A number of We Are Church groups support the work of Kairos Palestine and agree with their statement concerning the situation in Gaza.

Diplomatic pressure for Peace: A call for Sanctions

"So now, you kings, come to your senses, You earthly rulers, learn your lesson”.

Psalms 2:10

What is going on these days in Gaza is not war. It is a massacre of civilians, men, women and children. More than 650 people killed and over 4000 injured, the majority being civilians; this cannot be justified as an act of self-defense! What is going on in Gaza is blind evil striking out through a wrong vision of security, self-defense and peace.

We implore God Almighty who told us: “Ask and it will be given to you, search and you will find,, knock and the door will be open to you.” ( Mt.7;7) O lord we have asked, and we have knocked, and we have been seeking justice and peace for years. But no doors have been opened and we have been treated very unjustly. Lord, open the hearts and minds of all, those who are afraid and insecure, those who kill, and the people of Gaza who, despite a 7 year-old siege and three consecutive assaults believed that they were secure in their rebuilt homes, but their homes are demolished and their lives taken.

It is time for a radical change of concepts and positions. Israelis and Palestinians can live together in peace and mutual love if the root causes of injustice are removed. Education given to the people was negative in past years. A new education must start: love is possible, coexistence is possible. The concept of fear and insecurity should change. The concept of killing so easily hundreds of men, women and children must change. Lords of war, you are on the wrong path. All the killings, all your violence, all your weapons will not bring you security and will not take away your fear.

The ways of peace are ways of peace. Only these can lead to security and peace. Israel and all Israel's friends must understand that after sixty years of killing and violence, the salvation and the survival of Israel will never be achieved by the present violence.. Israel's friends must help Israel understand, if their love for Israel is sincere and if they truly care for the human being, whether Israeli or Palestinian, things must change. The present Palestinian Authority has chosen this path of peace, and maintains its right and constant position, even if it has lost its popularity among its own people, who see that these ways of peace facing Israeli violence are fruitless.

The same conversion should happen in the hearts of Israeli Authorities. All their armies, weapons and reprisals are useless and fruitless. Seeking peace can only be achieved through peaceful means.

We call upon all who care for human dignity, and human life to act now without any further delay. We call upon the international community, governments, churches and civil society to exert pressure on Israel to abide by international law and to lift the siege on Gaza and put an end to its military occupation of the Palestinian Territories in accordance with UN resolutions. And to overcome and remove all the obstacles that have hindered the long awaited peace. It takes wisdom and compassion over and above being fair to both parties of this conflict – especially when one is an occupier and the other is occupied. There needs to be an exerted effort and resolve to bring about peace for all: Israelis and Palestinians whereby everybody feels secure and enjoying freedom and equal rights in a democratic sovereign state. No more repetition of invasions and massacres and senseless killing, whether individual or collective as it is happening now in Gaza.

We call on the Churches to assume their responsibilities towards the Holy Land, the land of their roots, if they truly care for their roots, and for the Holy Land and its people. Many churches seem to be indifferent or intimidated to take action. Churches need to put pressure on Israel and also on their governments to end Israeli impunity and hold her accountable.Such Diplomatic pressure is needed now more than ever. It is a question of saving lives but also imposing accountability for criminal acts. As in similar International situations, now is the time for Economic and Military Sanctions .

Almighty God, heavenly Father, hear our prayers. Help us work together towards freedom, justice and peace Fill our heart with love and compassion and help us achieve just peace without which no security can be guaranteed for anybody. Remind us that we are all created in your image, and that we can all triumph over every evil and live in your peace, and not only by human treaties and agreements.

National Coalition of Christian Organizations in Palestine

Kairos Palestine

Kairos in

Britain

Canada

South Africa

We Are Church in

We Are Church groups congratulate LCWR on a successful conference and applaud their commitment to action 2015 through 2022.

We followed the reports from the conference and applaud the patience and dignity with which the affairs were conducted.  We are very happy that Sr Elizabeth Johnson was honoured for her contribution to the people of God through her theological reflection.

We wish Sr Sharon Holland every blessing in her new role as leader of LCWR.

Rest assured we are in solidarity with you all as you discern the way forward for hopeful new outpourings of the Spirit on our Church and the full involvement of all in ministries in the Church.

We Are Church in:

What has been going on in Iraq recently against our Christian sisters and brothers and the Yazidi people is terrible and is a cause of pain and indignation for all the Christian community and for any "person of good will".

The facts are described in the Declaration of Pontifical Council of Interreligious Dialogue (12th August).

Once again, as all too often in history, violence and massacres are perpetuated in the name of God.

We think that every religious leader must speak out and invite responsible political leaders to act in order to solve the situation.

All around the world, the Christians must, above all, pray and put in place concrete forms of solidarity. Moreover every existing good relationship and dialogue between Christians and Muslims must continue unabated.

We call on our Muslim friends, our brothers and sisters, to honour their responsibilities and recognise the situation; at the same time we Christians must recognise that the situation in Iraq and in the Middle East has the roots in actions and interventions of different types over many years by the "Christian"  West.

We strongly pray to God that people of all religions, but especially those of the Book, strive and work urgently for peace, dialogue, human rights and an ethical world.

We Are Church in

Austria - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 

Brazil - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - +43 650 4168500

Chile - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - +56-2-26979575

Denmark - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - +45-367 81 804

France - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Germany - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - +49 172 5184082

Italy - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +39-3331309765

The Netherlands - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - +031 6 41170229

Portugal - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - +351-91 460 2336

UK - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. -

Muslim Scholars Release Open Letter To Islamic State Meticulously Blasting Its Ideology 

More than 120 Muslim scholars from around the world joined an open letter to the “fighters and followers” of the Islamic State, denouncing them as un-Islamic by using the most Islamic of terms.

From Women's Ordination Conference (USA)

On Tuesday, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith told L'Osservatore Romano newspaper"above all we have to clarify that we are not misogynists, we don't want to gobble up a woman a day!"

The Vatican is not misogynistic???

We beg to differ.  And we have proof.

Introducing our newest video project: Vatican: It's A Man's World. Throughout this video you will hear just a small sampling of misogynistic quotes from the hierarchy. Please watch, share, and help us raise awareness about sexism in the Roman Catholic Church.

 What you have just heard are quotes from: 

Pope Francis, July 20, 2013
Pope Francis, May 12, 2014
Canon Law 1024
Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 2013
Signed by Pope Benedict XVI, Normae de gravioribus delictis 2010
Pope Francis, La Stampa December 14, 2013
Pope Francis, Big Open Heart to God September 30, 2013
Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, May 29, 2008
Pope Francis, On Heaven and Earth 2010

"It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” Performed by James Brown
Courtesy of Polydor Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises

Women's Ordination Conference
www.womensordination.org
www.facebook.com/OrdainWomen
www.twitter.com/OrdainWomen

An English rendering of report 37719. ROME-ADISTA.

Last May the Bishop of Innsbruck, Manfred Scheuer, with the consent of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith headed by Cardinal Gerhard Müller, excommunicated Gerd and Martha Heizer for celebrating the Eucharist in their own home without the presence of an Ordained Priest. (see Adista News nos 20,21 and 24/14.  Martha, Chairperson of the International Movement We Are Church, and her husband have consistently said the excommunication was canonically incorrect.

Now, in support of their concern, Francesco Zanchini, former professor of Canon Law at the Faculty of Law in Teramo, publishes an authoritative and detailed essay in “Stato, Chiese e pluralismo confessionale”, the journal of the State University of Milan, http://www.statoechiese.it/images/stories/2014.7/zanchinim_o_roma.pdf

He reflects on Can. 1378 §2 in connection with the case against Martha Heizer and offers a documented analysis of the obvious illegality of the measure from a purely canonical point of view.

First of all, the Canon Lawyer writes, it should be pointed out that the bishop of Innsbruck, initially identified as the main person responsible for the canonical process against the Austrian couple, acted as a delegate of Rome and thus the responsibility for the excommunication lies with the highest Church authorities. It is the Vatican, therefore, that we have to judge over the declaration of excommunication latae sententiae against Martha Heizer for an alleged breach of Can. 1389 § 2. A charge of which Mrs Heizer can clearly be presumed innocent. The rule addresses those who “attempts the liturgical action of the Eucharistic sacrifice though not promoted to the sacerdotal order”. It has been a long tradition in the application of Canon Law that this would apply to a male, attired in liturgical vestments, proceeding to the altar with the presumed intention of confecting the Eucharist.

In accordance with this tradition, Martha Heizer never made an "attempt” to present herself as a Ministerial Priest so did not offend in this regard. Such intention cannot be ascribed to her. On the contrary she was celebrating with friends in her home in order to emphasize the need to revise the institution of the Ordained Ministry. Many believers, especially in Northern Europe, join her in the opinion that any Christian community is empowered by Jesus to share Bread and Wine in His memory. The absurdity of the accusation, as well as the nullifying the Dicastery’s statement about the latae sententiae excommunication of the victim of this monumental misunderstanding, makes further comment superfluous.

For completeness, Zanchini adds, however, it should be stressed that the rule under which it was decided to excommunicate Mrs Heizer and her husband stood in absolute continuity with the past; which increases one’s surprise at the incompetence of the staff of the Congregation in handling such matters while jealously claiming to offer the expertise that should be experienced.

Zanchini detects, for example as in the previous Code of Canon Law, promulgated in 1917 and in force until 1983, Can. 2322

“Ad ordinem sacerdotalem non promotus:

1.* Si Missae celebrationem simulaverit aut sacramentalem confessionem exceperit, excommunicationem ipso facto contrahit, speciali modo Sedi Apostolicae reservatam; et insuper laicus quidem privetur pensione aut munere, si quod habeat in Ecclesia, aliisque poenis pro gravitate culpae puniatur; clericus vero deponatur;”

Even going back to the sources of canonical tradition, "the situation remains constant" and the regulations always hit first, and with insistence, the figure of a deacon, a fortiori the altar subordinate to him (sub-deacon). The primary intent is to preserve the person (bishop or priest) destined to preside over the assembly of worship.  Only later- emphasizes Zanchini- to this requirement was added another, however secondary and moralistic, to discredit the validity of an act committed by turpem dolum sacrilegum (filthy fraudulent impiety), that was not traceable in the term "simulation" in the code of 1917. That term, explains the Canon Lawyer, noted the peculiar evil of consistent offence, in accordance with the doctrine of the time, in which the parish community were present at an “idolatrous” ritual without being aware of it. They could not be held guilty.

For all these reasons Zanchini discounts "with absolute certainty any and all pre-sentencing statements, made recently by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith against Mrs Martha Heizer."  Heizer was not a Deacon; she was not pretending to be ordained and none of those present at the celebrations was ever mislead as to the meaning of the liturgies in which they participated.”

For Zanchini, then, on the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, now rests the obligation to restore the good reputation of the defendant(s), even to the extent of Can. 1390 § 2 (A person who offers an ecclesiastical superior any other calumnious denunciation of a delict or who otherwise injures the good reputation of another can be punished with a just penalty, not excluding a censure. §3. A calumniator can also be forced to make suitable reparation.). This also pertains because the Eucharist without priests is poised to become, in the current climate of Catholicism, a question stantis aut cadentis Ecclesiae (necessary for the Church to survive). And this is the lesson - continues Zanchini - which we can draw from the epilogue to this latest storm in a teacup, imposed by Card. Müller on our Christian patience.