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Category: Chile

Enrique, Somos Iglesia Chile, has alerted us to this video.

Raquel from Somos Iglesia (Spain) offers this commentary for friends who do not speak Spanish.

I guess that Enrique Orellana has chosen this video as a testimony of a nun “living inside the war” that questions the politics of the USA and Europe concerning Syria supporting the opposition to the president.

The video is of a talk given in Spain by a Argentinian Nun who has lived and worked in Aleppo for several years. She says that Syria is not a democratic country but she affirms that the president allows religious freedom and this has led, during years, to a peaceful relationship between Catholics, Christians in general, and Muslims. So she put the focus on the terrorism of ISIS who are very against Christians in Syria and Iraq. They are the main problem. The rest of the talk consists of a description of the everyday life of Catholics in Aleppo under the war between the government and the terrorists.

The Missionary says that the media in Europe and America are not well informed in general and she ask people to read Catholic media instead. 

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Category: Statements /Press Releases

[Italian]  [German] [French]

In “Nonviolence: A Style of Politics for Peace,” his message for the 50th anniversary of World Peace Day, January 1, 2017, Pope Francis has called for peacebuilding through active nonviolence. He identifies the many communities throughout the world impacted by various forms of violence, and calls on all people to commit to “acknowledge one another as sacred gifts endowed with immense dignity.”

We Are Church International endorses this important message, and commits itself and its members around the globe to the practice of nonviolence, community-building, and good stewardship of the earth. We commend our Pope for addressing this critical issue in a way that honors people of all faiths and ways of life.

We wish to underscore that the World Peace Day Message is a historical moment which changes course from much of the past Magisterium of the Church. Pope Francis is on the same wavelength as  the “Appeal to the Catholic Church to recommit to  the centrality of Gospel nonviolence” born from  the Conference of Rome (11-13 avril 2016), which was “an assembly with  people of God from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania included lay people, theologians, members of religious congregations, priests, and bishops”.

We Are Church International especially notes the portion of Pope Francis’ message that acknowledges, “This is also a programme and a challenge for political and religious leaders, the heads of international institutions, and business and media executives: to apply the Beatitudes in the exercise of their respective responsibilities. It is a challenge to build up society, communities and businesses by acting as peacemakers. It is to show mercy by refusing to discard people, harm the environment, or seek to win at any cost. To do so requires ‘the willingness to face conflict head on, to resolve it and to make it a link in the chain of a new process’… Active nonviolence is a way of showing that unity is truly more powerful and more fruitful than conflict…Certainly differences can cause frictions. But let us face them constructively and non-violently, so that ‘tensions and oppositions can achieve a diversified and life-giving unity,’ preserving ‘what is valid and useful on both sides’. “

“We call on Pope Francis and other leaders of our Church to apply this message to the governance of our own Church,” said Sigrid Grabmeier, Chair of We Are Church International. “Too often, the people of the Church have been discarded or treated with disrespect. Disagreement has been swept under the rug or seen as dangerous, even when it comes from deep love of our faith. We seek the opportunity for dialogue and creative problem-solving as part of peacemaking within our Church.”

We Are Church International has urged its members and communities to observe World Day of Peace with prayer, study of active nonviolence, and recommitment to the goals expressed by Pope Francis.

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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

 

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Category: Statements /Press Releases

December 23, 2016. On 22 December 2016 Pope Francis rebuked the curia for the third year for not all giving their full support to his reforms.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Pope Francis said curial “reform is first and foremost a sign of life, of a Church that advances on her pilgrim way, of a Church that is living.”

Speaking to members of the Church hierarchy who have resisted his efforts to implement significant changes, the Pope said, “The reform of the Curia is in no way implemented with a change of persons – something that certainly is happening and will continue to happen – but with a conversion in persons.  Permanent formation is not enough; what we need also and above all is permanent conversion and purification.  Without a change of mentality, efforts at practical improvement will be in vain.”

"Also of great importance is an enhanced role for women and lay people in the life of the Church and their integration into roles of leadership in the Dicasteries, with particular attention to multiculturalism.”

We Are Church supports Pope Francis’ reform aims which include an “inverted pyramid” structure for our church. We agree that the Church’s focus must return to service of the poor. We encourage Pope Francis to engage far greater numbers of laity and especially women in the Vatican and throughout our church. This reform will signal the Pope’s commitment to the Catholic Church modeling equality and justice in the world.

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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

[We thank This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.for the cartoon]

Pope lays out guiding principles of Roman Curia reform

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Category: Brazil

Iglesia Descalza offers us this reflection

By Bishop Emeritus Pedro Casaldáliga (English translation by Rebel Girl)

Que sea Navidad, la verdadera.
Las barbas crecidas y blancas,
y los supermercados del consumismo,
deben quedar al margen.

Y nosotros debemos plantarnos en medio del egoísmo
y negarnos a la profecía absurda,
para abrir espacio al llanto y al canto de la solidaridad
y al grito de los pequeños y excluidos.

Que sea verdad todo lo que decimos en la liturgia y el folclore.
Que sea una Navidad de las raíces de Belén,
el Misterio de la Encarnación llamándonos a hacer Reino cada día.

Que sea Navidad, que no nos perdamos la Navidad.

Let it be Christmas, the real one. 
The long white beards
and the supermarkets of consumerism
should be left aside.

And we must stand in the midst of selfishness
and refuse the absurd prophecy
to make room for the sobs and songs of solidarity
and the cry of the least and the excluded.

Let everything we say in liturgy and folklore be true.

Let it be a Christmas from the roots of Bethlehem,
the Mystery of the Incarnation calling us to build the Kingdom every day.

Let it be Christmas, let us not lose Christmas.

 

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Category: Statements /Press Releases

 [Translations]

You chose the name Francis, after the saint of the poor. 
You went to the refugees in Lampedusa and Lesbos. 
You tell your and our church to move towards the people.
You proposed an inverted pyramid structure for our church.
You opened doors and windows for free thought and speech within the church.
You made worldwide justice and global climate change  a concern of the church.
You counter egoism and power with the globalisation of solidarity, of sharing and responsibility. 

Thank You for all that.

We pray, that the doors you opened will stay open.
We pray, that even more doors and windows will open.
We pray, that you will be able to continue your work for a church of the people of God.

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Category: Statements /Press Releases

[Portuguese]

The Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy has released a new document (dated December 8, 2016) entitled “The Gift of the Priestly Vocation,” which is a set of guidelines for priestly formation. Pope Francis has approved these guidelines.

“These guidelines are a tremendous insult to the thousands of gay men who have served and continue to serve the Church with honor and dedication” said Sigrid Grabmeier, Chair of We Are Church International. “These guidelines are also in complete contrast to Pope Francis famous comment ‘Who am I to judge?’”

The guidelines reinforce a sense of gay people as flawed, unfit for ministry, and as second- or third-class members of the Church.

Married people are all excluded as celibacy is made an absolute requirement. Women are also completely ignored. “By continuing to limit priesthood to celibate males, the Vatican is ensuring that women and people with families remain excluded from having any significant impact on dogma and pastoral practice in the Church, since ordination is a de facto requirement for holding the vast majority of positions of influence. Even more importantly, the exclusion of gay people and women gives support to the many countries and cultures where they are demeaned, attacked and even killed,” said Grabmeier.

“We Are Church believes that God calls people to serve the Church regardless of gender, sexual orientation, relationship or marital status, age, or any other human attribute,” continued Grabmeier. “We strongly urge that these guidelines be withdrawn.”

# # #

We Are Church International (IMWAC) founded in Rome in 1996, 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

[Pictured: Krzysztof Olaf Charamsa]

Géén priesterwijding voor homo's, vrouwen en gehuwden

Comment from Eric (Sweden)

The key lines highlighted by "America" magazine suggests to me that we are witnessing yet another act of old homosexual self-hatred from the darkness within the clerical closet. God knows they are many acts of self-hatred in homosocial male societies like the military and  the Church. As old Freud noted, male patriarchal bonding demands a combination of a perverse culture of silence as well as an homoerotic element of power and seduction. The great enemy of that male power game in the military as well as in the Church has always been a "gay culture"and post-freudian feminists able to expose male ambiguity and self-hatred.

"Deep -seated homosexual tendencies" as well as a the notion  of a unified "gay culture" are old technical terms inherited from documents issued by JP 2 and B 16. In their original context they where supposed to suggest the CV of a future pedophile. I guess that connection is not explicitly made today, but is it still implicit, as "America" seems to suggest?

So friends, I am very happy with our press release and with all comments. Yes, priests and bishops who identify themselves as "gay" are a great treat to the clerical institution and we can extend support and solidarity. Yet, first and foremost, I believe we desperately need the inverted pyramid fight in exposing the liberating anthropology and indeed ecclesiology of the Gospel. Maybe, it is enough to witness in silence and in shame how the old clerical structures of abuse and self-hatred destroy themselves in these days, since most of "our" seminaries are empty? But as long as there are still young  people exposed to these seminaries and structures and many more to suffer as victims of  clerical abuse, I think we need to be outspoken!

 

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Category: Church Democracy

In an interview with the Belgian paper, Tertio, Pope Francis made this comment.  We are grateful to Independent Catholic News for alerting us to this important statement.

The "Synodal Church", let me take this word. The Church is born from the community, it is born from the foundation, it is born from Baptism, and it is organised around a bishop, who brings it together and gives it strength; the bishop who is the successor of the Apostles. This is the Church. But in all the world there are many bishops, many organised Churches, and there is Peter. Therefore either there is a pyramidal Church, in which what Peter says is done, or there is a synodal Church, in which Peter is Peter but he accompanies the Church, he lets her grow, he listens to her, he learns from this reality and goes about harmonising it, discerning what comes from the Church and restoring it to her. The richest experience of all this was that of the last two Synods. There all the bishops of the world were heard, during preparation; all the Churches of the world, the dioceses, worked. All this material was worked on during the first Synod, which gave its results to the Church, and then we returned a second time - the second Synod - to complete all this. And from there Amoris Laetitia emerged. It is interesting to see the rich variety of nuances, typical of the Church. It is unity in diversity. This is synodality.

Do not descend from high to low, but listen to the Churches, harmonise them, discern. And so there is a post-Synodal exhortation, which is Amoris Laetitia, which is the result of two Synods, in which all the Church worked, and which the Pope made his own. It is expressed in a harmonious way. It is interesting that all that it contains [Amoris Laetitia], in the Synod it was approved by more than two thirds of the fathers. And this is a guarantee. A synodal Church means that there is this movement from high to low, high to love. And the same in the dioceses. But there is a Latin phrase, that says that the Churches are always cum Petro et sub Petro. Peter is the guarantor of the unity of the Church. He is the guarantor.

This is the meaning. And it is necessary to progress in synodality, which is one of the things that the Orthodox have conserved. And also the Oriental Catholic Churches. It is a richness of theirs, and I recognise it in the Encyclical.

 

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Category: Statements /Press Releases

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

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Category: Italy

A proposito del terzo incontro dei Movimenti Popolari in Vaticano del 2-5 dicembre

“Un clamore sordo si leva da milioni di uomini che domandano ai loro pastori una liberazione che non viene loro da nessuna parte” (conferenza di Medellìn)

“PAPA FRANCESCO, VERO LEADER DELLA SINISTRA?”

Milano, libreria Claudiana 25 novembre 2016

A proposito del terzo incontro mondiale dei movimenti popolari del 2-5 novembre 2016 in Vaticano, durante il quale 174 loro delegati, che rappresentano gli “ultimi” sulla terra, hanno discusso su come cercare di organizzarsi nei confronti del disordine costituito che regola i rapporti nel mondo tra i popoli e le classi sociali. Il 25 novembre scorso ne hanno discusso a Milano Silvano Piccardi di Costituzione e beni comuni, Vittorio Agnoletto, delegato all’incontro, Vittorio Bellavite di Noi Siamo Chiesa. Di seguito una trascrizione dei principali interventi a cura di Angela Colasuonno.

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Category: Chile

We Are Church in Chile has sent this article.

Nos envía este artículo un profesor de sociología de Madrid con esta nota: “Te adjunto el editorial de Ignacio Ramonet en el nº de Diciembre de Le Monde Diplomatique. ¡ Me he quedado de piedra cuando lo he visto en la portada!. La revista más prestigiosa de la izquierda internacionalista.” AD.

Ignacio Ramonet
LE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUE , nº Diciembre, 2016

Tras los dos primeros encuentros –Roma, 2014 y Santa Cruz (Bolivia), 2015–, el III Encuentro Mundial de los Movimientos Populares tuvo lugar en Roma del 3 al 5 de noviembre pasado. Participaron en el evento unos 200 activistas de entre los más pobres de la Tierra (cartoneros, recicladores de basura, vendedores ambulantes, campesinos sin tierra, indígenas, desempleados, chaboleros, vecinos de asentamientos populares, etcétera) pertenecientes a 92 movimientos populares procedentes de 65 países de los cinco continentes.

Las cuestiones que se abordaron fueron, como en los dos encuentros precedentes, las denominadas tres “T”: “Trabajo, Techo, Tierra”, a los que se añadieron esta vez las cuestiones de “la democracia y el pueblo”; el “cuidado del medio ambiente y la naturaleza”; y “los emigrantes y refugiados”.


Los participantes se reunieron, durante los dos primeros días, en el Colegio Internacional Pontificio Maria Mater Ecclesiae ubicado en Via Aurelia Antica, en Roma, (sede y seminario mayor de los “Legionarios de Cristo”…).

Entre los participantes figuraban: Juan Grabois, referente de la Confederación de Trabajadores de la Economía Popular (CTEP) y del Movimiento de Trabajadores Excluidos (MTE), de Argentina; João Pedro Stédile, del Movimiento de los campesinos sin tierra de Brasil y de la organización internacional Vía Campesina; Vandana Shiva, filósofa y ecologista india, Premio Nobel Alternativo en 1993; y José “Pepe” Mujica, ex presidente de Uruguay.

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Category: Statements /Press Releases

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.

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Category: Statements /Press Releases

 

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.

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Category: Austria

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Category: Latest News

 

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.

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Category: Statements /Press Releases

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.

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Category: Latest News

– Unterstützung des Reformkurses von Papst Franziskus – Weiterhin Einsatz für volle Gleichberechtigung der Frau und für die Frauenordination – Zweites Globales Forum des Gottesvolkes in 2018 Aparecida /Brasilien vorbereitet

Pressemitteilung Rom / München / Innsbruck, im November 2016

Die auf allen Kontinenten vertretene katholische Reformbewegung Wir sind Kirche hat auf Einladung des Vatikans erstmals an einer Audienz mit Papst Franziskus teilgenommen, mit einer Mahnwache in Rom den Reformkurs von Papst Franziskus unterstützt, sich aber auch kritisch zur jüngsten Aussage des Papstes auf die Frage nach der Öffnung des Priesteramts für Frauen geäußert. An den Treffen vom 4. bis 7. November 2016 in Rom haben Vertreterinnen und Vertreter aus insgesamt 13 Ländern aus Europa, Afrika, Nord- und Südamerika teilgenommen; aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum waren dies Dr. Martha Heizer (Österreich) sowie Sigrid Grabmeier und Christian Weisner (Deutschland). 

Mit einer Mahnwache zur Unterstützung des Reformkurses von Papst Franziskus begann das Jahrestreffen der Internationalen Bewegung Wir sind Kirche (IMWAC) am 4. November 2016 an der Caius Cestius Pyramide in Rom. Die Mahnwache griff in anschaulicher Weise ein Zitat von Papst Franziskus bei seiner Rede am 17. Oktober 2015 zur 50-Jahr-Feier der Errichtung der Bischofssynode auf: „Doch in dieser Kirche befindet sich der Gipfel wie bei einer auf den Kopf gestellten Pyramide unterhalb der Basis“.

Auf ausdrückliche Einladung des Vatikans hat eine Delegation der internationalen Bewegung Wir sind Kirche an der Abschlussveranstaltung des Dritten Welttreffens der Sozialen Bewegungen und der Audienz mit Papst Franziskus am 5. November 2016 in der Aula Paul VI. teilgenommen. Bei dem von Papst Franziskus erstmals 2014 einberufenen Welttreffen kamen zahlreiche Gruppen und Initiativen zusammen, die sich mit und für Menschen an den Rändern der Gesellschaft organisieren. Neben den eindrucksvollen Statements von Vertretern und Vertreterinnen verschiedenen Gruppen aus aller Welt setzte auch die Ansprache von Papst Franziskus sehr klare Zeichen. 

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Category: Latest News

 

A delegation from the We Are Church Council, meeting in Rome 4 to 6 November, were delighted to accept an invitation to attend this event.

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Category: Sweden

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Category: Statements /Press Releases

Media Advisory


What:

Church reform leaders from 13 countries on 4 continents will hold a prayer vigil to demonstrate support for the Inverted Pyramid model of Church advocated by Pope Francis. This model puts the Pope at the bottom, and the people of the Church at the top.

When:

14.30 hrs, Friday, November 4, 2016

Where:

Caius Cestius Pyramid, Via Raffaele Persichetti, Roma

Event Summary:

In an address on 17 October 2015, Pope Francis said the structure of the Catholic Church should be an “inverted pyramid,” with the Pope at the bottom, the Cardinals and Bishops just above him, and the people of the Church at the top. This would revolutionize how the Church is governed. The concept is strongly resisted by many Church leaders.
Sigrid Grabmeier, Chair of International Movement We Are Church (IMWAC), the group sponsoring the Vigil, said, “IMWAC believes so strongly in the model proposed by Pope Francis that we are opening our meeting with a public witness of our support. We will work and pray every day to make this vision reality.”

Contacts:

Christian Weisner, Europe, Media Contact, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
+49 172 5184082
Colm Holmes, Ireland, Event Organizer. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
+353 86 6063636
Marianne Duddy-Burke, US, Media Coordinator. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
+1 617 669 7810

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Category: Germany

Artist Ferdinand Pauwels’ 1872 piece, “Luther Posting the 95 Theses,” depicting Martin Luther’s act in 1517. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

 

From Friday 21. to Sunday 23.of October, one week before „Reformation Day“, a meeting of three catholic reform groups, ITP - Institute for Theology and Politics Muenster, Readers Initative Public Forum and We are Church, took place in Lutherstadt Wittenberg:

"Do it like God - become man“, to talk about the continual renewal of churches, faith and the image of God.

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Category: Latest News

Press-statement and press-conference

watch the lifestream from: our press conference

Press-statement in English – For Immediate Release   October 21, 2016

Contacts:
Deborah Rose-Milavec, FutureChurch – 513.673.1401 (c) 216.228.0869 (o), debrose@futurechurch
Kate McElwee, Women’s Ordination Conference – 607-725-1364 (c),This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Bob Bonnot, Association of U.S. Catholic Priests – 330-397-1257 (c), This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

International Catholic Priest Movements and Reform Groups Urge Church Progress on Key Issues during October meeting

From October 17 – 20, 2016, forty priests and lay persons from ten countries gathered in Chicago to develop strategies supporting reform in the Catholic Church. The group called for progress on: full equality for women in the Church; rights for LGBT Catholics; fundamental rights for all Catholics; and developing emerging models of parish ministry such as the Bishop Fritz Lobinger model. 

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Category: Italy

Pubblicato il 4 ottobre 2016

[English]

Le aperture pastorali di papa Francesco….

Non c’è dubbio che Papa Francesco stia cercando di dare una svolta al tradizionale atteggiamento di diffidenza (e anche di demonizzazione) di vaste aree del mondo cattolico nei confronti delle diversità sessuali. Tutti ormai conosciamo bene le sue parole, magari estemporanee ma eloquenti, conosciamo i suoi gesti. In particolare in questo campo i tempi di papa Benedetto sembrano veramente lontani, teniamolo presente. Gli omosessuali credenti si sono ben accorti di ciò e cercano di intensificare la loro presenza organizzata nella Chiesa perché si accorgono che è ora possibile uscire dal ghetto. Anche gli interventi a braccio di papa Francesco sull’aereo, di ritorno dal viaggio in Azerbaigian e Georgia (vedi di seguito il testo), dimostrano la sua attenzione alle situazioni, ai casi concreti di fronte ai quali: “questo farebbe Gesù”. Queste aperture sono però in contraddizione con la linea generale emersa nei due sinodi , di cui la “Amoris Laetitia” ha dovuto tenere conto. In quella sede una apertura in avanti alla realtà omosessuale è stata bloccata.

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Category: Latest News

Report on my participation, as invited delegate from IMWAC, to the AYA/ATF (Asian Youth Academy/ Asian Theology Forum) held in Suratthani (South Thailand) on August 17 to 27, 2016.

The conference in 2016The last AYA/ATF meetings took place:

In 2013 in Changmai (northern Thailand) Didier Vanhoutte participated as IMWAC representative

In 2014 in Manila (Philippines)

In 2015 in Kerala (South India)

In 2016 in Suratthani, the specific themes were the following :

Youth Forum (AYA): “Solidarity with Migrants suffering poverty and inhumane living conditions.

Asian Theology Forum (ATF): “Sustainable development and integral ecology for peace on Asia”

General purpose of AYA/ATF as defined by Paul Hwang, main responsible of event organization.

Paul Hwang is director of the Center for Asia Peace and Solidarity under Woori Theology Institute, Chairperson of Theological Committee of Pax Romana- ICMICA, co-creator of ALL (Asian Lay Leader Forum)

Young lay activists in Asia are being called to strengthen their Christian identity as they embrace their local, traditional cultures, histories and religions. Although it is a complex work, it is necessary work. For Catholics to succeed in justice activities they need to cooperate with other religions similarly seeking a more just world order. This is yet another reason Asian lay Catholics need solid formation. Inter-religious work begins with solid Catholic formation. It is why AYA/ATF program put much emphasis on “Triple Dialogue” of FABC (Federation of Asian Bishops Conference) namely dialogue with the poor, diverse religious and cultural traditions in Asia, as well as Christian spirituality. Unfortunately, because of a lack of resources, they don’t get adequate support from their Church. In some cases they have been largely abandoned by some ones in the Church hierarchy who do not understand or do not agree with the idea of “the People of God” from Vatican II and Pope Francis’ vision of the “synodal church”. While our Church eagerly provides support for seminarians who want to enter the priesthood, it does very little for young lay leaders in great need of Catholic formation.

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Category: Latest News

'A re-thinking of the church’s official position is long overdue. The progressive Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research, recently issued a lengthy and detailed rebuttal to Humanae Vitae, which has done so much harm in the fifty years since it was issued — harm not only to women, but to the church itself. To date, the statement has been signed by more than 80 scholars, ethicists and scientists.' (Huffington Post)

'Former Irish president Mary McAleese is supporting a campaign by a Catholic think tank to persuade the Vatican to revoke its 48-year-old ban on contraception.' (The Times)

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Category: Abuse of power

Thomas P. Doyle, J.C.D., C.A.D.C.

ANNUAL SNAP CONFERENCE

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

June 24 to 26, 2016
Revised August 16, 2016 (Reproduced with permission)

In the original presentation I followed the basic format suggested for speakers at Alcoholics Anonymous and other Twelve Step meetings: What is was like before. What Happened. What it is like now. I have revised the original and expanded it to article length and have retained to this format.

WHAT IT WAS LIKE BEFORE

The present era of awareness of sexual violation by Catholic clerics began in 1983 in two Catholic dioceses: the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana. This was not the start date of the problem of sexual violation but the beginning of widespread public awareness.

The reality of sexually dysfunctional clerics preying on minors and adults goes back through the centuries. In our lifetime it had been covered with a thick blanket of secrecy. It was unknown to the vast majority of lay persons and clerics as well. Many bishops knew about it but when they had to confront real cases they did so in secret with only a very small number of their closest advisors, all clerics, involved. Although they knew about sexual violation of minors in general, they were incapable of comprehending both its deeply pathological nature and its disastrous effects on victims.

Few knew about such abuse in the Church and even fewer believed it existed and this was due to the nature of the Catholic Church at the time. Back in the forties and fifties there was only one Catholic Church and it was the visible monarchical structure, a stratified society with a clerical aristocracy that was made up of celibate men and the vast ocean of lay commoners. The wall between the clerical caste and the “faithful” as the commoners are known, was steep and almost totally impenetrable.

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