News from Around the World to December 2015

Events where CCR Int’l or our friends and partners were directly involved:

December 6, 2015 – Virginia Saldanha, India

A Vision of the Church for the Future


October 12, 2015 – from James Katoor, India

Feeling One with the Church


April 26, 2015 – from James Katoor, India

Peddlers of Pure Blood: Deadly Virus


April 25, 2015 – from Indian Women Theologians Forum

Common Priesthood of Women


March 26, 2015 – from Astrid Lobo Gajiwala, India

Dr. Astrid Lobo Gajiwala on her interfaith marriage

March 25, 2015 – from Astrid Lobo Gajiwala, India

Meeting of Women in Inter-Faith families


February 26, 2015 – from Future Church

Pope Francis, Everthing is not OK yet for Women in the Church


February 18, 2015 – from Isaac Gomes in India

Kolkata Protests against Attacks on Christian Minorities


January 30, 2015 – from Alan Doulton in India

The State of the Catholic Church


January 11, 2015 – from the Philippines

The Philippine Church from Sr. Mary John Mananzan


November 19, 2014 – from Australia’s Catholics for Renewal

A walk through the Synod on the Family from start to date


November 19, 2014 – from India

Towards the synod: India’s multiculturalism, a challenge and a resource for Christian families


September 4, 2014 – from Canada

Where are the Families at the Catholic Synod on the Family?      


August 21, 2014 – concerns from India

Communion  for the Divorced by Chhotebhai


August 8,2014 – Leadership Conference of Women Religious:

Joan Chittister’s most recent NCR article supports the sisters and encourages them to “Cry Out, Sisters, Cry Out!” Old Monk’s prayer and plea for the sisters is that they have the courage to say: “As members of LCWR, we stand with our sister, Catherine of Siena, in reminding the faithful, “We’ve had enough of the ehortations to be silent. Cry out with a thousand tongues. I see the world is rotten because of silence.” To offer your support to the LCWR, sign the petition now.


July 30, 2014 – Palestine:

What is going on in Gaza is not war. It is outright massacre of innocent civilians. More than 650 people killed and over 4000 injured, the majority being civilians; this cannot be justified as an act of self-defense! It is time for a radical change of concepts and positions. Israelis and Palestinians can live together in peace and mutual love if the root causes of injustice are removed. Education given to the people was negative in past years. A new education must begin. The same conversion should happen in the hearts of Israeli Authorities.


Martha and Gert Heizer

May 21, 2014 – Austria

The Vatican has issued a Decree of Excommunication for the head of We Are Church Austria, Dr. Martha Heizer, and her husband Gert. The charge is celebrating the Eucharist at their home without the presence of a priest. We have a news article, the statement by the diocese, a state

ment by the Heizers, a commentary, as well as addresses and phone numbers.


May 14, 2014 – U.S.A.

New journal launched Our friends and partners at Accelerating Catholic Church Reform (ACCR) have started a new journal: The OMG! Journal (The “Oh my God!”-journal), dedicated to the proposition that “church-stuff” need not be boring. Among the initiators is our very own, maverick church reformer Robert Blair Kaiser (“I have lots of arrows left in my quiver!”). The first issue features a sassy 6,000-word profile on Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted. It is written by Kaiser and tells in intimate detail how the bishop excommunicated Mercy Sister Margaret McBride for authorizing what he called an abortion at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Arizona and then, when the hospital refused to kowtow to his iffy authority, excommunicated the hospital as well. Read A Wayward Bishop by Robert Blair Kaiser.


May 10, 2014 – The Netherlands

A partner group of CCR Int’l in the Netherlands is telling us that their bishops are less than open about the recent Family Survey. They are asking Pope Francis to use his influence to make participation of the faithful possible in the Church . . . more »


April 30, 2014 – Rome/U.S.A.

Rome has confirmed again its judgement against the LCWR and has criticized the U.S.-American sisters for not complying with Rome’s orders. more »


Bishop Bezak Protest Bratislava

April 24, 2014 – Slovakia

Reform friends and supporters of ousted Slovak bishop Robert Bezak tried today to deliver 3,500 signatures to the Vatican ambassador in Bratislava, asking for Bezak to be reinstated.
more »


March 26, 2014 – Germany

German Bling-Bishop removed. Report of Bishop’s Conference cites irregularities, understating of costs, and lavish expenditures on new diocesan center and bishop’s residence. “It is not the bishop, the fault lies in the structure of . . . more »


March 24, 2014 – Australia

Australian Cardinal Pell is testifying today before the Royal Commission on Child Abuse. What is the link between the Church’s dysfunctional governance and child abuse? Read the submission by our Australian partner group Catholics for Renewal Inc. to the Commission.


March 21, 2014 – Germany

Call for participation goes mainstream. Catholic Youth League asks to give people a role in election of bishops . . . more »


March 14, 2014 – Germany

The Cologne Church Initiative publishes results of their survey “What kind of Bishop do the faithful want?” CCR Int’l sends letter of support . . . more »


March 11, 2014 – Germany

Schüller banned by German diocese. The bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria has banned Helmut Schüller from the Austrian Priests’ Initative from speaking at a local church. CCR Int’l expresses concern and solidarity . . . more »


March 9, 2014 – Switzerland

2,000 Swiss Catholics took to the streets today protesting the exclusionary practices of Bishop Vitus Huonder. One of our advisors was there . . . more »


March 1, 2014 – Netherlands

Currently those employed by the Church are asked to swear obedience to the bishops. A letter from the Netherlands suggests the obvious: Why not change the oath and swear obedience to . . . more »


February 24, 2014 – India

Reports from current protests from four church reform groups in India. more »


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Speaking Out with One Unified Global Voice

"...Until we raise a common voice, we will not only not be heard, we will not even be listened to....   

My hope is that by speaking out together - a strong chorus of calls for reform - we can provide a common, a clear, a strong and ongoing voice for the yet incomplete vision of Vatican II.

In common cause, let us band together across the world. By our desire to be heard on particular issues - all of them important - let us not lose the strength of our common voice by reducing it to a whisper.

In light of this, we invite individuals and organizations to join together in making known our opinions for the good of our Church. By uniting our voices, it is not about abandoning the unique work of your organization but rather about how your work can enhance global reform."

Sr. Joan Chittister, CCRI Special advisor

"We have to join our forces in order to reach a real breakthrough in this window of opportunity." Hans Kung, CCRI Consultor


"When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion." [Ethiopian proverb]


"Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable." [Kenyan proverb]

"(The Christian faithful) have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful." (Canon 212 §3)

CCRI is also interested in helping support various causes in regions of the world by garnering the support of our entire global community for those who need support beyond their parish, organization, or locale. Send us (1) your name and affiliation, or (2) the name of your group with some description of your goals, membership, and numbers. Click here to see those organizations who have already joined together speaking out for reform of our Church.



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