October 28, 2017. As the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation is marked on October 31, 2017, a leading international Catholic organization says major reforms are still needed within the Church.
We Are Church International is calling on its members in 21 countries around the globe to mark Reformation Day by posting flyers addressing areas where changes are needed in the Catholic Church on church doors, or taking photos of themselves with the posters in front of their local parish churches between 29-31 October. The posters outline calls for the Church to implement:
- Democratic Structures
- Women Priests
- Justice not Canon Law
- Married Priests
- Welcome for all
“Half a millennium later, we Catholics owe a great debt to Martin Luther and to our Protestant kin,” said Sigrid Grabmeier, Chair of We Are Church International. “They dared to speak out about ways in which our Church can be better followers of Christ. We try to carry on their tradition while remaining within the Catholic Communion.”
Grabmeier continued, “Our Church still has much to improve upon. On the 500th anniversary of the 95 Theses, we continue our call for our Church to be more accountable and to institute more democratic structures, to permit women and married people whom God has called to serve as priests, to prioritize justice rather than dogma and law, and to be a place that welcomes and affirms all people. We believe these changes are absolutely necessary for the Catholic Church to live out its mission in the world effectively. We remain committed to work towards seeing these goals fulfilled.”
Contact: Marianne Duddy-Burke,
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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.