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Catholic World News News Feature

Abandon Eucharistic doctrine, dissidents urge Synod October 04, 2005

The international dissident movement "We Are Church" is issuing an appeal to the Catholic bishops, gathered in Rome for the Synod, to confront the "real" problems relating to the Eucharist.

At an October 4 press conference in Rome, the dissident group called for reconsideration of the key Catholic doctrine on the transubstantiation, an end to the "hierarchical monopoly" on the sacraments, and approval of shared communion with other Christian denominations.

Other Stories in this Series This is the 8th in a series of CWN news stories on the October 2005 meeting of the Synod of Bishops. Readers might also be interested in: * #1: Prelates' predictions * #2: Pope decries "hypocrisy" of world that denies God * #3: The Synod opens * #4: 256 participants in largest-ever Synod assembly * #5: The Synod: from Paul VI to Benedict XVI * #6: Major themes of the Synod * #7: "Fraternal delegates" add ecumenical dimension * #8: Abandon Catholic doctrine, dissidents urge * #9: Synod appoints information committee * #10: Themes of the first 2 days * #11: French prelate welcomes free Synod debate * #12: Synod choses committee to prepare final document * #13: Synod cuts back on press information * #14: Prelates' discussion raises new themes (updated Wednesday) * #15: Synod discussions continue (updated Thursday) * #16: Romanian prelate salutes his country's martyrs

Three leaders of the international movement-- Martha Heizer of Austria, Gigi De Paoli of Italy, and Norbert Scholl of Germany-- said that the Synod was likely to prove a "missed opportunity" because the bishops begin their deliberations on the basis of a working document that affirms Catholic dogmatic teachings on the Eucharist. We Are Church argued that all such teachings should be open to question.

Specifically, the dissident group called for abandoning the notion that the Eucharist is a sacrifice, and instead saying that the mass is "in memory of the entire life of Jesus." The group called for "full freedom of philosophical and theological interpretation of that mystery."

We Are Church argued that the dogma of the transubstantiation-- the teaching that the bread and wine at Mass are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ-- is unacceptable to Protestants, and thus impedes ecumenical unity. The group decried traditional forms of Catholic piety, such as Eucharistic adoration and processions, as tending to make an "idol" of the Blessed Sacrament.

The group also denounced the exclusion of women from the Catholic priesthood, the bar on Communion for those who are divorced and remarried, and "monopoly" claimed by priests as sacramental ministers.

During the last general assembly of the Synod of Bishops, in October 2001, We Are Church organized a 4-day "counter-synod" in Rome. The event, which drew about 30 participants, was styled as a "parallel synod of the People of God," with speakers demanding a more democratic Church. The "counter-synod" concluded that bishops should be elected, and all believers-- male or female, clerics and laity-- should be eligible.

After the election of Pope Benedict XVI, We Are Church announced that it was seeking a meeting with the new Pontiff, and hoping to being an "open and constructive dialogue." Christian Weisner, the president of the dissident group, said that he hoped the new Pope would prove "less rigid" than he had been as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Leaders of the group say that they have not had a response to the request for a meeting.

We Are Church, founded in Austria in 1995, emerged as an international movement the following year, with liberal Catholics from 20 different countries meeting in Rome to form a united front for "the reform of the Catholic Church on the basis of Vatican II."