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Vatican says NO to EQUALITY?

As Pope Francis said the Angelus to a packed St. Peter’s Square on Sunday 13 October 2024, We Are Church International (WAC) raised a banner to EQUALITY in support of Pope Francis.

Within 5 minutes the WAC group was surrounded by police who ordered the banner to be taken down and detained 7 of the WAC group for up to 4 hours.

Expressing support for Pope Francis with a banner for EQUALITY as followers of Jesus should be readily acceptable.

This is a key topic at the Synod being held in the Vatican City state, which Pope Francis initiated in 2021.

We totally accept the need to protect Pope Francis from attack and the long queues and security checks are essential and warranted.

But the Vatican security system should not be used to promote only conservative voices, when many reform voices also support Pope Francis.

Unity in diversity must apply in the Vatican City state as well as in the global church.

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Press contacts:

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

‘The many knots of the reform backlog must be untied – in Rome and in the local churches’

  • We Are Church on the current World Synod in Rome
  • Dispute over anthropology, theology and the image of women
  • Conference of We Are Church International 11-14 October 2024 in Rome

We Are Church on the current World Synod in Rome

We Are Church sees the second plenary assembly of the World Synod, which is currently meeting, as a logical step towards finally bringing the participatory understanding of the church of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) to life at all levels. The tense discussions and polarisation inside and outside the Synod hall show how urgently this transformation process is needed. The Roman Catholic Church leadership cannot afford to ignore the ‘signs of the times’ again, as it did before the Second Vatican Council.

The decisive question for the future is whether the expanded Synod of Bishops of Pope Francis can succeed in resolving the backlog of reforms and fundamental contradictions with regard to the core of biblical tradition – the exclusively male clergy, excluding women from all consecrations and central decisions. If the return to the dignity of baptism is a decisive characteristic of church membership, then this must lead to a new theology and a reorientation of all church structures, which are to be designed as services and not as offices and privileges.

If the Roman Catholic Church, the largest Christian church and the world church, were to succeed in exemplifying a gender concept that corresponds to the early Christian message, it could be a credible and radiant role model. This would be a truly prophetic testimony.

Debate on anthropology, theology and the image of women

Pope Francis' statements at the Catholic University in Belgium regarding the image of women and the rigid adherence to a dualistic anthropology are out of touch with the times. Just one day after Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, admitted the Church's manifold failings towards women, Cardinal Victor Fernandez, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, announced a new doctrinal document on the role of women in the Church and rejected expectations of the women's diaconate. The time is not ripe yet. This is a new affront to all women and contradicts the desired synodality.

We Are Church is pleased that the statements of the Pope and the announcement of the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith are no longer accepted without contradiction. According to many reformers within the Church, the question of the women's consecration is no longer about whether, but when and how. Therefore, the members of the World Synod and all those in the Vatican now have a great responsibility to undo the many old knots that contradict the Christian message. We Are Church also expects each individual bishop to now commit themselves wholeheartedly to the principle of synodality and to act in a truly synodal way at all levels.

The reforms that have been delayed since the Second Vatican Council must finally be implemented if talk of God is not to become hollow. Questions about God, structural issues and serving people must not be played off against each other! Only if the church has the courage to reform its own structures will it also have the moral strength and authority to comment on current problems and fulfil its many tasks in society.

Conference of We Are Church International 11-14 October 2024 in Rome

As in the previous year, the worldwide association We Are Church International will hold its annual meeting under the motto ‘EQUALITY’ during the synod in Rome in order to seek contact with the participants of the world synod and to promote reforms. In addition, a new coordination team will be elected. The meeting will take place at Casa Maria Immaculata from 11 to 14 October 2024.

Activities of all reform forces during the synod in Rome.

Press contacts:

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

Voices from 6 Continents call for Equality for Women and Small Christian Communities

 

We Are Church International held a Press Conference today with 6 speakers from 6 continents calling for reforms at the October 2024 Synod.

  • We Are Church International calls on the Synod participants to formulate strong proposals for
    the full equality of women
  • to allow local churches the freedom to reform

Synodality will only be credible if it leads to real reforms in 2025.

Here are key quotations from our 6 participants:

AFRICA: Prof. Philomena Mwaura: “What I consider important for the Church in Africa is the theological formation of the laity and leaders of Small Christian Communities not just on Synodality but in all aspects of their faith.”

AUSTRALIA: Kevin Liston: “On one view, the Synod marks a significant move forward in church thinking and planning for the future. On an alternative view, the Synod misses numerous opportunities for updating it’s position, agenda and practices on many matters of concern to Catholics around the world. The question now is: ‘Will the Synod generate the impetus and energy required to restore integrity and credibility to the church and reinstate the vision and values of Jesus as an inspiring lifestyle in the modern world?’”

NORTH AMERICA: Kate McElwee: “While many have attempted to silence the conversation on women’s ordination, dismiss our work as ‘lobbying,’ or relegate the global discernment into the shadows of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, we are determined to be visible, creative, and bold. There is just too much at stake.”

SOUTH AMERICA: Dr. Lula Ramires: "Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.” ― Augustine of Hippo

ASIA: Virginia Saldanha: “Since the topic of women's inclusion has been removed from the table and given to a Commission for the 3rd time I think - Women have little or no hope.
The Jesus model of Church includes everyone, is neighbourhood & community based, with leaders chosen by the people, patterned on the Early Christian Community. This was the model of Church proposed by the Asian Bishops in 1991.”

EUROPE: Martin Schockenhoff: “The most pressing concerns from the perspective of the European faithful are the admission of women to ministries and equality of laypeople in decision taking. If this does not happen soon, the Church in Europe will lose credibility and members.”

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

WAC responds to revised Charta Oecumenica

Find out more about the Charta Oemenica

We Are Church International has submitted two proposals with suggested amendments for the revised Charta Oecumenica.

The first makes 52 suggested amendments and was compiled by Mauro Castagnaro (Italy), Thomas Olechowski (Austria) and John Colreavy (Ireland).

The second contains amendments compiled by Elza Ferrario and Roberto Fiorini of Noi Siamo Chiesa (Italy) and includes a document which comments on the proposed amendments.

It was agreed at the WAC Coordinating Committee meeting on 18 September 2024 to submit both proposals to the CEC & CCEE.

‘Becoming a synodal church together!’

Appeal from We are Church to the European participants of the World Synod 2024 at the preparatory meeting from 29 to 31 August 2024 in Linz

August 2024

The international Catholic reform movement We are Church very much welcomes the fact that voting synod members and theological experts from Europe will be preparing together in Linz/Austria at the end of August 2024 for the second plenary assembly of the World Synod in Rome in October 2024. The European Continental Assembly in February 2023 in Prague/Czech Republic, which We are Church and other reform groups had accompanied, still revealed very clear differences between the local churches and bishops' conferences in their understanding of the church and church practice.

The Roman Catholic world church is currently in an important transitional phase. In contrast to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), which intended a theological revaluation of the local churches, a centralised understanding of the church was consolidated during the last two pontificates. Pope Francis has revised this in many small steps and led the Church back onto the course of the Council.

The worldwide synodal process initiated by Pope Francis is now pursuing the goal of developing a common vision of the local churches of ministries, charisms, services and other forms of activity in the community of believers, based on the ecclesiology of the People of God of the Second Vatican Council. Due to the long divisions of Europe, this Council was received very differently. This is why theological and cultural exchange is now so important, especially among the churches in Europe.

Responsibility for the local churches

We are Church welcomes the proposal in the preparatory paper (‘Instrumentum laboris’) for the assembly in October 2024 that the local churches ‘should be recognised as ecclesial subjects endowed with doctrinal authority’. In the context of a diverse Church, the ‘valorisation of liturgical, disciplinary, theological and spiritual expressions adapted to the different socio-cultural contexts should be promoted.’ (97 a)

From the perspective of We Are Church, however, it is equally important to ‘develop effective forms and procedures of transparency and accountability that are ... appropriate to the diversity of contexts’ (78). Therefore, the people of God, the people of the church, must be involved in a representative manner not only in decision making, but also in the final decision. A synodal church requires changes in the structures in which women in particular can participate in decision-making on an equal footing, not just in consultation.

Questions for the future of the church

The non-transparent outsourcing of individual issues to ten study groups, which resulted from the first assembly of the World Synod in Rome in October 2023, must not mean a delay in urgently needed reform steps. Rather, it is to be hoped that the so-called ‘women's question’ in particular will be discussed openly, as it was at the synod in October 2023. Women must no longer be denied ordination! Equal rights for women and queer people are crucial for the credibility of the church.

In the struggle for the future of the church, pastoral and structural issues should no longer be played off against each other! The problematic church structures that have led to abuse and loss of trust must be permanently corrected! As important as the basic line of evangelisation laid down by Pope Francis is, a real reappraisal of sexualised and spiritual violence is an essential element of evangelisation! The Gospel takes sides with the disenfranchised, the maltreated and the wounded. Without this perspective, any attempt at evangelisation will come to nothing.

Model for democracies

In a time of political upheaval, in which authority, especially authority from above, is no longer readily accepted, church synodality could also be a good model for democracies. We are Church supports Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Relator of the World Synod, in his statement: ‘Yes, we don't just need one theology of synodality, we need different theologies of synodality. We need reflection so that the Church of God can move forward in time and recognise the signs of the times in our world."

Background

European synod participants meet in Linz at the end of August. The meeting from 29 to 31 August 2024 at the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic Private University (KU) Linz will be hosted by the local pastoral theologian and Dean Prof. Klara Csiszar.

Other members of the preparatory group are the Vice-President of the Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe (CCEE), Archbishop Ladislav Nemet from Belgrade, as well as the synod experts Prof Christoph Theobald (Paris) and Prof Myriam Wijlens (Erfurt). The meeting will be accompanied spiritually by Prof Tomas Halik (Prague).

Similar preparatory meetings prior to the second plenary assembly of the World Synod from 2 to 27 October 2024 in Rome have also taken place on other continents.

Press contact:

Colm Holmes, chair We are Church International, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Ireland)

Martha Heizer, vice-chair We are Church International, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Austria)

Christian Weisner, We are Church, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Germany)

Mauro Castagnaro, Noi siamo Chiesa, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Italy)

Alicja Baranowska, Women's Ordination Worldwide, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Poland)