We Are Church International (WAC) offers its contribution to Synod 2021-2023 "For a Synodal Church : Communion, Participation, and Mission "in light of the Preparatory Document and, in particular, the "Ten Thematic Nuclei to be Explored".

To-day, in our Catholic Church, the "journeying together", that «enacts and manifests the nature of the Church as the pilgrim and missionary People of God» (PD 1) and “allows the Church to proclaim the Gospel” (PD 2), is realized in a very weak and defective way because :

a) the hierarchical dimension and the concentration of power in the ordained ministers generate a systemic separation between them and the laity who are merely executors,

b) there are few examples of synodality since the councils that do exist (pastoral, presbyteral, etc.) are then merely consultative, and

c) the few successful achievements of synodality are linked to the personality, ideas and availability of open-minded ordained ministers. But they are subject to his will and often disappear when he moves on.

All this generated a “culture imbued with clericalism … and with those forms of exercising authority on which the different types of abuse (power, economic, conscience, sexual) are grafted. " (PD 6). To remedy this, the Church must convert to synodality and have faith/trust in the Spirit who always leads his Church.

To grow in synodality, the Church must respond to the Spirit's invitation to become a more community-based Church of brothers and sisters, equal in their life as disciple, an "inclusive" Church capable of "recognizing and appreciating the richness and variety of gifts and charisms" of its members, including the least of these, a Church that credits them with their good faith and must become accustomed to living in the pluralism of ideas (PD 9). This requires in particular:

a) opening of all ministries to those who are currently excluded (women, married men, LGBTQ+ persons, etc.) according to their competence and charisma,

b) relationship of equality between all members of the Church whatever their responsibility are since they are sisters and brothers. This means in the present situation relationship of equality between laity and clergy, even at the level of decision-making,

c) revision of governance, including the separation of powers,

d) establishment of small ecclesial communities (promoted by Vatican II, see also EG 29)

e) the abolition of all kinds of sanctifications/ ordinations, only assignments/commissions, gladly in solemn form

All this would be in keeping with the Gospel and the situation in the early Church and at the same time it would be the decisive way out of the current Church crisis, to promote a discipleship of equal brothers and sisters taking on different responsibilities for the community in different ministries/services.

This involves promoting:

a) training in synodality,

b) the creation of synodical structures, including the creation of particular synods to settle disputes, especially when the “depositum fidei” is at stake, whose existence is not left to the will and sensibility of the clergy and whose functioning expresses co-responsibility and not a simple consultative character;

c) the definition of procedures to prevent the sensus fidei fidelium from being left to the good will or sensitivity of priests and bishops; this implies the establishment of academic freedom for Catholic theological researchers;

d) the establishment of new structures (national and continental ecclesial assemblies, patriarchates or continental episcopal conferences, ;etc.);

e) the establishment of structural forms of consultation, exchange and comparison with other Christian Churches;

f) the creation of a new legal system with separation of powers, participation in decision-making and independent control of power.

Read the full contribution - English

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Read the full contribution - German

The International Catholic Reform Network (ICRN) with representatives from 5 continents, met on 28-29 January 2022 online.

Seven speakers from India spoke of the strong patriarchal structures in society and in church which impact adversely on the lives of women, LGBTQ+ and Dalits. ICRN supports the appeal of the acquittal of Bishop Franko Malukkal on multiple rape charges of Sister X. ICRN calls on Cardinal Gracias to meet with Sister X and investigate the behaviour of Bishop Malukkal.

Reports from all continents showed a mixed response to the synodal process leading to the Bishops Synod in 2023. In some regions, such as South Africa, it appears there is good co-operation from the bishops. In many other regions, the picture is more dismal. We heard disappointing reports from Australia where 17,500 submissions were effectively disregarded at the Plenary Council and from Mexico where the assembly in November 2021 had very few women and a clear.  Yet, the German Synodal Path may be the best possibility for addressing the important reform issues with clergy and laity working together.

Many Catholic Reform groups are actively involved in preparing submissions and encouraging participation even though the experience over previous decades of clerical sex abuse cover ups in many countries has led to a lack of trust in the monarchical hierarchical structures.  The reservation of all power and authority to clerics, the treatment of women, LGBTQ+, divorced and remarried are critical issues that need to be addressed.

There were many voices who favoured giving less time and energy to seeking reforms through the hierarchy and instead devote most time and energy to focus on developing a New Way of Being Church by creating Small Christian Communities for greater participation, communion & meaningful mission:
“Where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there”.

Contacts:
Deb Rose, USA +1 513.673.1401 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Martha Heizer, Austria +43.650.4168500 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Virginia Saldanha, India +91 98196 26197 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ICRN Steering Committee:
ICRN Website: https://icrn.info/
Martha Heizer (Austria); Colm Holmes (Ireland); Rasto Kocan (Slovakia); Deborah Rose (USA); Virginia Saldanha (India); Max Stetter (Germany);

ICRN was founded in 2012 for the purpose of drawing together the best practices of communities around the world to bring about a Church that is welcoming and inclusive, reflecting and living the Gospel message so as to bring about the reign of God in our troubled world.

Call on Pope Francis to open files of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF)

A decade ago in Ireland state judges investigating clerical abuse cases sought relevant files from the office of the Vatican’s CDF. The CDF refused to supply any files. 

The detailed Munich independent legal investigation (20 January 2022) has accused former Pope Benedict XVl with failing to report 4 cases of clerical abuse while he was Archbishop of Munich. The investigation was based on an examination of the Munich files and interviews with witnesses regarding almost 500 abused children and 235 perpetrators. In his statement on this Munich report former Pope Benedict XVl did not tell the truth and severely damaged his own reputation.

The USA, Ireland, Australia, the UK, Chile, Germany and France have over the past 20 years reported on clerical sex abuse cases being systematically covered up in order to protect the reputation of the church. Yet today Catholic bishops in many countries continue to deny any coverups. Every few years another country reports the same systemic pattern. In 2001 Cardinal Ratzinger ordered all reports of clerical sex abuse to be sent directly to the CDF.

We Are Church call on Pope Francis to establish an independent legal investigation of the CDF files to determine the global extent of the coverups of clerical sex abuse cases. 

The truth will set you free.

Colm Holmes

Chair, We Are Church International

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We strongly support the appeal against the acquittal of the Indian Bishop on 13 charges of raping a religious sister 

21 January 2022 In Kerala, India, Judge Kottayam G. Gopakumar delivered a 289 page judgement acquitting Bishop Franco Mulakkal of 13 charges of raping a religious sister in an order of which he was the patron. 

This judgement has very serious implications for women and women religious in our many patriarchal societies.

In the church, where does a woman turn when the leadership is all male, men who protect each other and stand by each other to defend the crimes of their brother priests? The Catholic Church has known for decades about the sexual and spiritual abuse of women religious but has failed to provide any effective mechanism or structure to handle complaints of abuse of women within the institution.

We offer our prayers and full support to the sister who has suffered this ongoing traumatic ordeal and to the Sisters in Solidarity, the group of women activists, nuns and lawyers who are accompanying the sisters.

We strongly support the appeal against this acquittal.

Colm Holmes
Chair, We Are Church International
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Authentic synodality, an inclusive discerning process involving the laity and the ordained, may be one of the most important institutional reforms of Pope Francis’ pontificate.

25 November 2021 Fifty years ago the Second Vatican Council was clear: the church is the People of God. Yet, one of the most important precepts of the Second Vatican Council, synodality, has not been fully realized. Under Paul VI and succeeding popes, synodality was enacted through a synod of bishops -- an expression of episcopal collegiality, not synodality of the whole church.

Authentic synodality, an inclusive discerning process involving the laity and the ordained, may be one of the most important institutional reforms of Pope Francis’ pontificate.

As the Catholic Church and the whole People of God engages in the 2021 - 2023 Synod on Synodality: Communion, Participation, and Mission, We Are Church International call for the following:

We advocate for Pope Francis’s call for a revolution in the structure of the Catholic Church; where radical change moves the church from a top down institution to an inverted pyramid with the pope and the bishops “below” and “in service to the holy faithful people of God” above so that the whole People of God may come together in authentic partnership to discern the best way forward on critical matters facing Catholics today.

Because synodality calls for all the People of God to be involved in decision making, We Are Church urges Pope Francis to replace the Synod of Bishops with an Assembly of all the People of God that reflects the diversity of the church; where at least 50% of the assembly are women who are chosen by the laity.

Colm Holmes
Chair, We Are Church International
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