WAC – IRL Report to IMWAC                                                   6 March 2015

1. Core Group elected at AGM on 7 June 2014:
   • Brendan Butler
   • Phil Dunne
   • Colm Holmes
   • Joe Mulvaney
   • Jackie Nelson
   • Bernadette O’Reilly

3. Finances: Our main source of income is sales of LAST SUPPER cards and prints. Our Annual Membership subscription is €10 (€5 for over 65s and unwaged)
4. Activities:
   • WAC-IRL organized 13 meetings in 2014. The most important were:
     • Mary T Malone book launch by Gina Menzies “The Elephant in the Church: A tract for women in our time” (17 Sept)
     • WOW Steering Committee Meetings in An Grianán, Drogheda (25-28 Sept)
     • Synod on the Family (13 Oct)
     • Vatican Congregations (10 Nov)
     • Advent Liturgy (30 Nov)

• Survey about electing bishops [Having laypeople choose church leaders will only result in the best politicians becoming bishops: 10% Agree; 69% Disagree; 21% Don’t Know]
• Survey about Male Only Diaconate (84% in favour of women deacons)
• Brendan Butler in Rome for meetings ahead of Synod on the Family (2-5 Oct 2014)
• Press Releases:
  • Feb 2014 UN Committee report on cover up of sex abusers in church
  • Mar 2014 Welcome for Pontifical commission for the Protection of Minors with  Marie Collins
  • May 2014 Solidarity with Martha Heizer following excommunication
  • Jul 2014 15 IMWAC nominations for Synod on the Family 2014 (including Mary McAleese &                                Gina Menzies)
  • Sept 2014 Disappointment at 2 candidates from Ireland for Synod on the Family                                         (Sr Margaret Muldoon & Archbishop Diarmuid Martin)
  • Dec 2014 Insult to Dignity of Women (Pontifical Council for Culture seeking one minute                                        videos from women by 4 Jan 2015)
  • Jan 2015 Support for YES vote in Marriage Equality Referendum (on 22 May 2015)
  • Feb 2015 Disturbing image on Vatican website of naked female torso in bondage
  • Feb 2015 Pope Francis and slapping of children

5. Media:
   • Our spokesperson Brendan Butler has had his busiest year to date with numerous appearances on National TV, radio and print media. Other members of WAC-IRL have also been in the media.
6. Main Issues for 2015:
   • Marriage Equality Constitutional Referendum (22 May 2015)
   • Third International WOW meeting in Philadelphia (September 2015)
   • Synod on the Family (October 2015)
7. Website:                        wearechurchireland.ie
8. Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreChurchIreland?fref=ts    182 Likes

‘We are Church Ireland’ held an one hour vigil outside the Papal Nunciature on 14 February 2015 to protest against the continuing display on the website of the Vatican-based Pontifical Council for Culture of  a headless and limbless bound figure of a woman which women from over the Catholic world have and continue to find offensive.