Not since Vatican II has there been a groundswell of bishops willing to respond to the rumblings of the Spirit among the people. Relying on the bishops for initiative is like waiting for Godot. We need more initiative from the grass roots.

The American Catholic Council is organizing such an initiative to give voice to rumblings of the Spirit among the people, picking up on its 2011 conference in Detroit. The first step is to get really good at listening in small groups. Not dialogue as much as listening to one another. It isn't a conference but a "working weekend" to learn listening skills well enough as a foundation to practice the art of "listening circles" and return home to put them into practice.

All over the world there is the move towards just gender relations - even if the odds seem to be worse than a decade ago. This poses a special task for Christians and churches in service of the marginalised who engage in the fight for justice. This volume documents providing special insights into processes of two intercultural dialogues. The topic for the European-Asian dialogue focuses on "Gender and Ecclesiology". The European dialogue between western and eastern Central European countries has a special aim for gender theories and their theological and political implications. The book presents contributions from different perspectives and shows how the Christian churches can contribute to gender justice.

Available from Amazon

Annual Meeting, 28 April to 1 May 2019

We, the members of Indian Women Theologians Forum, gathered for our annual meeting from 28th April to 1st May 2019 at Good Shepherd Convent Bengaluru, and deliberated on the theme, “Towards a Gender Just Church”.

In India, and across the globe, we see more and more women reclaiming their voice and agency in the secular sphere. Their subjugation, marginalization and exploitation are increasingly being exposed, countered and challenged. Inclusion and diversity are now an essential part of any discourse on gender. The emergence of new movements like the #MeToo campaign, the moves for temple entry, the triple talaq debate and the many initiatives by ecumenical churches that are creating platforms for a collective assertion of the rights of women and sexual minorities are indicative of the decisive steps taken by women on the path towards greater freedom and affirmation of their personhood.

Resurrecting our Church (the Body of Christ today)

The Paschal Mystery is still alive today.

We have countless opportunities to bring new life where there is death. As we live through the death and resurrection of Jesus during this sacred season, let us look inwards to see what each of us can do to be true followers of Jesus and to give new life to our Church. We at CCRI have moved from exerting so much energy into "reforming" the institutional church. Rather, we are focused on "re-founding" our church in the spirit of the early Christians. In that first century after Jesus ascended into Heaven, there were small gatherings of Christians with an anointed leader. They were simply followers of Jesus meeting in catacombs and in Christian homes doing what Jesus asked: remembering him by replicating the last supper. In all likelihood, this gathering was not just 12 men but included women and children as well.

Colm Holmes with We Are Church Ireland commissioned this picture to be painted

Press Release - 27 February 2019

[ Swedish ]

The Abuse Summit (21-24 Feb 2019) was a disappointment and a missed opportunity.

For over 3 decades clerical child sex abuse scandals have been prominent in several countries (Austria, Germany, USA, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Chile) who have introduced safeguarding measures. These measures have been refined through experience and audits. More recently clerical child sex abuse scandals have surfaced in many other countries (France, Spain, India, etc) and continue to be reported where previously such abuse was kept secret.

The Abuse Summit was therefore an opportunity to share the knowledge and expertise that has been built up so that children in Delhi or Dar es Salaam are as safe as children in Dallas or Dublin. But this did not happen. There was an absence of concrete actions to safeguard children: