News and Media Releases

WAC International celebrate 25 years in Rome

We Are Church International (WAC) support Pope Francis’ plans for the worldwide Synodal Process and for an inverted pyramid structure, with the pope & bishops serving the people of God. 

“What affects all must be decided by all. This old concept of the Church has to be revitalised!” Colm Holmes from Ireland, chair of WAC, said at the jubilee conference of this worldwide Catholic reform group in Rome October 29-31, 2021.

“Maintaining patriarchal autocracy and preserving power and priveliges of clerics would prolong the cause of the criminal sexual and spiritual abuse that has led our church into this deep crisis”, Dr. Martha Heizer said, co-founder of We Are Church Austria in 1995.

The actual crisis shows that the 5 original goals of WAC are relevant for the whole church today and are now on the agenda of synodal meetings world wide:

• Shared Decision Making
• Women in all ministries
• Primacy of Conscience
• Optional celibacy
• Welcome for all

Vigil in Rome

WAC gathered in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele ll on 27 October 2021 protesting that 99.9% of the people of God will have no vote in the 2023 Synod on Synodality – which Synod does not represent the people of God. We are told it is the process that is important, not the voting – but the bishops will no doubt be voting in October 2023? Nevertheless we encourage everyone to send submissions to the Synod on all the many issues of concern.

Future Agenda

WAC as a globally networked, ecumenical Catholic reform movement will in the coming years:

• support communities to BE THE CHURCH we want to see
• seek structures where the people of God can discuss and implement reforms
• work in solidarity for justice, peace and the integrity of creation

#####

Colm Holmes and Martha Heizer
Chair, We Are Church International Vice Chair, We Are Church International
E This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.E This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
M +353 86 606 3636 M +43 650 4168500
W www.we-are-church.org W www.we-are-church.org

We Are Church International (WAC) 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.

9 October 2021 

We welcome the opening of the worldwide Synodal process today in Rome. Pope Francis is to be congratulated for promoting dialogue rather than silencing. 

But the Synodal process as it is set up only gives a small window in the first phase for the people of God  to let their voices be heard. The subsequent phases are all in the hands of our unelected bishops. For too long the people of God have been excluded from decision making in our church. It is important that those voting at synods should for the largest part represent the people of God and especially women. 

What affects all must be decided by all.

Colm Holmes 
Chair, We Are Church International
E  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
M  +353 86 606 3636
W  www.we-are-church.org

We Are Church International (WAC) 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.

The Vatican’s newly announced Penal Code is very disappointing for several reasons:

• No Zero tolerance. Pope Francis spoke frequently in the past about a “zero tolerance” for clerical sexual abuse of children, but this has not been written into Canon Law.
  
  
• No Mandatory reporting. Reporting is only mandatory WITHIN the church, but not to external legal authorities. 
  
  
• No consistent standard. Each bishop is free to determine if a case is serious or is a minor offence. There are no definitions setting out criteria for this. So there is no change.
  
  
• No understanding of sexual abuse of minors. These crimes are defined as breaches of the sixth commandment (thou shalt not commit adultery). What has committing adultery got to do with child abuse?
  
  

And to top it all off the ordination of women is regarded as a “crime” as grave as raping children. This confirms that all the talk about honouring the dignity and equality of women is underscored by a deep misogyny. This will not change until women have full and equal representation at all levels of the church and the voice of the laity is heard and respected.

Colm Holmes 
Chair, We Are Church International
E This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
M +353 86 606 3636
W www.we-are-church.org

We Are Church International (WAC) 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.

Salvatore Cernuzio reports from the Vatican:

In October, Pope Francis will open a three-year synodal journey with three phases (diocesan, continental, universal) of consultations and discernment, culminating with the assembly in October 2023 in Rome.

“One listening to the others; and all listening to the Holy Spirit.”

To make the synodality desired by Pope Francis since the beginning of his pontificate concrete and visible, the next Synod of Bishops, scheduled for October 2023, will not only be celebrated in the Vatican but in each particular Church of the five continents, following a three-year itinerary divided into three phases: diocesan, continental and universal.

Read More

Cardinal Grech: Transformation of Synod to create space for People of God

The Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops has announced a Symposium “Toward a Fundamental Theology of the Priesthood” for 17 – 19 February 2022.

We Are Church International regards the planned Symposium as a futile attempt to confirm the priesthood as a pedestal reserved for celibate males. A serious Symposium would highlight:

• The end of the superior clerical status compared to the lower lay status
• The end of the exclusion of women
• The end of the exclusion of married persons
• The end of the exclusion of LGBTQ persons

We hope that Pope Francis will persuade Cardinal Marc Ouellet to deliver some of these four highlights.

Colm Holmes
Chair, We Are Church International
E This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
M +353 86 606 3636

#####

We Are Church International (WAC) 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.

Other Statements

Noi Siamo Chiesa      Also in English and Spanish

We Are Church - Spain  (Redes Christianas)

From Africa - Peter-Mbuchi Methu, Lay freelance Theologian

"The 21st Church will have to be realistic if it is to survive, let alone thrive: unfortunately it refuses to slough off its outdated mantle and dress up in the reality: The exclusively male priesthood is simply an ideology, not a theology founded on revelation.  As Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB would say, by only tapping on the resources of maleness as the yardstick of what is Godly, humanity deprives itself of half of humanity's resourcefulness."