We are part of a global, universal Church, as such, the well-being of the Catholic Church impacts the well-being of every community, particularly those living on the margins of our society. 

Leadership Roundtable is proud to partner with ordained, religious and lay leaders across the globe to help build a healthy, thriving Church. Our Executive Partners have had the opportunity to work with cardinals and other Church leaders in the Holy See for seventeen years. We have been invited to keynote international convenings, address men’s and women’s religious  communities and partner with international Catholic organizations from as far away as Australia and in many parts of the world. We are intentional about being part of an international faith community.

We serve as a resource for the dioceses, religious communities, and Catholic organizations who partner with us, but it is those our Church serves who are impacted most by the work we do. In our travels around the globe, it has become clear that in every corner of the world, the Church is facing very similar challenges, both managerial and financial. Though these challenges may impact a country at different times and in different ways, the health and future of our Church keeps its leaders up at night, regardless of nationality or country.

We believe that we are stronger in unity and this drives how we approach our work with the global Church. We prioritize collaboration and information and do not impose solutions on other regions of the Church, but rather share our stories and have meaningful conversations to help our partners see what is possible and that they are not alone. While there are no ready-made solutions, we believe there are proven models that leaders can turn to when facing challenges or opportunities. Our experiences and successes as a United States-based organization have served as an example, never a template, for best practices and solutions across the world. 

In early 2020, before the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Leadership Roundtable met with leaders from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and Catholic Religious Australia to consult on their effort to review and report on Church governance in Australia. In the summer of 2020, the bishop’s conference and Catholic Religious Australia released a report titled, “The Light from the Southern Cross: Promoting Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia.” 

Catholic leaders requested the report following the Australian government’s Royal Commission into the Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The report’s authors included 14 eminent lay leaders and four clergy members. Leadership Roundtable staff met with the report’s authors and shared our expertise convening Church leaders in meaningful discussion surrounding a culture of co-responsible leadership within the Church, and the services and programs we provide to Catholic leaders.

The 208-page report repeatedly referenced Leadership Roundtable’s Catholic Partnership Summits and reports as models for how the Church should address the twin crises of abuse and leadership failures. Throughout, the report cited Leadership Roundtable’s programs, services, and convenings as best practices and encouraged dioceses and parishes in Australia to implement their recommendations.

In total, the report set forth 86 recommendations to promote co-responsible governance of the Church in Australia, ranging from the selection of bishops to the importance of including women in decision-making. 

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