The We Are Church movement is the poorer for the loss of Anthony Padovano.  We each have our memories of him which serve to show what a treasure he was for us all.

Although Anthony had been involved in renewal and reformation of the Church for decades, we first met him in Rome in 1996 when eleven countries met to inaugurate the International Movement We Are Church, now known as We Are Church International. Both he and his colleague from the USA, Maureen Fiedler, gave us great encouragement and strength to 'put out into the deep'. Alongside this they brought connection with the many and varied reform organisations in the USA and Canada.

Anthony flew in for our bienniel meetings and made a deep impression on all of us with his theologial acumen and razor sharp mind that could accurately sum up our discussions and give us ideas to pursue. He was also delightful company with a ready smile, warm welcome and a listening ear.

In 1998 two of us from We Are Church joined Anthony and Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC), now Catholics for Choice (CFC), and an NGO at the United Nations for the five yearly review of the UN Conference on Population and Development,  A year later we were in Mexico City joining CFFC for a planning meeting.  Anthony's theological knowledge surrounding the issue of reproductive rights was impressive as well as his deep compassion for the position of women and children in society and the Church

We Are Church was invited to send representatives to the Call To Action conferences in the USA, and a number of us were in Detroit in 2011 for the American Catholic Council where Anthony shared his wisdom in an enthralling keynote address.

In 2013, We Are Church representatives who were also involved in the International Movement for a Renewed Catholic Ministry (IFRCM) enjoyed the hospitality of Corpus USA and the university in Mahwah, New Jersey, where Anthony was an Emeritus Professor.  We were privileged to celebrate Mass with him in the Padovano Peace Pavilion on the campus

We Are Church last saw Anthony at their biennial conference in 2016 in Rome.

His health and mobility deteriorated in 2017, but he insisted on flying into London for the General Council of IFRCM where he was hosted by members of We Are Church.  They joined the Movement for a Married Clergy (MMaC) for their Study Day at St Ethelrede's in London.  He had a fall on his last evening and received emergency hospital treatment.  When we parted and he flew back to the USA we knew sadly we would probably not see him again

Anthony, all our lives have been richer for meeting and knowing you.  You have given a lifetime of service to the People of God, in the ordained ministry, academia, as an author, family man and friend.  You experienced the cruelty of the institution, survived it and have gone on to inspire and lead thousands in seeking a healthy, inclusive, welcoming and joyful Church

May you rest in peace and rise to glory.

by Valerie J Stroud, on behalf of We Are Church International

Anthony had a great talent for making the people around him feel welcome, recognised and valued. I still get this feeling today when I think of him.

His calm, very humble and very clear contributions to discussions always helped us move forward and brought new and important aspects to light.

A wise man, a kind person, a treasure for us all.

He will now rejoice in heaven - and heaven will rejoice in him.

Till later, Anthony!

Martha Heizer
We Are Church Austria

*********************

I was very sad to learn of the death of Anthony,

But I also feel a great sense of gratitude that I was able to get to know Anthony within our reform network We Are Church International and to work with him. With his great theological and strategic expertise - he knew the Roman system from the inside - he greatly enriched and advanced the work of CORPUS as well as We Are Church International and many others. His contributions and arguments convinced us and gave us a great sense of security for our reform work.

I still remember the First National Council of the American Catholic Council (ACC) 2011 in Detroit, in which Anthony probably played a major role in organising it. Immediately afterwards, there was a boat trip where I had the chance to also talk to Teresa, his wife. Perhaps you remember. After Francis' election, he realised that a new era was dawning. But he also made it clear to us very early on that Francis would not do everything our way. My last encounter was perhaps 8 years ago in London when Anthony attended a meeting of married priests and I (I am not a married priest) was able to speak to him.

Despite all the difficulties the Roman system has caused, Anthony set an example for many. We Are Church Germany and personally, my wife Renate (who met Anthony once in Portugal) and I wish Anythony's family all the best in Easter hope!

C h r i s t i a n   W e i s n e r
We are Church Germany

*********************

I remember Anthony very well, and with him the America Catholic Council in Detroit he helped organise.

Mauro Castagnaro
Noi Siamo Chiesa

*********************

I had the privilege to be his guest in New Jersey when I was living in Washington DC, and he was a great help to me while I was clumsily trying to promote in the US the organization of Council 50. He was certainly well aware of my limitations and ignorance, but he treated me as a companion, and introduced me to so many personalities and organizations in the catholic reform movement, that I would had never been able to identify, and to contact. I participated in the Eucharist he presided at  during my stay with him and his family, and I still remember it as an intense moment of prayer and communion, perhaps just for the simplicity and the atmosphere of friendship that was so evident.

Basilio Buffoni
Noi Siamo Chiesa

*********************

I met him several times in the meetings of We Are Church and I always appreciated his commitment with the reform of the Church,

Raquel Mallavibarrena
We Are Church Spain

*********************

I've had the pleasure of getting to know and appreciate Anthony through my many encounters with him, notably in the run-up to the Council 50 meeting in Rome, during the meeting and afterwards. He was a wonderful companion: I was able to appreciate Anthony's great human qualities, the warmth of his friendship, the richness and depth of our exchanges, which were open to modernity and the demands of today's world, yet rooted in Tradition.Many thanks to Anthony

Francois Becker
We Are Church France

*********************

Denk dir ein Bild.

Weites Meer.
Ein Segelschiff setzt seine weißen Segel und gleitet hinaus in die offene See.
Du siehst, wie es kleiner und kleiner wird.
Wo Wasser und Himmel sich treffen, verschwindet es.
Da sagt jemand: nun ist es gegangen.
Ein Anderer sagt: es kommt.

(Peter Streiff)

Think of a picture.

Wide open sea.
A sailing ship sets its white sails and glides out into the open sea.
You see it getting smaller and smaller.
Where water and sky meet, it disappears.
Someone says: now it has gone.
Another says: it's coming.

Born 17 June 1938 - died 4 June 2024

Ashik Naz

As I read comments of you people, it's realises me that she was a very great lady having good heart for humanity and favor to reform the church.  She helped us during COVID-19 in Pakistan and won our hearts.  As she left us, we know she is at good place, where she will be watching us, praying for us and at a fix time we all will join her in the lawn of God.  Sometimes it is difficult to understand death but it's also encourages us that our earthly time is going over soon but eternity is in heaven.  Dear Maria Joao, you did your part in a good way, wish we also follow you to Serve the humanity and God. 

Didier Vanhoutte

My deepest and personal condolences... She was one of the first friends I met when I got involved in European organisations more than 20 years ago.

C h r i s t i a n   W e i s n e r

for the national team of We are Church Germany

On behalf of We are Church Germany, I would like to express our heartfelt condolences to Maria João's family and the Portuguese We are Church group. With her long experience of church and political commitment, Maria João was a strong pillar of the reform movement in Portugal and of We are Church International from the very beginning. We will miss her very much and remember her with gratitude. I hope that the seed she planted will flourish.

Gert Heizer

Why did she have to go?
A question with no answer. Only He has it.
I’ll miss this friendly and lovely women from Portugal whom I have known for so long.
The Lord tends on and cares for her, I’m sure.

Martha Heizer

I am very sad about the death of Maria Joao. She was a loyal supporter and a good fighter from the very beginning. I liked her very much and we often laughed together. I remember her in Rome in 1996 at the founding of IMWAC and on many other occasions. I'll look for all the photos I have of her and send them to you in small quantities.
 
So far away and yet so close
are the people for whom we weep.
They are far away from all sadness,
far from all darkness,
far from all suffering
and so far from our world.
They are completely in joy,
all in the light,
all in love
and very close to our hearts

Valerie Stroud

I am so sad to hear the news and offer my deepest sympathy and condolences.
I first met Maria João in 1996 with Ana Vincente.   We met many times at WAC and EN-RE conferences and events over the years and she always brought joy to my heart.   Maria João was an example of what the Church should be: welcoming, caring, interested, enthusiastic and resolute.   As I read Margarida's message I remembered arriving at Schiphol airport on one occasion and, coming out of Arrivals, being greeted with a beaming smile and big hug by Maria João.  It was good to travel onwards with a good friend.  May God's radiance shine upon her and may she rest in peace and rise to glory.

Pedro Freitas

I was as taken by surprise (and shock) as you were today when I heard about the passing of Maria João. She was my companion on so many WAC meetings, a very experienced companion, and our conversations both at the meetings and on travel ended up shaping both my views and my actions in this wonderful group. If we all owe her for her tireless work on behalf of Church reform, I have a very personal debt to her. 

Colm Holmes

I am shocked and saddened to hear that Maria Joāo Sande Lemos has died. She was indeed a fiery fighter for reforms in the Catholic Church.  I remember meeting her in Lisbon and a group of us enjoying a wonderful dinner with Maria Joāo and her sister! The first time I met Maria João was at a WAC International meeting in Dublin in November 2013 (see photos).
May she rest in peace.

Raquel Mallavibarrena

Dear Margarida, thanks for sharing this very sad information with us. I am very very sorry, Both, she and Ana, were really very good friends of mine and I agree that they both, jointly with Leonor and Mariana, were essential in the development of WAC Portugal and in the fight for a better world and a better Church. 
Please send my condolences to all of you in WAC Portugal and to her relatives. 

M. Margarida Pereira-Müller

I am very sorry to inform that this morning our dear friend Maria João Sande Lemos died.
She was a force of nature and a fiery fighter for reforms in the Catholic church. Together with Ana Vicente, Leonor Xavier and Mariana Mendes Pereira, who died last week,  she brought the We Are Church movement to Portugal and was since them the faced of the movement in our country.
 
Let’s pray for her and that she rests in peace.

Maria João was born in Lourenço Marques, now Maputo, and attended a convent school until the fifth grade, then moved to the Salazar High School, where she completed her high school education.

From her childhood spent in Africa, she remembers happy times. The pleasant climate, the friendly people and the quality of life, which was nothing compared to similar times in Lisbon. According to her, in Mozambique the houses were larger, usually with a garden, and it was not necessary to be rich to be able to play tennis or ride horses.

She was in her early twenties when she came with the rest of her family to Lisbon (1961). A decision that pleased her, as she was aware of the excellent job opportunities that awaited her in the capital. As she was fluent in French and English, she quickly found work as a translator.

When the 1974 Revolution took place, at the age of thirty, she was a militant Catholic in various capacities and movements, such as the Teams of Our Lady and the Regional Committee of Catholic Teams. She remembers having lived that moment as a breath of fresh air, which is why she claims to be "a devotee of the 25th of April, because it was thanks to the revolution that the Portuguese were able to have rights, freedoms and guarantees"

She was at Sá Carneiro's side in the creation of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), founded on May 6, 1974, and together with her husband, who was a friend of Francisco Sá Carneiro, joined it a week later.

This militancy marked a before and after in their lives. So much so that she states, without hesitation, that the happiest years of her existence were those of her marriage and the period between 1974 and the death of Sá Carneiro (1980).

A staunch defender of women's rights, she is proud to have fought, with the support of Snu Abecassis, so that during the coalition government of the AD, the CDS would not be part of the Commission for the Condition of Women in the Secretary of State for the Family, which would have represented a setback in women's rights, as it would be the recognition that their life was limited to the family.

She maintained an intense party activity: she was part of the National Council and the Bureau of the Congress, and it was in this capacity that she integrated, for example, the Portuguese women's delegation that was invited by Ambassador Alcides Sakala, UNITA's representative in Portugal, to visit Jamba.

In 1992, she was part of the team of International Observers who monitored the elections in the People's Republic of Angola, a moment that gave her great satisfaction for the manifestation of civility, which in no way foresaw the terrible events that would happen next.

She was also an International Observer in the Guinea-Bissau elections (1994), then supported for several years the political regime that both Jonas Savimbi and Joaquim Chissano defended for their countries: Democracy.

In the same year, Maria Barroso created the Pro Dignitate Foundation, with the aim of preventing violence and promoting human rights. Maria João Sande Lemos accompanied her several times to Mozambique during the war process between Renamo and Frelimo.

She remembers, in particular, a trip to South Africa, where they met with Gatsha Buthelezi, and in which, after returning to Mozambique, Dr Maria Barroso asked President Joaquim Chissano to create a corridor for peace, through which those fleeing from Mozambique to South Africa could pass alive in Ressano Garcia, the border post between the two countries. The President agreed, and this was one of Dr Barroso's great victories.

Another of the causes in which she has always been committed was the defense of the rights of women and children, having participated, in 1995, in the delegation of the Commission on the Status of Women that was present at the Fourth United Nations Conference on Women, in Beijing. At the time, Maria João Sande Lemos was an advisor to the Secretary of State for Justice, Dr. Maria Eduarda Azevedo, who had been appointed by Professor Aníbal Cavaco Silva, Prime Minister at the time, as responsible for the affairs of this Commission.

She still remembers the emotion she felt for participating in such an important meeting, in which the future of women worldwide was discussed, and she says that she was very disgusted when she found that the Vatican delegation always voted on the proposals in line with countries such as Saudi Arabia or Qatar, demonstrating a conservatism that greatly displeased and saddened her.

In 1997, she was one of the co-founders, in our country, of the International Catholic Movement "We Are Church" (NSI), which defends the democratization of the church and the valorization of women's rights, including all roles, in addition to considering it essential to end mandatory celibacy. But the balance of the more than twenty-five years of activity of the NSI leaves her very disappointed and pessimistic about the renewal of the Church, because she recognizes that although there is a widespread feeling that things should change, she does not see any change in the misogynistic mentality of the hierarchies, She also regrets that Pope Francis seems to have not succeeded in reversing the lack of representation in the Vatican, which, in his view, "functions in an autocratic way."