We are the Church regarding the Apostolic Letter on the Priesthood and the current Consistory
Press release by We Are Church - Germany, Munich, Rome, January 9, 2026
The recent extraordinary consistory in the Vatican, where some 170 cardinals deliberated on the future of the Church of approximately 1.4 billion Catholics, once again reveals the structural deficiencies of the Roman Catholic Church: A small, relatively homogeneous group of predominantly older men exclusively advises on and decides matters concerning a diverse global community. This stands in blatant contradiction to the origins of Christianity and to the demands for fraternity, transparency, participation, and genuine synodality, as intended by the last, still authoritative, council, namely the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).
Key criticisms that repeatedly come to the fore are:
A serious representation gap exists: women, young believers of all genders, and lay people (i.e., non-clergy) continue to be systematically excluded from ordination and decision-making bodies – even though they play a crucial role in shaping the Church in a wide variety of cultures. Since the Constantinian shift, when the Church adopted the nomenclature and legal understanding of the waning Roman Empire, there has been a dominance of male perspectives with massively detrimental consequences.
Lack of participation: Consultations and decisions behind closed doors weaken trust in the credibility of the Church, especially in light of the scandals of sexualized and spiritual abuse worldwide, which are still not fully addressed.
Decades of stagnation in reform: The hierarchy continues to block urgently needed renewals, for example, regarding priestly and diaconal ministries. Yet these are essential for vibrant communities and credible, vibrant missionary work in the world. Therefore, a visionary, fundamental discussion about church ministries is needed; otherwise, the church will remain stuck in clerical thinking and nothing will change.
We Are Church advocates for a church that takes synodality seriously – with a culture that overcomes clericalism and with a culture of listening that is the basis of fraternal and democratic participation: An important counter-model in the face of increasingly totalitarian political developments around the world.
Pope Leo XIV may have sent a signal by convening the consistory. But what's missing is this: the Church must also take the next step: towards a genuine communion of all the baptized! If this doesn't happen, the Roman Catholic Church will have even less, if any, social relevance in Europe in the future.
Press contact: We Are Church Federal Team:
Ma Adler, Email:
Sigrid Grabmeier, Email:
Konrad Mundo, Email:
Christoph Schomer, Email:
Christian Weisner, Email:
Press coverage from Vatican News: “A small group of older men” > vaticannews.va 9.1.2026