, leading Vatican expert in clerical child sexual abuse</p>