Catholic Voices for Reform is a new British grouping of concerned Catholics who believe that it is essential that the Church undergoes a process of reform.


Some IMWAC groups, along with other Catholic renewal movements, have signed the following statement:

Vatican Miscategorizes Women's Rights Advocates with Child Abusers
Some more news about this issue:

• Vatican Revises Abuse Process, but Causes Stir
• Vatican Equates Women’s Ordination with Priest Pedophilia?
• Women priests and sex abuse not equal crimes: Vatican


Statement at the closing of the Year of the Priest:



Press Release of the International Movement We are Church




IMWAC Press release on the pastoral letter of Benedict XVI to the Catholic Church in Ireland



A text by Hans Küng: [German] [French] [Spanish]


Press release from We are Church Ireland after the Irish Bishops' meeting in Rome


Obituary of Prof. Edward Schillebeeckx, by Hermann Häring


We are Church recalls: 30 years since revocation of the ecclesiastical right to teach of Hans Küng (18 December 1979): ‘His persistence is encouragement, inspiration and incentive for all of us.’

Press release: [English] [French] [German] [Italian] [Portuguese] [Spanish]


Mujeres de Dios — a 25 minute report from RTVE, in Spanish, about the role of women in the Catholic Church.


An important Encyclical, which however fails to speak about relations with other Christian Churches and other religions.

Press release: [French] [German] [Italian] [Portuguese] [Spanish]


The Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, published last week, paints a picture of systemic institutional violence, and outlines a horrific catalogue of emotional physical and sexual abuse of children incarcerated in institutions run by a number of religious orders, over many decades.

Report and Press Release: [English] [German] [Italian] [Portuguese]


Mar 2009: The International Movement We are Church (IMWAC) welcomes the remarkable letter of Pope Benedict XVI in which he explains his decision to unconditionally lift the excommunication of four bishops of the ‘Society of St. Pius X’ (SSPX).

Press release: [English]


Feb 2009: International protest against the papal cancellation of the excommunication of bishops of the ‘Society of St. Pius X’

Joint Press release from the International Movement We Are Church and the European Network Church on the Move.

[Catalan] [English] [French] [German] [Italian] [Portuguese] [Spanish]


We invite you to sign the Petition For the full recognition of the decrees of the Second Vatican Council, in response to the extremely problematic annulment of the excommunication of bishops belonging to the traditionalist priestly society of Pius X.

[Cesky] [Deutsch] [English] [Español] [Français] [Hrvatska] [Italiano] [Magyar] [Nederlands] [Polska] [Português] [Soumi]


[English] [French] [German] [Italian] [Spanish]


Statement on the occasion of the 20th World AIDS Day, December 1, 2008:



Press release, on October 28:



Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the phrase “listening to the word of God in the Holy Bible” has been a fundamental conviction of the Catholic Church.

In the opinion of the International Movement We Are Church, various texts of the Magisterium show that the theology of the word of God was scarcely noticed, not to mention anticipated, in Dei Verbum – “the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation” of the Second Vatican Council.

IMWAC Statement: [English] [French] [German] [Italian] [Portuguese] [Spanish]


July 2008. “The Roman Catholic church urgently needs a new sight on sexuality – humane, loving and free from fear, because sexuality is a life-giving energy of every human being created and loved by God”, says the International Movement We Are Church

Press Release: [English] [Finnish] [French] [German] [Italian] [Portuguese] [Spanish]

This Press Release is also supported by the European Network Church on the Move


July 2008. The International Movement 'We are Church' wishes to express its joy with regard the Christian decision taken by the Anglican Church — which intends to consecrate as bishops those daughters of God who may be called to such a task.

Press release: [English] [Spanish]


June 2008. We are Church! Jesus Christ did not ordain men or women to the ministerial priesthood but to care for and nurture each other as brothers and sisters.

Press Release: [English] [Finnish] [German] [Spanish]


Strasbourg, May 2008. We are Church writes Letter to Pope Benedict asking for voluntary celibacy as a first step toward a renewed form of priesthood. International Movement We are Church coordinates next year’s initiatives in its annual Council in Strasbourg/France.

Letter to the Pope: [Catalan] [English] [Finnish] [German] [Italian] [Portuguese] [Spanish]
Press Release: [Catalan] [English] [Finnish] [French] [German] [Portuguese] [Spanish]


Press Release issued on April 13th, 2008, on Pope Benedict's visit to the United States.




The International Movement "We are Church" issued a press note on the occasion of the 80th bitrthday of Prof. Hans Küng.


Read also the replies from Prof. Hans Küng.

   Letter: [Finnish] [French] [English] [German] [Portuguese]
   Email: [French] [German] [Portuguese]

February 9, 2008

Rome, February 7-9, 2008; on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Apostolic Letter “Mulieris Dignitatem”

October 2007

      Original document and official English translation: [Dutch] [English]
      Other translations:

[French]	By Lucienne Gouggenheim, NSAE, proof-read by Édith Fèvre, PAVÉS.
[German]	By Prof. Dr. Hermann Häring, Nijmegen (Netherlands)/Tübingen (Germany).
[Italian]	By Vittorio Bellavite, Noi Siamo Chiesa.
[Portuguese]	By Pedro Freitas, proof-read by Ana Vicente, both members of Nós Somos Igreja — Portugal.
[Spanish]	By Isaac Wüst and Noel Olaya, under the responsability of Kerk Hardop.

"GETTING THE POOR DOWN FROM THE CROSS: CHRISTOLOGY OF LIBERATION."/"BAJAR DE LA CRUZ A LOS POBRES: CRISTOLOGÍA DE LA LIBERACIÓN"
An e-book by EATWOT's Theological Commission on Christology of Liberation, in two editions: English, and Spanish. [Download here for free]

On the opening of the Bishops' General Conference in Aparecida

May 11, 2007

Documents in pdf format:

Before the Pope's Journey to Brazil International Catholic Base Movements Welcome Theologians' Demand for Reform of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

May 6, 2007

Letter of support to liberation theologian P. Jon Sobrino SJ in pdf format:

Hans Küng's testimonial on the 10th anniversary of the international Movement We Are Church.

Which Europe at the beginning of the Millennium?

Declarations of Catholic Grass Root Movements about the Future of Europe on the fiftieth Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome

 

March 25, 2007

On the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, after a positive opinion about the history and the life of the European Union, which now faces new challenges and difficulties, many grass roots Catholic movements have signed a common document (see below in six languages). This text affirms that the EU can and must adopt a different role to the one it had in the past, with respect to the relationships between the North and the South of the world, affirm its independence from the USA for a policy of peace and mediation in the world, reduce military expenditure, interrupt all exports of arms and support nonviolent actions for prevention, mediation and control of conflicts.

 

The text affirms that the EU must pursue, with greater determination, basic social rights, a better policy for the immigrants and promote radical interventions against criminal organisations of all kind. In the document the Catholic grass roots movements do not support the pronouncements of Bishops, made in order to obtain references to the "christian roots" of Europe in the institutional texts of the EU. In order to be heard, the Word of God does not require recognition or legislation by the civil authorities, and should be announced by a poor Church and a ministry of service.

 

The catholic movements signatory consider also that the relationships between the State and the Catholic Church must be inspired by Gaudium et Spes, a constitution of Vatican II, which in chapter 76 indicates that the church "does not place her hopes in privileges offered by the civil authorities but, on the contrary, renounces to certain rights legitimately acquired, where it could be considered that their use could place in doubt the sincerity of her testimony".

 

European Network Church on the Move Fédération des Réseaux de Parvis (47 associations) Redes Cristianas ( 80 associations)

Catholics for Free Choice (CFFC)

Pavés

Wir sind Kirche, Germany

Iniziative Christenrechte in den Kirke

Catholics for a Changing Church (UK)

Iglesia de Base de Madrid

Dones creientes, Valencia

Catòlicos por el derecho a decidir

Somos Iglesia

David et Jonathan

Observatoire chrétien de la laicité

Nous sommes aussi l'Eglise

Partenia 2000

Demain l'Eglise

Femme et hommes en Eglise

Esperance 54, Nancy

Chrétiens pour une Eglise dégagée de l'Ecole confessionelle

Fraternité Agapé

Amis du 68 rue de Babylone, Paris

SEL 85

Droits et libertés dans les Eglises

Humanistes et Croyants 35

Chrétiens sans frontières, Gironde

Recherche et Partage, Valence

Equipe National et d'Animation des Communautés de Base

Jonas-Vosges

Nos Somos Igreja

We Are Church, Finland

We Are Church, UK

Initiativgruppe "Fur eine lebendigere kirche"

Comunità cristiane di base italiane

Noi Siamo Chiesa

 

Statement, Rome - Berlin - London - 25 March 2007

 

Media Contact:

Vittorio Bellavite (Italy)

tel. +39-02-70602370

vi.bel@IOL.IT

Statements in pdf format:

[Croatian] [English] [Finnish] [French] [German] [Italian] [Portuguese] [Spanish]