A 🌏 network of Catholic reform and other Christian groups for a safe, just, inclusive church. 49 🌂 Companions to date. Mostly posted by co-founder PMiddelboe
The most amazing speech 'talking truth to power' today at Bishop Stephen Wright's installation in Hexham and Newcastle. Maggie Matthews delivered a prophetic speech on behalf of surivors.
@RootBranchSynod
Watch this 4min trailer and then say you don’t need to buy a ticket to ‘Human Rights in the emerging Catholic Church’ - Your Lay-led Synodal Assembly 8-14 Oct, online and options for Bristol and Rome final knock-out weekend
Ohio priest who sex-trafficked boys he met in preschool given life sentence but Vatican hasn’t decided to defrock 6 months after diocese requested he be de-frocked.
Vatican authority over Catholics "belongs to an old disintegrating empire of generals and conscripts" and was "legally and morally questionable," former president Dr Mary McAleese has said - article by
@PatsyMcGarryIT
‘Vatican says transsexuals, surrogate children of gay couples can be baptized.’ Am I alone in thinking the Vatican has no right to deny baptism to anyone who seeks it? Every person is either made in God’s image or none of us is.
Former president of Ireland Dr Mary McAleese has lashed out at the Catholic Church over its teaching excluding women from the priesthood, describing it as “unscholarly, sexist humbug masquerading as threadbare theology”.
Read the full article here:
‘An estimated 330,000 children were victims of sex abuse within France’s Catholic Church over the past 70 years, according to a report released Tuesday that represents the country’s first major accounting of the worldwide phenomenon.’
Letter in The Times today from myself and legal colleagues - IICSA’s final report was published a year ago today, but a year on, disgracefully, not a single one of the main recommendations has been implemented.
"We are here to encourage the Synod to capture the zeitgeist and reorient the Church towards its Christian mission of a discipleship of equals which may yet write a history that ends in love," Mrs McAleese said.
Former Minister for Children, Dr Katherine Zappone, has said the Catholic Church must stop “burying the voices of girls and women” and embrace human rights.
@k_zappone
@Independent_ie
Read the full article here:
We held a press conference today to show support for Father Connell, who was retaliated against by Archbishop Listecki for advocating for abuse victims. After having his faculties to hear confession removed, he’s standing firm in support for survivors and an abuse-free church.
The Magnificat is revolutionary with its proclamation of God’s values to upturn the mighty and free the persecuted - no wonder it was taken up by Oscar Romero, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the mothers of the desaparecidos during Argentina’s Dirty War etc
In Advent we are invited to call upon God’s name. We are invited to seek that quiet holiness that Mary lived.
Pray the Magnificat each day. Ask God to show you the holiness of your own life. Give thanks to God.
(Luke 1:46–55, Dec 22nd)
Just picked up the prog for the last 2days. 🤩Someone just said ‘it is a thing of beauty!’ You can also see it &the entire online prog for 40+hrs 8-12 Oct here Tickets from £24 give access to all this in perpetuity and option of other language subtitles
We have lift off. 🚀🕊️This in this morning from speaker in India: A big hug of blessing and solidarity
I watched day 1 videos and the movie....each one as powerful as the other ...it enriched me, affirmed me...challenged me and even pained me.
The deputy director of a branch of Catholic charity Caritas in Poland has quit the church, saying that the institution is a “mafia” that has been “sheltering criminals”, including those guilty of child sex abuse.
Sebastian Wiśniewski joined Caritas in 2007
@ReisingerWagner
Beatitudinal Church
2. ‘Blessed are those who weep’
Not those who whimper but those who cry out (against injustice) - Pierre Jacob (English translation by Joe Mulhooney)
Cardinal Hollerich asks a big question to the
#Synod
of Bishops.
"Men and women receive the same baptism... I have never read anywhere that the baptism of women would be inferior to the baptism of men. How can we ensure that women feel they are an integral part of this Church?"
From across the world thinkers, theologians, ordinary people of every gender, female religious, priests (male, female, former) are giving us their voices.
They speak from the heart, about the challenges and terrible injustices caused by RC teaching
It’s crunch time for the Catholic Church on women: the Rome synod must be more than a cynical exercise in kicking the can down the road
Thanks
@PMaryMcAleese
@SpiritUnbounded
@CampaignWOW
We have lift off. 🚀🕊️This in this morning from speaker in India: A big hug of blessing and solidarity
I watched day 1 videos and the movie....each one as powerful as the other ...it enriched me, affirmed me...challenged me and even pained me.
On International Women's Day, Pope Francis called for an applause for women, saying "they deserve it." Please, hold your applause! We'll take our rights/rites first.
#OrdainWomen
#IWD
Pope Francis to +Fernandez: “The Dicastery you will preside over in other times came to use immoral methods. They were times where, rather than promoting theological knowledge, possible doctrinal errors were pursued. What I expect of you is undoubtedly something very different.”
Tech rehearsal Tuesday and Wednesday for Oct 13-14 final weekend of ‘Human Rights in the Catholic Church’ Stage not dressed. Chittester: ‘this is the best organised event’. Early Bird tickets on sale soon.
@RootBranchSynod
@TAC_journal
@thesynodaltimes
@BDevlin1
@SpiritUnbounded
@CWOcampaign
@CampaignWOW
@OrdainWomen
And it is exactly why all these celebrated appointments of women to positions in the Vatican are appointments to JUNIOR positions. The male hierarchy uses them as tokens and as workhorses who will be squashed like bugs (or carried to the garden) if they look up from their scripts
The clerical church is dying. Total number of seminarians in Ireland 64. Makes Spain with 1000 look healthy and yet the Spanish bishops are panicking. In Pamplona one seminary had space for 10000. They are blaming low birth rates.
The most amazing speech 'talking truth to power' today at Bishop Stephen Wright's installation in Hexham and Newcastle. Maggie Matthews delivered a prophetic speech on behalf of surivors.
@RootBranchSynod
Devlin,
@BDevlin1
, the author of Cardinal Sin on RC Church in Scotland “…the problem is just as bad now as it was under Keith O’Brien. The problem being abuse of power, not in a sexual manifestation, but in bullying, intolerance, in arrogance.”
Significant tiny step? Austrian Cardinal Schönborn of Vienna, who upholds Church teaching on LGBTQ+ issues, says the pope has the power to change the catechism’s language describing homosexual activity as “disordered.”
@RootBranchSynod
@luca_badini
@DignityUSA
@MiriamTDuignan
Asked about women’s ordination, synod member Cistertian Fr. Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori says “No one had spoken about female ordination [to the priesthood], we speak about the diaconate.”
The only change I can see coming out of this Oct session: ‘we’re free to disagree’ - Anyone else underwhelmed? Thank you everyone who contributed bravely &spoke freely to Spirit Unbounded. How do we get the bishops to listen to our 60+hrs on all the themes the synod discussed?
Synod General Assembly letter: ‘It is “trust” that gives us the audacity and inner freedom that we experienced, not hesitating to freely and humbly express our convergences, differences, desires and questions.’ Francis quoting St Therese of the Child Jesus
We know several young Africans denied visas Come and hear a few of them at our synodal assembly, running alongside the Pope's synod, thinking about nurturing an emerging church where human rights for all are protected
@RootBranchSynod
@TAC_journal
Fab talk just in from
@elissa_roper
for ‘Human Rights in the Catholic Church’ 8-14 Oct- from a theologian specialising in synodality. No wish-washy pretty words like ‘listening’ ‘walking together’. Proper analysis of how Spirit can help us change from clericalism to synodality
…the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians — when they are somber and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths.
@RootBranchSynod
Read Miriam Duignan's provoking piece on how we must not succumb to Synod fatigue and instead continue our quest towards accountability in the latest issue of The Synodal Times.
#synod
#CatholicChurch
'Biggie', underground LGBT+ support group, who risks life to return to Uganda to help others is speaker 8-14 Oct: 'I want Pope Francis to ask the President of Uganda to repeal the anti-homosexuality bill because it is inhuman.' Come and support all the marginalised
@Far_Uganda
Just picked up the prog for the last 2days. 🤩Someone just said ‘it is a thing of beauty!’ You can also see it &the entire online prog for 40+hrs 8-12 Oct here Tickets from £24 give access to all this in perpetuity and option of other language subtitles
This screenshot shows a line-up of misogynistic comments about
@The_Tablet
article on women deacons. You have to 🤣 at these threatened men.
IF, on the other hand, you're interested in a Church that embraces the beatitudes get in touch with
@RootBranchSynod
and
@SpiritUnbounded
Read Pepinster in
@The_Tablet
on the distress caused to Hexham and Newcastle diocese
@RootBranchSynod
Stolen Lives team assisted:
@MaryVarley15
is quoted by Pepinster and Maggie Matthews gets letter in top billing. Synod must ensure bishops cannot behave as gods
@hans_zollner
Fingers crossed for the results of the Polish election: . “This election is not only about the future of democracy, but also women’s rights, the future of Poland in the EU and Nato,” she says Aniya who queued for hours yesterday in London to vote as a Pole living abroad
‘Vatican says ashes of the dead can be kept privately’ - but only a small amount and with bishop’s permission. Personally not impressed by yet more attempts to control our lives. But perhaps others see differently?
ChristmasParty
@The_Tablet
Atheneum Club last night, where trads and reformers mingled. Talked with Opus Dei Jack and young novice nun Liz Dodds arrested for campaigning against arms sales in London. “If The Tablet is anything it is a ‘room’ to share ideas”- editor Brendan Walsh
If you can spare a few £€$ to keep the Spirit Unbounded website, newsletter going then we will truly be stronger together. Spirit Unbounded seeks only to unite people who actively work to support those marginalised and abused by the church
PLEASE RT 🙏
Recommend the blog from
@NYpoet
- here’s a short extract - ‘Imagine supporting your church for your whole life and then getting stuck with obtaining end of life spiritual guidance from a guy who has been sexually assaulting minors for forty years?’
@MaryVarley15
@BDevlin1
Fabulous. They’re going to serve as a Time Capsule of where we are in October 2023. To be revisited with friends, family, parishes. Just need to tie the bishops down and make the watch.
@RootBranchSynod
@SpiritUnbounded
thank you so much for the wonderful talks from such a variety of people. I’m still on Sunday’s videos and I will want to go over and reflect as time goes on. I’m so glad they will be available to watch again. You must all worked so hard and I’m very grateful.
Breaking news; Some women to vote in synod on synodality Oct 2023. 🧐 Incremental change is worth having providing it brings about incremental change. If, however, the bishops outvote the laity ¬hing changes then we will know this was only meant to be good PR.
@RootBranchSynod
Thank
@HilleHaker
for sending this to
@MaryVarley15
also in this morning: ‘just watched Sunday. It’s so good and so important.' Start watching folks! It’s a cornucopia of wisdom and testimony and a few laughs and some beautiful scenery and music
Brian has hit the nail on the head.Those behind Spirit Unbounded 2023 are exhausted. However if a new team want to do something under the banner of Spirit Unbounded please do. It’s an online ecumenical platform to bring all reform-minded people together - it belongs to everyone.
Wishing one of the inspirers behind Spirit Unbounded 🕊️a very happy birthday (and Shakespeare too). Dear Brian, 🙏may your pain be lifted so you can enjoy your day and get back to writing
@BDevlin1
@RootBranchSynod
This features our Open Letter to pope Francis on p22, great editorial from Garry, and article by
@MiriamTDuignan
which is well worth reading. Plus lots of other synodal news.
Our thrilling December issue is out today! Featuring exclusive news, views and recap of the biggest stories impacting the global Church!
#CatholicTwitter
#CatholicChurch
#synod
Richard Rohr: If we are ready to reclaim the true meaning of “catholic,” which is “universal,” we must concentrate on including—as Jesus clearly did—instead of excluding—which he never did. The only thing Jesus excluded was exclusion itself.
@rootbranchsynod
Check out
@NYpoet
blog on 1st anniv Sinead O’Connor death: ‘the sheeple drunk n clericalism’ who hate her. As
@BDevlin1
mentioned in his concluding speech at the end of ‘Human Rights in the emerging RC Church’8-14 Oct Sinead identified RC clerical ABUSE long ago.
@RCsurvivors