Grassroots church speaks out

Catholic New Times, May 21, 2006

GERMANY -- The European Network (EN) "Church on the Move" met April 28-May 1 in Wiesbaden-Naurod, Germany to discuss the challenges that Judaism, Christianity and Islam are facing over the changing status of women and men in both religion and society.

Because inter-religious dialogue is often limited to top-level representation, the EN believes there is little room for the voices of grassroots people and movements to be heard. The EN is therefore planning to hold a symposium on "Social cohesion in a multi-cultural Europe: Impact and role of religions and currents of thought" in 2007.

The EN also expressed the hope that the vision of Pope Benedict XVI during his forthcoming visits to Poland, Spain, and Germany will move towards a more inclusive community of the faithful, which would imply bridging the gulf between the supposedly inferior lay people, in particular women, and the effectively superior male clergy.

Fifteen member groups of the EN also expressed solidarity with Alicja Tyziac, a Pole, who was refused an abortion for health reasons and became blind. She has filed a case against her government at the European Court of Human Rights.

Church on the Move, founded in 1990, consists of thirty grassroots groups for Catholic Church reform in 13 European countries.