NOW THERE IS A YEAR TO TRANSLATE THEM INTO CONCRETE CHOICES

The first session of the Synod on Synodality closed with the publication of the Synthesis Report, charged with summarising the work of the assembly and relaunching the contents considered to be a priority for the discernment of the local Churches and for theological and canonical in-depth study in view of the formulation of proposals for the second, more decisional session, scheduled to take place in a year's time.

The first datum that emerged with unprecedented clarity during this first session was the diversity of socio-cultural contexts, theological views and pastoral urgencies with which the Catholic Church today finds itself having to measure itself, which makes it difficult to hypothesise valid answers everywhere and opens the way to a decentralisation leading to thinking of it as a communion of local Churches. The second fact highlighted in the assembly in Rome is that the reforms to promote which We are Church was born and has been committed to these almost three decades (full recognition of the equal dignity of all believers and overcoming the division between clergy and laity, participation of the local Churches in the appointment of bishops, opening of ordained ministries to women, the right to celebrate the Eucharist in a plurality of forms, abolition of the obligation of celibacy for priests and reintegration of married priests in the service of the community, positive evaluation of sexuality - hence revision of the exclusion of remarried divorcees from the Eucharist and overcoming all discrimination against homosexuals - commitment also ecumenical for peace, justice and the protection of creation, justice for the victims of abuse by members of the clergy, etc. ), until a few years ago the patrimony of small groups and excluded from discussion in institutional circles, can no longer be evaded, they are at the centre of the Church's debate. This has certainly been helped by the consultation of the local Churches, the process of preparation and the participation, albeit numerically completely insufficient, of baptised and baptised 'non-bishops' in the episcopal assembly, which is a fundamental step towards a truly synodal Church.

Certainly the point reached in the discussion so far appears to be more advanced in some cases: e.g. For example, the chapter on the Eastern Churches, whose attempts at Latinisation are condemned in the text, and for which new institutional instruments are proposed to recognise their dignity; the chapter on the ministry of the bishop, for which the need to rethink the election mechanisms in a more participative way is pointed out, and forms of regular verification are foreseen for their work; the chapter on groupings of Churches, which opens the way to the recovery of ancient synodal institutions, the development of unprecedented continental assemblies and the strengthening of Episcopal Conferences. In other cases, however, it is more backward: the one on Christian initiation does not mention the link between liturgy, in particular the Eucharist, and personal, community and social life; the one on the poor, while reaffirming the "preferential option", does not link "choice of the poor" and "synodality", resulting somewhat spurious; on clericalism there is only one passage (par. On clericalism, there is only one passage (par. 11c), so the subject is not dealt with in much depth. What is puzzling is the absence of an explicit reference to sexual minorities, which were discussed in the assembly but only alluded to in the text, and the silence on the possibility of ordaining women not only as deacons but also as priests. The very decision not to devote a specific paragraph to abuse, but to scatter references in various parts of the text detracts from the strength of the theme.

In this light, the task of We are Church is to advance, with its own specific activities and by strengthening its networks with other national and international reform groups, such as those that during the Synod days gave life to the "Spirit Unbounded" event, the consensus towards the reforms, seeking contacts with the delegates most in tune or available and offering them training tools on the controversial issues, so that they arrive at next year's session better prepared.

If the Catholic Church showed the possibility of facing together the challenges it faces - in particular the radical solution of the abuse issue and the full recognition of equal dignity and access to ministries regardless of gender, sexual orientation and state of life - and achieve 'unity in diversity', it would offer a prophetic witness to a world that seems unable to resolve its crises and manage its differences in a non-destructive way.

6 November 2023 THE NATIONAL COORDINATION OF NOI SIAMO CHIESA

We are Church International welcomes the dramatic reforms initiated by Pope Francis with the involvement of 70 non-bishops and 54 women as Voting members at the October 2023 Synod. We call on Pope Francis to move to EQUALITY at the October 2024 Synod with equal numbers of voices for laity and clergy. This could readily be achieved by inviting a large number of laity democratically selected by the People of God to join the 365 who took part in October 2023.

The diversity in the Catholic Church around the globe points to a decentralisation that leads to a communion of local Churches. An effective ‘unity in diversity’ in the Catholic Church would offer a prophetic testimony to a world in crisis. In line with the expressly considered collegial action in the Synod Synthesis [19 (g)], We are Church International calls on all Bishops Conferences to address through collegial action questions of doctrine that arise in the local sphere, as appropriate in their own countries. Every bishop should courageously make full use of his competences granted by prevailing Canon law such as assigning ministries such as preaching, marriage assistance or baptizing to lay people.

We are Church International is pleased to see these overdue reforms, but there is still some way to go to reach all our 5 goals:

1. Primacy of conscience
2. Decision making actively shared by all
3. Full participation of women in all ministries
4. Removal of obligation of clerical celibacy
5. An inclusive church welcoming for all

Colm Holmes, Chair We are Church International
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: +353 86606 3636

Dr Martha Heizer, Vice-Chair We are Church International
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: +43 650 4168500

We are Church at the constituent meeting of the Synodal Committee on 10/11 November 2023 in Essen

• Synodal path in Germany not a special path
• Strengthening the national bishops' conferences
• Vatican must also show willingness to engage in dialogue

Press release Munich, Essen, 8 November 2023

"With the tailwind from the World Synod in Rome, courageously continue the synodal process in Germany!" This is the appeal of the International Movement We Are Church to the participants of the constituent meeting of the Synodal Committee on 10/11 November 2023 in Essen. The preparatory process and the first worldwide Synod Assembly in Rome, which ended a few days ago, have already fundamentally changed the Roman Catholic Church. By opening the synod to baptised men and women who are not bishops, Pope Francis has implemented a system change that cannot and must not be reversed.

The reform process initiated by Pope Francis must now continue in concrete terms at all levels of the universal church: After the 2023 Synod we are now before the 2024 Synod. This window of opportunity must be used to develop concrete answers and proposed solutions to questions of leadership, equal rights for women, the inclusion of minority groups and other issues in terms of theology and canon law.

Synodal path in Germany not a special path

The Synod Assembly in Rome showed once again that the synodal path in Germany was not a special path, but has done important preparatory work for the World Synod. This was recognised by participants from all over the world. On the one hand, it is about making the Catholic Church fit for the future in the respective cultures. On the other hand, it is about combating the systemic causes of abuse and cover-up, which have led our Church into a global crisis of credibility. The opportunity now lies in a transformation process at all levels that can no longer be stopped.

We are Church welcomes the fact that, despite the departure of four bishops (Gregor Maria Hanke, Eichstätt; Stefan Oster, Passau; Rudolf Voderholzer, Regensburg; Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, Cologne), funding has been secured from the other 23 dioceses. Australia is now also planning a Synodal Council, which will be formed from a group that emerged from the consultations at the so-called Plenary Council.

We Are Church is now calling on the four bishops who refused to give their consent to the Synodal Committee and its funding in the summer of 2023 to correct their decision immediately, as the reasons given at the time have become irrelevant. Bishop Bertram Meier of Augsburg will also not be attending the constituent meeting due to a long-planned diocesan pilgrimage to Sankt Peter-Ording (> katholisch.de).

Strengthening the national bishops' conferences

A key question for the future will be what role the bishops and the representatives of the people of the Church will play in the Catholic Church. Genuine participation means: not only consulting, but also co-deciding! Decentralised solutions must be possible here.

The 40-page final paper of the Synod was adopted by a large majority on all points. It does not yet contain sufficiently concrete resolutions on many issues. However, it deals intensively with co-responsibility bodies, which must also be made functional at a legal level, and with the appropriate presence of baptised persons who are not ordained (cf. 12 and 18 final paper). Section 19 g), for example, is very noteworthy:

'We consider it necessary to further deepen the doctrinal and juridical character of Episcopal Conferences by recognising the possibility of collegial action also with regard to doctrinal questions that arise in the local sphere, thus resuming reflection on the motu proprio Apostolos suos.

Bishops' conferences should thus actually be able to decide on questions of doctrine. And elsewhere it is stated that non-ordained men and women must have a say in decision-making in the committees. This means that the synodal path in Germany can also decide independently and does not always have to ask Rome for permission.

We are Church calls on the German bishops to make bold use of this suggestion of the World Synod and to utilise the possibilities open to them under canon law. These include, for example, the transfer of parish leadership to lay people, the ordination of viri probati as priests or the transfer of the preaching ministry to women.

In addition, work must already be done today to ensure that these points are deepened, concretised and formally adopted in the 2024 Synod. This requires the continuation of the synodal process in our country in both depth and breadth, but also international networking, especially in German-speaking countries.

Vatican must also show willingness to engage in dialogue

The new head of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández, who has been in office since 11 September 2023, should make good on his announcement to enter into dialogue with those responsible for the Synodal Committee in Germany as soon as possible. The other Vatican dicasteries must also show themselves willing to talk now. This must be done with the entire Presidium, not just with bishops. At the synod in Rome, it was an affront that only five bishops from Germany were allowed to participate with voting rights.

Press contact:

Christian Weisner, Federal Team We are Church Germany
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: +49 172 518 408

Dr Martin Schockenhoff, We are Church Germany and Coordination Team We are Church International
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Phone: +49 173 3248913

more: wir-sind-kirche.de/weltsynode2023

Pope Francis' reform process has already changed our Church, We are Church International says after observing and accompanying the first half of the 2023 Synod in Rome. The presence of voting members who are not bishops, half of them women, changed the climate fundamentally as well as the round tables that visualise a new type of non-hierarchical communication inside the church. We are Church International has asked for the inclusion of the laity from the very beginning and this certainly has to be extended.

The task for the eleven months until the Synod in October 2024 is clear: Within its own network and together with other reform networks present in Rome, We are Church International will foster the reform spirit that has become visible inside and outside the Synod hall in many private talks and meetings with members of the Synod. In this climate of trust the Church’s traditional teaching on the questions of leadership, women’s equality, inclusion of minority groups and other issues were addressed by many local churches all over the world.

The recent disclosures of spiritual and sexualised violence in Switzerland and France has already shaken the church in many countries. We are Church International hope that the Synod finally will address the root causes of spiritual and sexual abuse that so deeply continue to destroy the credibility of our church.

Supporting the positive spirit in Rome demands that the Synod address fundamental problems like misuse of clerical power, subordination of women and outdated sexual doctrine.

“Equality for all” was the goal of a vigil in the evening of October 12th with more than 30 persons from 13 countries on St Peter’s Square. On October 13th and 14th the weeklong conference “Human Rights in the Emerging Catholic Church”, organised by Spirit Unbounded and strongly supported by We are Church International, gave very clear insights into the challenges of the Roman Catholic Church today to help the church be a convincing witness of the gospel. Sr Joan Chittister OSB and the former Irish president Mary McAleese together with more than 110 speakers from all continents gave hope for the excluded at this lay-led synodal assembly coinciding with the official Synod in Rome. Website: https://spiritunbounded.org/

On October 15th and 16th, 2023 We are Church International held its biennial conference “Equality for all” in Casa Bonus Pastor in Rome. 27 delegates present in Rome and 5 who joined virtually elected a new coordinating team for We are Church International: Christiane Bascou (France), Dr Martha Heizer (Austria), Colm Holmes (Ireland), Jamie Manson (United States), Mary Morrissey (Ireland), Ashik Naz Khokhar (Pakistan), Jean Pierre Schmitz (France), Dr Martin Schockenhoff (Germany), Ed Schreurs (Netherlands), Valerie Stroud (United Kingdom).

Media contact:

Colm Holmes, Dublin/Ireland, Chair We are Church International
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: +353 86606 3636

Dr Martha Heizer, Innsbruck/Austria, Vice-Chair We are Church International 
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: +43 650 4168500