To the U.S. Conference of Bishops:

Greetings to you as we continue forward in this synodal process begun by Pope Francis. Now that we all have the Document for the Continental Stage (DCS), all bishops worldwide are being asked by Cardinal Grech and the Synod office to convene their diocese to read this document to determine if all approved it and/or if they discern that there are things to add. And on October 11, Pope Francis reminded us that Vatican II calls for a church that is “madly in love with its Lord and with all the men and women whom He loves . . . a church that is free and freeing.”

As members of a global group promoting these kingdom values, and as people who have participated in the synodal journey so far with prayer and dedication, we are most interested in having some of our members included as a part of your consulting team and wish to strongly recommend that:

     1.     A balanced group of lay persons be chosen for your Continental Assembly in order to represent the full participation of the People of God. That the mechanism to do this in each diocese be asked to provide full transparency including the selection criteria.

     2.     That our Continental Assembly will reflect Pope Francis’s instruction regarding the Consultation phase and include people of all genders, survivors of clerical sexual and other violence/abuse, lay theologians, lay contributors in parish ministries, those estranged from the church, and those excluded through Canon law from the Sacraments. 

     3.     That you make known the names and contact information of all the members who are selected for your  Continental Assembly allowing us to share with them our Spirit-guided reflections so that they are represented in these discernment sessions well ahead of your first meeting in January 2023.

For the Continental Stage of the Synod, we read on your website that “the USCCB will be joining with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in holding 10 virtual Continental Assemblies… in late 2022 and early 2023.” Can you please share with us how representatives from each diocese in the U.S. and Canada will be chosen to reflect on and discuss the Document for the Continental Stage? And assure us that we’ll have an opportunity to share and submit in writing what we feel is omitted (as stated in the directive from the Synod office) prior to the Continental Stage gathering of the North American Continental Synod? Most importantly, if we have a bishop who chooses not to have consultations with the People or to have them only with a tightly chosen group of employees, we trust that you will be open to accepting reports sent directly from the People of God. We are pleased with the virtual format of these gatherings and agree that they “will allow for greater accessibility, and thus a wider and more diverse participation by the People of God.”

The first phase of the synod has spotlighted some important issues, among many others:

       •    The urgency of remedying the unacceptable absence of women at every level.

       •    The urgency of facing up to a global loss of trust and belief in the bishops and the Vatican due to the clerical sexual abuse and other forms of violence/abuse which continue to be covered up.

       •    The urgency of implementing transparency to a new listening Church.

We would be grateful therefore if you would reply to confirm that you will be making public the following documents:

       •    After the full diocese has been consulted, the revised DCS coming out in late 2022.

       •    All documents coming out of your Continental Assembly in March 2023.

We look forward to your acceptance of our recommendations and assure you of our full support.

With prayers and in the spirit of Synodality,

Strategy Team serving Catholic Church Reform Int’l

Clyde Christofferson	Attorney and member of NOVA	USA
Maggie Conway	Root and Branch	UK
Alan Doulton	Evangelizing for a more vibrant, alert, and aware Church	India
Miriam Duignan	Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research	UK
Charlie Gibson	Former Jesuit, Economist, Retired GM Executive	USA
Joseph Healey	Maryknoll priest, Small Christian Communities organizer	Kenya
Ashiknaz Khokhar	Church Reformer; social justice worker	Pakistan
Socorro Martinez	Developing Jesus’ Church thru Base Ecclesial Communities	Mexico
Peter Mbuchi	Interfaith Africa	Kenya
Penelope Middelboe	Root and Branch	UK
Rosa Murray	Scottish Laity Network	Scotland
Alloys Nyakundi	Young Adult Seekers Small Christian Community director	Kenya
Rene Reid	Author and co-founder of CCRI	USA
Christina Reymer	Be the Change church reformer	New Zealand
Tom Roberts	Priest with Catholic Ecumenical Church of Christ	USA
Karl Rodig	Founder Ecumenical Catholic Church of Christ	USA
Jean-Pierre Schmitz	Global Council Network	France
Valerie Stroud	We Are Church UK	UK
Nessan Vaughan	Open Church Alliance; advisor and volunteer	Ireland
Advisors serving Catholic Church Reform Int
John Buggy	Australian Reforming Catholics	Australia
Larry Carney	Former Basilian	Canada
Con Carroll	Reformer	Ireland
JanStephen Cavanaugh	EndWarForever.com	USA
Bride Counihan	Funding for justice project for the poor	Ireland
Jim Connell	Catholic Whistleblowers	USA
P. Agostino De Caro	Priest with Ecumenical Church of Christ	Italy
Dennis Collier	Reformer	USA
Ed Gerlock	Working with farmers, urban poor, elderly	Philippines
Paul Hansen	Redemptorist priest; advocate for Biblical justice	USA
Carol Harris	Alliance of Louisville Laity	USA
Filo Hirota	Council for Justice and Peace	Japan
Paul Hwang	Director, Woori Theological Research Institute	Korea
Paschal Kearney	Retired Irish member of the Holy Ghost Fathers	Ireland
Richard Kipyegon Soi	Reformer	Kenya
Chhotebhai Kanpur	Convenor of the Indian Catholic Forum	India
Peter Johnstone	Catholics for Renewal	Australia
Raquel Mallavibarrena	an We are Church Spain	Spain
Margaret Mary Moore	Social worker, Catholic theologian	USA
Michael Redfearn	Digital literacy consultant	Canada
Audrey Smith Rogers	Retired Public Health professional	USA
Denis Rigdon	Reformer	USA
Joe Ryan	A Call to Action	UK
Anthony Spencer	Catholic researcher	UK
Laurie Sheehan	Reformer	Australia
Nick Smith	Full Circle Catholic Church (RCWP)	USA
Gerald Stack	Active reform support from Western Australia	Australia
Scilla Stack	Active reform support from Western Australia	Australia
John Williams	Reformer	Canada
Michael Cuozzo	Married Roman Catholic priests	USA
George Harris	Member WAACSA	South Africa
Helen McCarthy	Interreligious relations	Canada
Lula Ramires	LGBTQIA+ community advocate	Brazil
Virginia Saldanha	Indian Women’s Theological Union	India
Peter Wilkinson	Catholics for Renewal	Australia