Australia ceased to be a mission country on 22 March 1976. Pope Paul VI pronounced the decision in a document bearing the name Australiam Terram.
He had visited the “Great South Land of the Holy Spirit” in 1970, so he was personally acquainted with Australia.
He wrote in the document: “it was granted to us to know and to experience the vigour of Christian life. For indeed, the Churches founded there have happily matured: since, by the working of divine grace and the efforts of the sacred Pastors, priests, and laity, religion has been increased with growth, the number of priests and faithful has multiplied, and works pertaining to piety have been strengthened.”
The formal effect of Australian Terram was to move oversight of the Church in Australia from the jurisdiction of the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, or Propaganda Fide, as it used to be called, to the Dicastery for Bishops.
Was the decision premature?
In 1976 the census reported that 8.3 per cent of Australians professed no religion. At that time, 78.6 per cent of Australians professed Christianity.
In 2021 the census reported that 38.9 per cent of Australians professed no religion. At that time, 43.9 per cent of Australians professed Christianity.
The rise in atheism has been dramatic. The decline in Christian belief has been dramatic.
Should we become a mission country again?
Primitive Christianity is a clear guide, with its emphasis on relying on God, rather than ourselves (e.g., Roman Congregations).
The evangelist Luke is most explicit and intentional about the message and method of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.
In Luke 9 we have the call of the Twelve: “Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.”
In Luke 10 we have the call of the Seventy-Two: “The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. Jesus said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers in to his harvest.’”
Like the Twelve, the Seventy-Two are sent to expel demons, heal wounds and proclaim that God is close – closer than we think.
The ancient rite of baptism contains this twofold action of casting out demons and immersing people in the goodness of God himself – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And of course, every sacrament has healing grace.
The rite is perennial. We won’t be walking back the exorcism of the devil or the immersion into God. It is primitive – 101 – Christianity.
It is good to recall the origins of the word.
The early Christians simply took the Greek word baptizō, meaning to immerse, to submerge, to dip, and applied it to mystery given to us by Christ himself.
We find, for instance, an ancient recipe for baptising cucumbers in vinegar. The image is important. Cucumbers need a good soaking in order for pickles to emerge.
So, too, we need a good soaking in the teaching of Jesus and then a good soaking in baptismal water to become disciples. The great commission – Matthew 28 – confirms the “double-soaking”.
We need bishops, priests and deacons – symbolised by the Twelve. We need the baptised – symbolised by the Seventy-Two.
What is important in any missionary endeavour is that a deep mutuality exist between the Twelve and the Seventy-Two, flowing from the mutuality of God himself.
The message is clear from the “get-go”. Regular recourse to the four gospels is essential to staying on message. If “we lose our why, we lose our way.”
The early Christians endured the great persecution, with many offering their lives in the act of martyrdom. The Edict of Milan (313) ended the slaughter, granting universal religious freedom.
Physical martyrdom is not yet part of the Australian story, but it might be. Certainly, spiritual martyrdom is now our experience. There is a distinct lack of respect for Christians in many quarters and displayed in various ways.
We don’t have the Edict, but we do have the Australian Constitution.
The authors of the Australian Constitution were not particularly religious but they valued religious freedom. It is a human right, second only to the right to life.
Why is that? Because it deals with the search for the meaning of life. People must have freedom to do this and then to adhere freely to communities that support their belief. This is true of religious and non-religious people alike.
Section 116 basically says there will be no official religion; no compulsion in religion; no restriction on religion; no religious discrimination.
Sounding pertinent given the events of the 14 December 2025?
What about our mission-methodology?
Luke 10 is more than helpful. We must go out two by two. We must pray to the Lord of the harvest for labourers – priests, deacons and baptised lay people – to be called and sent.
“Most of life depends on the company we keep,” but this is especially true in spreading the gospel. Everything is easier when we spread faith two by two – sorrows shared, joys magnified. Discouragement follows if we go it alone.
If we follow the advice of Jesus, many will move out of darkness, emptiness and chaos into light, fullness and order. A most welcome experience.
So, no, we don’t need to become a mission country again. But as mature Christians walking in the footsteps of the first disciples, we have to remember that we are all missionaries.
