PRESS RELEASE 6 March 2017
After more than 3 years in office the efforts by Pope Francis to reform the Roman Catholic Church are stalling. The conservative curia are fighting to retain power and control and are blocking reforms by Pope Francis to make our church more compassionate in the image of Christ. The most powerful dicastry in the Vatican is the Congregation for Doctrine and Faith (CDF) with Cardinal Gerhard Müller at its head. The CDF has now been shown to have:
- Refused the request from the Pontifical Abuse Commission that all letters from survivors should receive a reply
- Refused to allow a tribunal to be set up to investigate and censure bishops regarding covering up sexual abuse
- Refused to change the processes it uses for investigating priests & religious which are unjust and in breach of natural justice
Sigrid Grabmeier, Chair of We Are Church International, said, “The CDF has come to symbolize those aspects of our Church that serve to protect and preserve institutional power, often at the expense of the people of God. Many Catholics see it as perverting rather than exemplifying the Gospel. For the good of our Church, substantive change—a conversion, really—is needed in this important office. And quickly.”
In order to move forward towards a renewed and reformed church We Are Church International call on Pope Francis to replace Cardinal Gerhard Müller with someone who will introduce transparency, justice and compassion in the CDF.
###
Contact: Marianne Duddy-Burke, Media Coordinator, We Are Church International, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +1 617 669 7810
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.