Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church

LINKS to RELEVANT SITES

Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church -- Temple Site (USA): The Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church (ARCC) was founded in 1980 by lay and clerical Catholics in the wake of Vatican condemnations of such theologians as Edward Schillebeeckx, Jacques Pohier, and Hans Küng. ARCC seeks to institutionalize a collegial and egalitarian understanding of Church in which decision-making is shared and accountability is realized among Catholics of every kind. We are Church! The website is updated regularly and includes information concerning cases of the violation of the human rights of the People of God.

America Magazine (USA) A weekly magazine for thinking Catholics published by Jesuits.

America Magazine -- Select Articles from Past Issues (USA): Excellent resource. The articles -- currently going back to 1995 -- can be searched by date or author. There is also an archive of editorials since 1998.

American Catholic (USA): "The American Catholic is an independent, lay-administered Catholic periodical that participates in the gospel mission of church." It "offers a progressive, open, and honest perspective on the life of the people of God." It "strives to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus, the nourishing transforming spirit of Vatican II, and the principles of democracy." It "searches for connections between matters of faith and life, and provides a forum for grassroots expression."

Call to Action (USA): "Call To Action USA (CTA) is an independent national organization of over 22,000 people and 40 local organizations who believe the Spirit of God is at work in the whole church, not just in its appointed leaders. We believe the entire Catholic church has the obligation of responding to the needs of the world and taking initiative in programs of peace and justice." The CTA front page features frequently updated and topical resources.

Catholics for a Changing Church (UK) -- "To encourage sharing of responsibility while supporting individuals and small Christian groups. To watch and comment on the workings of the Church, urging it to change internally in its structures and attitudes, and in its service to the world, particularly to the poor and the oppressed and to God’s creation.To strive for honesty, justice and integrity in the Church, to enable it to present the Gospel more effectively in the modern world."

Catholics Speak Out (USA): CSO is A Movement for Justice, Equality and Democracy in the Roman Catholic Church. "Catholics Speak Out was born out of the belief that progressive Catholics, committed to the Gospel and the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, have been silent too long in the face of conservative trends. We rode the wave of euphoria which flowed from the Council, but we have reluctant to speak out and struggle with those who would return the Church to its repressive past."

CNWE -- Catholic Network for Women's Equality (Canada): Mission: to enable women to name their giftedness and from that awareness to effect structural change in the Church that reflects the mutuality and coresponsibility of women and men within that church.

CORPUS -- CORPUS is the Association for an Inclusive Priesthood, which rooted in a strong Eucharistic commitment, promotes an expanded and renewed priesthood of married and single men and women in the Catholic Church. It is one of the oldest reform groups in the Catholic Church, and is active in reform movements both in the U.S. and abroad.

Dignity/USA (USA): Dignity/USA envisions and works for a time when Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Catholics are affirmed and experience dignity through the integration of their spirituality with their sexuality, and as beloved persons of God participate fully in all aspects of life within the Church and Society. Through our national organization and many local chapters, Dignity works for education, for the reform of the Church's teachings and pastoral practices toward sexual minorities, and for the acceptance of all people as full members of the Church.

Future Church (USA): FutureChurch is a coalition of parish based Roman Catholics concerned that Catholics will lose the Mass if nothing is done about the priest shortage. In 1990 a resolution was passed by the Church of the Resurrection in Solon Ohio (near Cleveland). The resolution called on U.S. Bishops to reconsider opening ordination to women and the married, both men and women, so that the Eucharist would continue to be the center of the spiritual lives of all Catholics. Subsequently 28 parishes in Northeast Ohio supported this initiative, and the FutureChurch network was born. Based in Cleveland, FutureChurch incorporated in 1993 and began to network nationally in response to other parishes concerned about closing or consolidating because of the shortage of priests.

International Movement We Are Church: In the Easter season of 1995 a small group of lay and ordained Catholics in Innsbruck, Austria, used the political method of a petition drive to call for a more loving, democratic, and generous church. In the spirit of Vatican II, they asked that Rome (1) equally respect all the people of God, whether lay or ordained, (2) grant full equal rights to women, (3) lift mandatory celibacy for priests, (4) encourage a positive understanding of sexuality, and (5) teach the gospel as a message of joy.

Irish Women's Ordination Site (Ireland): BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST (B.A.S.I.C.), founded in 1993, is an Irish-based network of women and men (lay, religious, priests) who feel called to play an active part in building up a Church Community which is freed from the sin of sexism and healed from the divisions between men and women. BASIC's mission is to foster women's vocations to a renewed priestly ministry and to bring about the ordination of women in the Roman Catholic Church, through prayer and action.

Just Good Company: (USA) JGC is a new magazine in cyberspace, produced by the West Coast Compañeros Inc, a group of former U.S. Jesuits mainly from the California and Oregon Provinces. It's a monthly journal of religion and culture, intended to promote a dialogue with the world we live in.

National Catholic Reporter: The NCR was founded in 1964, in the exuberance following the Second Vatican Council. The online edition presents both astute analysis of current events of interest to Catholics and a growing number of documents than can provide the necessary background for general discussion.

Partenia: Bishop Gaillot's Cyber-See (France): Exactly one year after his January 13, 1995 forced removal from the see of Evreux in Normandy Bishop Gaillot opened his website to the world, inviting all to "write to me." His "diocèse sans frontières" has expanded considerably, and is now available in English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch versions. It features the bishop's letters, journals, and an electronic catechism.

Priests for Equality (USA): is a movement of women and men throughout the world -- laity, religious and clergy -- who work for the full participation of women and men in the church and in society. A grass-roots organization committed to creating a culture where sexism and exclusion are behind us and equality and full participation are the order of the day.

SALT -- Op-Ed Page of the Catholic Church (USA): Salt Publishing, Inc. produces the bimonthly journal SALT, a journal dedicated to preserving freedom of inquiry and thought within the Catholic Church.

San Francisco Bay Catholic (USA): The San Francisco Bay Catholic attempts to provide arguments on both sides of the important issues facing Roman Catholicism today n order to help Catholics understand the official positions are as well as current Catholic theological thinking opposed to those positions.

SEDOS--Documentation and Research Centre (Italy) SEDOS (the name stands for SERVICE OF DOCUMENTATION AND STUDY) began during the Second Vatican Council when seven missionary societies began to meet informally in Rome to exchange information and views on Mission in the Church. Excellent source of articles on interreligious dialogue, ecumenism, and the role of women in the church.

SisterSite (USA): SisterSite serves as a clearing house for information on women's religious congregations, the history of religious life, and the contemporary concerns of women in church and society. While its content and focus is primarily Catholic, it also hopes to serve the needs of those in other religious traditions.

Synod of the People of God 2001: The 'Synod of the People of God 2001' invites individuals, groups and networks throughout the world to discuss the role and work of the diocesan bishop, who is a key figure in our Church, and a new balance of power in the Roman Catholic Church. As part of the People of God (Lumen Gentium, 18) we appraise the present situation and set objectives for the future with voices from all over the world by Internet discussions, research and in a gathering during the time of the Tenth Ordinary General Assembly of Bishops in Rome.

The Tablet : The Tablet was founded in 1840, and is loyal to the Church but not under its control. According to the Tablet's editor, John Wilkins, "Our concern is with the world as much as with the Church: with everything that is human. We shall seek to inform and interpret as well as to comment. We shall seek to entertain. Above all, we shall hope that in the future, as in the past, readers may find in our pages that message without which the world perishes."

Theology Library (USA): A stunning collection of over 100 pages with around 5,000 links (the growth rate of this site is phenomenal) "In the spirit of the Second Vatican Council."

We Are Church YOUTH at WorldYouthDay 2002: We Are Church (YOUTH) is a network of teens and young adults, who are working for the renewal of the Roman-Catholic church. We are inspired by the Second Vatican Council and hope that the message of Jesus will reach out into the Third Millenium. We want to inform young people about the reform movements in the Catholic church. Our work is based upon the five points of the Kirchenvolks-Begehren (Church Referendum/ Petition /Declaration), which attracted 2.3 million signratures in German-speaking countries.

Women Priests: The Case for Ordaining Women in the Catholic Church. John Wijngaards' Website to present the case for ordaining women in the Catholic Church. The site offers a growing collection of evidence relating to this hotly disputed issue in the Catholic Church. It contains scriptural, biblical and theological material published on the Internet for the first time. It also contains a substantial section dealing with women deacons. Ancient ordination rituals that conclusively prove the ordination of women deacons to have been part of Holy Orders, are made accessible. ARCC site editor's comment: Note especially the book edited by Arlene and Len Swidler (co-fouder of ARCC), Women Priests: A Catholic Commentary on the Vatican Declaration.