News and Media Releases

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.

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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.

See also:

America Magazine

We Are Church International is deeply disturbed by the ongoing difficulties faced by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which have led to the resignation of Marie Collins, an outspoken survivor of clerical sexual abuse.

Statements made by Ms. Collins following her resignation indicate that the Commission lacked the resources, respect, and responsiveness needed for their work to be effective. This is a tragic affront to the victims, survivors, families, and parishes impacted by decades of clerical abuse and hierarchical cover up. It indicates that, despite numerous claims of concern and repentance, leaders of the Catholic Church still do not believe that addressing the damage done to so many for so long needs to be a top priority for our Church.

We Are Church International extends its profound respect and gratitude to Marie Collins, and to many others who have fought for justice for clerical abuse survivors, victims, and their families, and for implementation of Church policies and practices that protect children and vulnerable adults from abuse.

We Are Church International further calls on Pope Francis to personally address the issues that have undermined the Commission’s work. The Commission needs an adequate budget and staff to support their work. The Tribunal to hold bishops accountable for protecting abusers and putting additional children at risk must be established, and given the authority to conduct authentic investigations and enforce substantive consequences for those found to have engaged in cover ups of abuse. Most importantly, the Commission needs unfettered access to documents and individuals that have information about past abuse and current practices. The opaque culture of the Vatican and Catholic chanceries around the world must be transformed by a commitment to accountability for any meaningful work to be accomplished.

The abuse of children and vulnerable adults by clerics and the cover up of abuse by Catholic hierarchs is one of the most shameful events in our Church’s history. It has alienated thousands of Catholics around the world and seriously undermined the Church’s moral authority. We Are Church International calls for authentic repentance and a radical transformation of action and belief on the part of our entire Church.

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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.

Contact: Marianne Duddy-Burke, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +1 617 669 7810

See also:

NCR - Editorial: Clergy culture sustains sex abuse scandal

NCR - Exclusive: Survivor explains decision to leave Vatican's abuse commission

Il fermare e il discriminare i rifugiati, gli immigranti e i mussulmani, l’indicare  ogni diversità sociale come fonte di paura, l’attaccare la libertà religiosa e il costruire una barriera al confine tra il Messico e gli USA sono fatti che offendono l’intera umanità.

Noi, il movimento internazionale We Are Church, siamo profondamente coinvolti come cristiani, come uomini e donne, e allora alziamo con forza la nostra voce contro questo sfacciato disprezzo per i diritti umani.

Parliamo con le stesse parole delle nostre sorelle e dei nostri fratelli negli USA, soprattutto di quelli della Leadership of Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) e di Pax Christi. Essi affermano “ Dio invita ad accogliere lo straniero (Mt. 25,35) e a prendersi cura di chi ha più bisogno (Mt. 25,40)”. Essi dicono: “Noi vogliamo un paese in cui l’unico prerequisito per vivere, essere ben accolto e godere dei propri diritti  sia quello di essere un uomo”.

Siamo convinti, secondo quanto dice il Vangelo, che tutti gli uomini, ovunque nel mondo, senza distinzione per  colore della pelle,  religione, condizione sociale, orientamento sessuale o paese d’origine sono fratelli e sorelle e che tutti  noi dobbiamo essere accoglienti e responsabili gli uni verso gli altri.

Condividiamo una prospettiva di giustizia che escluda l’odio e costruisca ponti invece di muri.

Noi proclamiamo la pace e la giustizia prima di tutto, per ogni uomo e per ogni popolo del mondo.

Roma, 6  febbraio   2017                   We Are Church International

We Are Church International very critical about Trump orders

[ Italian ]

Halting and undermining the refugees, the immigrants, the Muslims, seeing social diversity as cause for fear, attacking the religious liberty, and building a US-Mexico border wall are offences to all of humanity.

We, We Are Church International, are deeply concerned as Christians, and as humans and we strongly speak out against this blatant disregard for human rights.

We speak with the same words of our sisters and brothers in USA, especially those of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and of Pax Christi. They affirm the “God's call to welcome the stranger (Mt. 25:35) and to care for those most in need (Mt 25:40)”. They affirm “We need a country where people feel safe, welcomed, and know the only prerequisite for their rights is being human”

We are convinced, according to the Gospel, that people all over the world, no matter their skin colour, or religion, or social conditions, or country of origin, or sexual orientations are brothers and sisters, and that we must have compassion and take responsibility for each other.

We are committed to the vision of justice that trumps hate and builds bridges instead of walls.

We proclaim peace and justice first, for all the people of the world.

Rome, February 2017

This weekend proved to be a dark moment in U.S. history. The executive order to turn away refugees and to close our nation to those, particularly Muslims, fleeing violence, oppression and persecution is contrary to both Catholic and American values.  Have we not repeated the disastrous decisions of those in the past who turned away other people fleeing violence, leaving certain ethnicities and religions marginalized and excluded? We Catholics know that history well, for, like others, we have been on the other side of such decisions.

These actions impose a sweeping and immediate halt on migrants and refugees from several countries, people who are suffering, fleeing for their lives. Their design and implementation have been rushed, chaotic, cruel and oblivious to the realities that will produce enduring security for the United States. They have left people holding valid visas and other proper documents detained in our airports, sent back to the places some were fleeing or not allowed to board planes headed here. Only at the eleventh hour did a federal judge intervene to suspend this unjust action.