MEDIA RELEASE

Catholics Decry Exclusion from European Bishops Synod – Organise their own meeting. 
Forum of European Catholics to be held October 7-10, 1999

Today lay Catholics from around the world described as a “tragedy” the fact that the proceedings of the Second Special Assembly for Europe of the Bishops’ Synod Meeting now meeting in Rome have excluded the voices of ordinary Catholics from the proceedings and in the preparation process.

Elfriede Harth, spokesperson of the International Movement We are Church (IMWAC) said, “it is clear from the comments made by His Em. Antonio María Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Madrid, at the Opening of the European Bishops’ Synod, that once again in the Catholic Church the theologians and bishops are talking to themselves. Excluding ordinary catholics alienates us from the hierarchy and there is a real danger that the deliberations as a result of such exclusion will lack the hope and vision badly needed for the  Catholic Church as we enter the 3rd millenium.”

Lay Catholics from around the world gather today (7 October) in Rome to open the Forum of European Catholics (FEC) which aims to provide a critical analysis of the Synod. This meeting of lay people parallels the proceedings of the Second Special Assembly for Europe of the Bishops’ Synod.

Participants in the Forum or “Shadow Synod” are committed to open discussion of the issues facing the church today, especially as they relate to the Catholic faithful in the pews. Issues for discussion include the structure of the church and participation by the faithful in the decision-making process, the position of women in the church and society, conflict and reconciliation in Europe, migration and inter-religious dialogue. Contentious issues such as the continued ban on contraception, the ordination of women, priestly celibacy and democratic decision making in the church will be discussed and debated. 

Lay Catholics participating in the Forum come from Austria, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Portugal, France, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Malta and Italy. The meeting is organized by International Movement We are Church (IMWAC) and the European Network: Church on the Move (EN). 

There will be a final press conference on Monday 11 of October in Rome at 11.00 a.m. at “Sala Incontri”, Via delle Fornaci 50, vicino a Largo Porta Cavalleggeri.

Jon O’Brien, Media Organizer  Tel: +39-0766-57.00.55
Fax: +39-0766-57.15.27
Mobile: +39-0339-3730802

Luigi de Paoli:     Mobile: 0338-4679696
Email: forum@we-are-church.org