8 December marks the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a major Holy Day in the Catholic calendar. It commemorates the belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved from Original Sin.

In marking this feast, many Catholics will pray the Magnificat, the prayer attributed to Mary on the occasion of the visit to her cousin Elizabeth. In that prayer, Mary praises God for reversing the social order. She proclaims that God

“has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.” (Luke 1: 51b-53)

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, We Are Church International calls for continued efforts to achieve the Inverted Pyramid model of Church described by Pope Francis in an October 2015 speech. Like the world of Mary and Jesus’ time, the Catholic Church clearly needs to reverse the order of power. The Pope, Cardinals and Bishops must see themselves as serving the needs of God’s people, rather than as enforcers of dogma. In this way, our Church will realize its true mission. One possible step forward would be to have our bishops elected by the people of each diocese rather than selected by Rome.

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We Are Church International (IMWAC) founded in Rome in 1996, is a global coalition of national church reform groups. It is committed to the renewal of the Roman Catholic Church based on the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the theological spirit developed from it.

Contact: Marianne Duddy-Burke, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +1 617 669 7810

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

We Are Church International, which represents Catholics from around the world committed to a just and inclusive Church, is expressing concern about plans for the Synod of Bishops in 2018, which will focus on youth, faith, and vocations.

“We agree with Pope Francis that it is vitally important for the Catholic Church to better understand the needs and perspectives of youth globally,” said Sigrid Grabmeier, Chair of We Are Church International. “They are, of course, the future of the Church, and they will be the ones addressing the complex issues facing our world. However, too many young people feel alienated from the Church, or believe it to be irrelevant or even destructive to the things they care about.

“For this Synod to have any impact, it will need to be very different from Synods of the past,” Grabmeier continued. “It will not be effective if the bishops are the only participants, and respond to input from questionnaires they and their colleagues answer. This must be a whole Church event. Young people, their parents, grandparents, teachers, and mentors must have a voice in the preparation, and they must be part of the Synod itself. It just will not work for a group of old, celibate men to make decisions on their own.”

We Are Church International calls on the Vatican to restructure the Synod so that lay people who are or who work with youth are part of the discussion and decision-making process. “This is the only way that what happens at the upcoming Synod will truly address the needs and potential of our Church,” concluded Grabmeier.

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We Are Church International (IMWAC) founded in Rome in 1996, is a global coalition of national church reform groups. It is committed to the renewal of the Roman Catholic Church based on the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the theological spirit developed from it.

Contact:  Marianne Duddy-Burke, Media Coordinator, +1 617.669-7810, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

November 14, 2016. We Are Church International, which represents Catholics from around the world committed to Church reform, recently concluded its meeting in Rome, Italy. Highlights of the meeting included:

• A mixed assessment of the Papacy of Francis. The delegates expressed support for Pope Francis’ ongoing attempts to make the Catholic church more consultative, and for his vision for an “inverted pyramid” model of Church. In such a model, the Pope and bishops are at the narrow bottom of the pyramid, looking up to the people of the Church for direction. The delegates expressed disappointment with the Pope’s recent statements in which he failed to move beyond Saint Pope John Paul II’s teaching that women could never be ordained in the Catholic Church.
• Solidarity with Popular Movements. Two-thirds of the delegates to the We Are Church International gathering accepted an invitation to join the closing sessions of the Third World Meeting of Popular Movements, which included an audience with Pope Francis. The two groups share a commitment to social justice, and support the ongoing application of the Church’s social justice principles in service of human dignity and liberation.
• Reports from Council 50 and the Global Council Networks. Following a global meeting of Catholics to mark the 50th anniversary of the conclusion of Vatican Council II, We Are Church International is supporting a series of Global Forums of Catholics to continue to work for a just and inclusive Church. The group met with organizers of the next Forum, to be held in Brazil November 2018.
• Review of representation at major Church events. We Are Church International reviewed the work done by members at the Synod on the Family, the World Meeting of Families, and the Asian Youth Academy/Asian Theology Forum. Each  event provided opportunities for We Are Church to meet with other members of the Church, and to increase awareness of its work.

The next formal meeting of We Are Church International will be in Rome in March 2018.

Contact: Marianne Duddy-Burke, Media Coordinator, +1 617 669 7810, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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We Are Church International (IMWAC) founded in Rome in 1996, is a global coalition of national church reform groups. It is committed to the renewal of the Roman Catholic Church based on the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the theological spirit developed from it.

Never say never.

In the past, our popes told us:

1. women are inferior to men

2. women must obey their husbands

3. women become unclean through child birth

And now Pope Francis has said that the teaching of Saint Pope John Paul II that women can never be ordained as Catholic priests is “the last word” and that it is “clear.” This is another belief that will fall away in time.

Sigrid Grabmeier, Chair of We Are Church International, said, “Our popes find it very hard to understand God’s call to women because they spend most of their time discussing the role of women with celibate men.  A renewed church is growing where all will be priests and prophets. This will better enable our church to live out the Gospel of Jesus. “

We Are Church International Council meeting in Rome
6 November 2016

Contact: Marianne Duddy-Burke, We Are Church media, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +1 617-669-7810

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We Are Church International, founded in Rome in 1996, is a global coalition of national church reform groups. It is committed to the renewal of the Roman Catholic Church based on the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the theological spirit developed from it.

International Catholic Church Reform Group Affirms Pope Francis’ Call for New Church Structure

Contacts: Marianne Duddy-Burke, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +1 617 669 7810
Christian Weisner, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +49 172 5184082

We Are Church International (IMWAC), representing Church reform organizations from around the world, opened its 2016 meeting in Rome with a public witness at Caius Cestius Pyramid. The prayer vigil expressed support for the concept of an “inverted pyramid” model of Church, as expressed by Pope Francis in an October 2015 speech.

Colm Holmes of We Are Church Ireland, who coordinated the vigil said, “It is very exciting to hear Pope Francis talking about the kind of Church that We Are Church has long envisioned. The Pope and the Bishops should act as the servants of the people of God, rather than their superiors. We believe that reflects the Gospel, especially how Jesus modeled service to one another by the washing of the feet at the Last Supper.”

Sigrid Grabmeier of Germany, Chair of We Are Church International, added, “We Are Church fully endorses the inverted pyramid model of Church. We will work and pray every day for a Church that is service-oriented rather than focused on enforced compliance.”

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We Are Church International (IMWAC) founded in Rome in 1996, is a global coalition of national church reform groups. It is committed to the renewal of the Roman Catholic Church based on the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the theological spirit developed from it.