BULLETIN #5
 A common statement from priests' associations worldwide

Brothers,

The Spirit is clearly moving in priests' groups around the globe, calling us to continue the work of renewal in the spirit of Vatican II. This just came in yesterday, and we wanted to get it out to you for your immediate reflection and response. The Irish ACP told the Austrian priest group that they would send out a possible draft for all 9 national groups to refine. Does this draft require more work? What would you add? What would you eliminate or rephrase?  Is this a valuable tool for helping us to read the signs of the times and respond?

Responses can be posted on our blog at our AUSCP website www.uscatholicpriests.org
or you can email your responses to info4@uscatholicpriests.us

AUSCP Leadership Team

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Draft of Common Statement from Priest's Associations Worldwide

The recent testimony of Cardinal Carlo Martini from the grave is a telling reminder of the disappointment and unease in the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world at our failure to implement the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

Priests' associations throughout the world and other Catholic groups lament the present effort to resist and even explain away the message of the Council, its status as Catholic teaching and its loss to the Church.

We believe that there is a clear connection between the failure to implement Vatican 2 and the present decline of our Church.

Therefore we call on Church authorities to respond to Cardinal Martini's plea and to the present crisis in the Church in the developed world by initiating a debate on the needs of our Church in the light of the documents of Vatican Two.

We propose:

• the full implementation of the vision and teaching of the Second Vatican Council, with its emphasis on the status and active participation of all the baptized;
• a redesigning of ministry in the Church, in order to incorporate the gifts, wisdom and expertise of the entire faith community;
• a re-structuring of the governing system of the Church, basing it on service rather than on power, and encouraging at every level a culture of consultation and transparency, particularly in the appointment of Church leaders;
• an acceptance of the primacy of the individual conscience and an end to the present secretive processes where active and loyal members of the Church are perceived as 'dissidents';
• a re-evaluation of Catholic sexual teaching and pastoral practice that recognizes the profound mystery of human sexuality and the experience and wisdom of God's people
• the promotion of peace, justice and the protection of God's creation locally, nationally and globally. 

While the present Synod will make its own contribution, it is of its nature very limited because it effectively ignores most of the baptized. Our Church needs a wider, deeper, richer and structured participation from all God's People so that we might more effectively spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Therefore as priests associations throughout the world we call on church authorities to respond to the present critical situation by facilitating a debate on the issues Cardinal Martini surfaced for the good of the Church and the Gospel.