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Praise be to you, my Lord

This month, July 2022, has seen some of the hottest days on record. We are destroying Our Common Home at a faster rate than ever. Every Catholic on Earth needs to listen to and act on the message within Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si . Visit http://www.laudatosi.va now to learn more.

” We have to realise that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” Pope Francis Laudato Si p.27

The Letter of Chief Seattle

” Praise be to you, my Lord, through

our Sister, Mother Earth , who sustains and governs us

and who produces various fruit with

coloured flowers and herbs .”

St Francis of Assisi

“The President in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. But how can you buy or sell the sky? the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?

Every part of the earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people.

We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the dew in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, and man all belong to the same family.

The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred. Each glossy reflection in the clear waters of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father.

The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give the rivers the kindness that you would give any brother.

If we sell you our land, remember that the air is precious to us, that the air shares its spirit with all the life that it supports. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also received his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. So if we sell our land, you must keep it apart and sacred, as a place where man can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow flowers.

Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth.

This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.

One thing we know: our God is also your God. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator.

Your destiny is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many men and the view of the ripe hills is blotted with talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone! Where will the eagle be? Gone! And what is to say goodbye to the swift pony and then hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival.

When the last red man has vanished with this wilderness, and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, will these shores and forests still be here? Will there be any of the spirit of my people left?

We love this earth as a newborn loves its mother’s heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it, as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it. Preserve the land for all children, and love it, as God loves us.

As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you.

Care for our Common Home

Manifesto for a Lay Pope. My promise to you; If I am elected Pope I will decree that:

Every Catholic diocese worldwide will be provided with free access to Pope Francis’ Papal encyclical Laudato Si – On Care for our Common Home

Laudato Si will be incorporated into the curriculum within all Catholic schools worldwide

I will decree that 4 masses each year , Autumn, Winter , Spring and Summer will be dedicated to Mother Earth and the liturgy at these masses will be based upon Laudato Si – Care for our Common Home

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“I may speak in tongues of men or of angels but if I am without Love I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift of prophesy and know every hidden truth; I may have Faith strong enough to move mountains but if I have no Love I am nothing. I may dole out all I possess or even give my body to be burnt but if I have no Love I am none the better. Love is patient; Love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful nor conceited nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love takes no score of wrongs; does not gloat over others men’s sins but delights in the Truth. There is nothing Love cannot face; there is no limit to its Faith, its Hope and its Endurance.”
1 Corinthians 13: 1-7

Was George Washington wrong ?

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“The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference. They deserve a place of honour with all that is good” George Washington.

The United States, with less than 5 percent of the world’s population, has about 35–50 percent of the world’s civilian-owned guns, ranking number one in firearms per capita. The United States also has the highest homicide-by-firearm rate among the world’s most developed nations. (No evil restrained here)

There were 1.5 million of them between 1968 and 2017 – that’s higher than the number of soldiers killed in every US conflict since the American War for Independence in 1775. (No evil restrained here)

In 2020 alone, more than 45,000 Americans died at the end of a barrel of a gun, whether by homicide or suicide, more than any other year on record. The figure represents a 25% increase from five years prior, and a 43% increase from 2010 (No evil restrained here)

A separate study, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2021, linked a rise in gun ownership during the pandemic to higher rates of gun injuries among – and inflicted by – children. (No evil restrained here)

A 2016 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found there was a strong relationship between higher levels of gun ownership in a state and higher firearm suicide rates for both men and women. (No evil restrained here)

“The facts above prove …” says the Lay Pope… “that the very atmosphere of firearms everywhere and anywhere promotes evil interference. They deserve a place of shame with all that is bad”

The American supreme court recently decided that every American has the right to carry a concealed weapon in public : Which of the following statements do you agree with.

”The existence of evil is one of the very best reasons to arm law abiding citizens.” Donald Trump

Republican Congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene says Americans have ”God given” gun rights

Jesus Christ says: ”Put up your sword. All who take the sword die by the sword’

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The right to carry Death in your back pocket.

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The American supreme court have just decided that every American has the right to carry a concealed weapon in public : Which of the following statements do you agree with.

”The existence of evil is one of the very best reasons to arm law abiding citizens.” Donald Trump

Republican Congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene says Americans have ”God given” gun rights

Jesus Christ says: ”Put up your sword. All who take the sword die by the sword’( Matthew 26: v 52 )

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The Lay Pope has decreed that Bishop Robert J McManus can no longer call himself a Catholic

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‘If Jesus were alive today He would take the knee adorned with a Pride flag.‘

The recent decree by Robert J. McManus , Bishop of the Diocese of Worcester in Massachusetts , prohibiting a Jesuit school for underprivileged boys “from identifying itself as a ‘Catholic’ school” or using “the title ‘Catholic’ to describe itself.” is ‘a terrible error in judgement.’

The decree says that the Nativity school can no longer celebrate Mass, sacraments and sacramentals and they cannot be sponsored by Nativity School in any church building or chapel within the Diocese of Worcester.

It was issued after the school ignored warning letters from the Bishop and continued to fly Pride and Black Lives Matter flags. He wrote that ”As the Bishop of this diocese, I must teach that it is imperative that a Catholic School use imagery and symbols which are reflective of that school’s values and principles so as to be clear with young people who are being spiritually and morally formed for the future. ”

Condemning the Bishop’s actions Nativity President Thomas McKenney said the school would continue to fly both flags “to give visible witness to the school’s solidarity with our students, families, and their communities.” Defending the schools decision to honour the wishes of its pupils he added “As a multicultural school, the flags represent the inclusion and respect of all people,” “These flags simply state that all are welcome at Nativity and this value of inclusion is rooted in Catholic teaching. Commitment to our mission, grounded and animated by Gospel values, Catholic Social Teaching, and our Jesuit heritage compels us to do so.”

The Lay Pope ( thelaypope.com ) has called for the decree to be overturned and for the Bishop to be prohibited from identifying himself as a Catholic , using the title of Bishop, and prevented from saying Mass or celebrating the sacraments. In a statement he said : ” ….. denying these underprivileged and marginalised Catholic children the right to hear Mass and celebrate the sacraments in their school is at fundamental odds with the teachings of our Saviour Jesus Christ . If the Bishop truly believes that a sin has been committed by the schools refusal to remove inclusive flags the very last thing he should take is to turn his back on them and walk away. He should do what Jesus would do and go to the school and embrace them , inspire them with his words and try to help them to see the error of their ways. Jesus was attracted to sinners like a fish to water.”

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1Timothy 1:15)“

I believe this school is Christ centred but if the Bishop believes otherwise then he needs to act like Christ and go to them to talk face to face with them not to condemn innocent children and take away their daily school encounters with our Saviour. Christ would not close the school to Christian influence, He would get up close and personal with every student and teacher in the place every hour of every day. I wonder how many of these children may have one day become priests but who will now turn away from God because Bishop McManus tells them God has turned away from them. But you see Bishop McManus has an insurmountable problem in addressing this matter in the way Christ would. That is because the first young child the Bishop met in the corridors of Nativity middle school Wisconsin would enlighten him to the true meaning of Christus Veritatus Splendor: The splendid Truth that if Jesus walked into his school he would take the knee adorned with the Pride flag. That is a splendid Truth that the Bishop sadly cannot comprehend .

There is perhaps a more sinister angle to this most recent example of senior Catholic clergy undermining Pope Francis. If you can put aside the damage that this decree will have on the children of Nativity themselves it is almost as if some Catholic clergy are painstakingly looking for opportunities to undermine Pope Francis and then mobilising a well organised media machine which is on a war footing to assault his position as soon as he speaks out. The Bishop’s action is in direct contradiction to Pope Francis’ ambitions for a more inclusive church, and will no doubt be seen as yet another example of traditionlists “gagging” the church’s attempts to modernize. The Pope has lamented “The number of groups of ‘restorers’—for example, in the United States there are many—is significant,” Speaking to the editors of the Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica he said that “Restorationism has come to gag the council.” In a recent letter to Fr. James Martin on the occasion of the Outreach LGBTQ Catholic Ministry Conference, he encouraged those who minister to the L.G.B.T. “flock” to approach them in the “style of God,” which he described as incorporating “closeness, compassion and tenderness.”

In isolation Bishop McManus’ decree seems fairly innocuous , an ill informed error of judgement but on closer inspection it appears to have the ‘odour of the Devil’ about it. It is no coincidence that at a time when Francis says that Christ would not turn away members of the LGBTQ+ community a senior cleric issues an episcopal decree imposing the highest sanctions it can on a Catholic school for daring to fly inclusive flags. This is a direct challenge to the Popes authority and a rebuke of the direction that he is taking the Church. These are not the actions of an isolated Bishop … These are the actions of a traditionalist footsoldier eager to wage war on a modernising Church which is striving to embrace an inclusive Christ centred future. It is indicative of a concerted effort by some to close down the parameters of our Church’s Synod on Synodality effectively limiting discussions to non contentious matters and ruling out any chance of progress on those issues that the lay faithful tell us matter most . The stakes are high. If ever there was a time to invoke the Holy Spirits support and guidance on how we should respond to the growing ‘ medieval mindset ‘ exemplified by the likes of Bishop McManus it is now.

Manifesto Pledge:

If I am elected Pope I will issue a Papal decree prohibiting any priest, bishop, archbishop or cardinal from removing the Catholic status of any Catholic establishment.

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Are you struggling at work?

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This beautiful prayer to St. Joseph could help. When you read it don’t gulp it all down at once. Try to savour each sentence as if they were a rich fine wine. Grant yourself a peaceful moment to let each fragrant word enrich your soul. If you are having difficulties at work take a little time out to re invigorate yourself with its rich aroma. God Bless you … Peace and Love.

visit thelaypope.com

O Glorious St. Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labour, guide me to achieve the grace to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my natural inclinations, to work with gratitude and joy, in a spirit of penance for the remission of my sins, considering it an honour to employ and develop by means of labor the gifts received from God, to work with order, peace, moderation and patience, without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties, to work above all with purity of intention and detachment from self, having always death before my eyes and the account that I must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of good omitted, of vain complacency in success, so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all through Mary, all after thine example, O Patriarch, St. Joseph. Such shall be my motto in life and in death. Amen

Manifesto for a Lay Pope. My promise to you;

If I am elected Pope I will instruct the Vatican media centre to produce a range of vibrant prayer cards to be distributed to all Parishes worldwide to encourage the faithful to learn and cherish this beautiful prayer:

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It is time for the Pope to ex communicate Catholics who carry guns.

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Donald Trump continues to criticise those who have called for stricter gun laws.

Speaking at the National Rifle Association convention in Houston Texas, barely days after 19 children and two teachers were shot dead at a primary school in the city of Uvalde, Texas, Donald Trump, the former US president poured scorn on those who “rush to shift blame away from the villains who commit acts of mass violence” and “to place that blame onto the shoulders of millions of peaceful law-abiding citizens who belong to organisations such as our wonderful NRA”. He called for a minute of silence whilst he read out the names of the 19 children and 2 teachers massacred by a blitzkrieg of bullets fired from weapons that the NRA argues keep America safe. Each name he read out was punctuated by the toll of a bell. Given the setting it would have been more fitting if they had used gunshots. He refused to acknowledge any connection with the massacre of these innocents and the ease with which the gunman accessed the assault rifle he used. He criticised the “now familiar parade of cynical politicians seeking to exploit the tears of sobbing families to increase their own power and take away our constitutional rights” and the “grotesque effort by some in our society to use the suffering of others to advance their own extreme political agenda” He didnt mention the size of the fee he had received as guest speaker or the scores of politicians, such as Ted Cruz whose political careers are underpinned by NRA money. Ironically he forgot to mention that the NRA had banned anyone from carrying a gun during the convention. If you listen to the politicians below repeating the mantra that their NRA paymasters have commissioned you will realise that if it is left to them it is simply a matter of time before we hear the devastating news of yet another Uvalde or Virginia Tech or sandy Hook or ………………. The simple fact is that too many American politicians who could stop this carnage being repeated have been bought by the gun lobby. It is time for the Pope to act to save more children from being butchered . It is time for Catholic Canon Law to be updated to include the crime of carrying a gun punishable by ex communication. There is absolutely no justification for a Catholic who purports to follow Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to a carry a gun. Furthermore the Pope should instruct the Bishops in America to make the next election a one issue vote ….. reform of the American constitution to remove Article 2 ‘ The right to carry arms ‘. Watch how quickly those politicians who champion weapons of mass murder suddenly change their minds when millions of Catholic voters tell them to lay down their arms. As Catholics we are compelled by Christ himself to Love, to protect the poor and vulnerable. Just imagine how vulnerable those beautiful children and their teachers must have been when faced with the horror unfolding before them. It is an unbearable thought…. simply unbearable. When these atrocities happen we often hear about the incredible bravery of teachers who stand in front of their children giving the ultimate sacrifice to protect them. My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ it is time for us to stand up and confront those who are truly culpable in these crimes against humanity. Those who assault us with intrigue, lies and deceit. Stand up and protect your children and Vote them out. In the name of Christ our Saviour you are compelled to lay down your arms and bring Peace to your nation.

Listen to a real Legend talking about gun reform in America

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Only God , and God alone , can deny Communion

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The recent decision by the Archbishop of San Francisco, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, to deny Communion to the House speaker Nancy Pelosi is a grave error . Salvatore needs to understand that only God can deny someone Communion. Those who receive the Eucharist having committed grave sins are not blessed with the Body and Blood of our Saviour… God knows what is in their hearts and will Himself judge whether to join in Communion with them. If the Almighty finds them wanting then it is only common bread that touches their tongue not the sacred Eucharistic Sacrament. Reflect on this for one moment. Given the scale of horrendous world wide Catholic clerical abuse that has scandalised the Catholic Church for decades can you imagine how many paedophile priests have taken the Eucharist … often on a daily basis . When they do this do you truly believe that they are in Communion . Do you honestly believe that fingers which would have recently grotesquely abused innocent children would be allowed to touch the sacred Body and Blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ. When such as these receive the Eucharist they taste simple bread and it is harsh and bitter on their tongues. God alone decides who receives the Grace and Joy of transubstantiation. It borders on being a mortal sin for Archbishop Cordileone to decide it is he who judges who is worthy to Commune with God. We should appreciate that the Archbishop is having a crisis of conscience because of the heartbreak and agony of abortion. I share his pain and conflict but he has made a grave mis – judgement. He deserves some Peace . Denying Communion is not the way to address the rights of the unborn. He should follow our Blessed Pope Francis’ guidance and never deny anyone the Eucharist. We should pray that the Archbishop leaves this sacred decision in God’s safe hands.

“The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak” Pope Francis Evangelii Gaudium

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If I am elected Pope I will issue a Papal decree prohibiting any priest, bishop, archbishop or cardinal from denying Communion to anyone.

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The Ordination of Women in the Catholic Church

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My Papal dedication pledges that I will make the Ordination of Women a central aim of my Papacy. At this stage I should declare a vested interest. Someone once wrote that when you have a child you give consent to the agony of watching your Heart walk around outside of your body. The Heart that walks outside of my body is now 15 and though I have nurtured her in the Faith of the Catholic Church throughout her whole life she recently declared that she no longer feels able to be a part of my Church. I did feel an acute sense of agony at the time …… the agony of watching my Heart unable to walk alongside me on the Path to God through Jesus Christ. I wanted to try and reason with her but she is as bright as the star that once guided 3 Kings to a small stable in Bethlehem and I knew that she had a strong foundation for her informed decision to leave the Roman Catholic Church. The scale of clerical abuse of innocent minors , the un Christ like treatment of our Sisters and Brothers in the LGBTQ+ community, the denial of the Church Hierarchy to embrace married priests whilst simultaneously promoting divisive Clericalism , elitism and privilege have all motivated her to turn away from the Church of Rome. Above all, as a strong advocate of Women’s rights , Equality and Justice for all , she cannot reconcile the mysoginist attitude of a privileged and elite (and increasingly out of touch) minority of men who deny women the God given right to Ordination. For my part I have committed the rest of my life to achieving my papal pledge : ” I will dedicate my Papacy to Peace, to overcoming poverty and injustice to continuing the reforms of my beloved Pope Francis, to the cause of women’s ordination and to the ordination of those of our Sisters and Brothers who are married, to the prevention of clerical abuse , to enabling full participation in the Church for our LGBTQ+ family and to caring for our common home but above all I will dedicate my Papacy to the Love of God and the Love of one another”

I do so in the Hope that my Heart will one day look upon a Church that reflects the Truth and Beauty that Jesus sacrificed Himself for and at that point we will walk together, hand in hand, to receive the Blessed Eucharist from one of thousands of wonderful women who have been ordained within a Christ centred Roman Catholic Church.

“The hour comes, the hour has come, in which the vocation of the woman is completed in fullness, the hour in which the woman acquires in society an influence, an irradiation, a power never before reached. It is for this reason, at this moment in which humanity is experiencing such a profound transformation, that women imbued with the spirit of the Gospel can do so much to help humanity not to decay” Saint Paul VI

Please take time to read this inspiring account of pioneering women priests especially their constitution below which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful ever written.

The Roman Catholic Women priests movement is an initiative within the Church that began in Germany with the ordination of seven women on the Danube River in 2002.

In 2003, Gisela Forster and Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger (two of the original Danube 7) were ordained bishops and in 2005 Patricia Fresen from South Africa (who currently lives in Germany) was also ordained a bishop.

Women bishops ordained in Apostolic Succession continue to carry out the work of ordaining women in the Roman Catholic Church. In 2006, Ida Reming was ordained a bishop and in 2008 Dana Reynolds of California became the first American Roman Catholic Womanbishop. These women and those who have come after them continue to carry on the pastoral work of ordaining women to the priesthood.

Currently there are over 100 members worldwide who are reclaiming their ancient spiritual heritage and are re-shaping a more inclusive, Christ-centered Church for the 21st century. We advocate a new model of priestly ministry united with the people with whom we serve. We are rooted in a response to Jesus who called women and men to be disciples and equals living the Gospel.

Joyful Christ centred Ordination

Roman Catholic Women Priests (RCWP) is an International Movement within the Roman Catholic Church.

The mission of Roman Catholic Women Priests is to prepare, ordain in Apostolic Succession, and support primarily women who are called by the Holy Spirit and their communities to a renewed priestly ministry rooted in justice and faithfulness to the Gospel.

This international movement is operating worldwide with two groups formed in the USA referred to as Roman Catholic Womenpriests-USA (RCWP-USA) and the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP). Both of these organizations have international members. These women priests are ministering in over 34 USA states and are also present in Canada, Europe, South and Central America, South Africa, Philippines and Taiwan.

THE CONSTITUTION

THE ASSOCIATION OF ROMAN CATHOLIC WOMEN PRIESTS:

A RENEWED MODEL OF PRIESTLY MINISTRY IN A COMMUNITY OF EQUALS

VISION STATEMENT

The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests is committed to a renewed model of ordained ministry in an inclusive community of equals in the Roman Catholic Church.

PART I. MISSION

The Association of Roman Catholic women priests, therefore, responds to this call from the Holy Spirit, in our time, by preparing, ordaining and supporting qualified women and men, from all states of life, who are committed to a model of Church grounded in Jesus’ vision of an open table, where all are welcome.

By our living and ministering within a community of equals, we are respectful of differences among people.

In the tradition of our mystics and prophets, we challenge the dominance of patriarchal systems by promoting practices of equality that lead us to recognize and stand for justice on behalf of all people, locally and globally, and on behalf of the urgent needs of Eco-justice for our planet.

PART II. VALUES

We believe:

Equality

We believe women and men are created whole and equal by God and as baptized persons can equally represent Christ. We ordain women and men in Apostolic Succession as a matter of justice and faithfulness to the Gospel. Because equality is a human right, we are called to work for structural, systemic change that eliminates discrimination and sexism in the church and in the world.

Justice

We strive to live as justice makers in right relation to self, to others, and to the earth. Aware of the interconnectedness of all, we believe that action on behalf of justice is constitutive to the Gospels. Because we understand how unjust structures marginalize people on the basis of class, race, gender, sexual orientation, and mental and physical challenges, we collaborate to create alternative structures that are inclusive of all and are deeply based in the traditions of social justice within our church.

Accountability

Accountability is a hallmark of our commitment to circular leadership. We are co-responsible to live our vision of a renewed priestly ministry in a community of equals. We are called to be open to the Spirit as our movement evolves and grows. As models of empowerment, we are united in vision and mission, and respectful of our differences, and we open ourselves to ongoing discussion and prayer in actualizing this responsibility.

Collegiality

Our vision is to live as a community of equals in decision making as an organization and within all our faith communities. We make decisions by using a circular model including consensus and/or democratic vote of all members. We reject all forms of domination and control.

Prophetic Obedience

We are called by the Spirit to read the signs of the times and to respond in solidarity with the human rights and justice movements of our times. As disciples of Jesus, we stand on the margins with the marginalized, advocating for justice rising up in our church and world. Illumined by the mystical and prophetic tradition, we use the insights of evolutionary, feminist, liberation, womanist, and mujerista theologies in our spiritual and professional ministerial development.

Spirituality:

Spirituality is at the heart of our commitment to the Holy One. We are called to be women and men of prayer and action. All of life is sacrament, a sign of God’s presence that reflects our holiness as co-creators in the community of life. Through conscious awareness and committed activism, we work for a more just, peaceful and egalitarian church and world where all beings thrive together. As members of the Community of the Baptized, we are aware that the entire church celebrates sacraments. We preside at sacramental liturgies in inclusive, empowered, egalitarian communities where all are welcome to experience God’s extravagant love.

Compassion:

Compassion allows us as healers to enter into the journey of others in times of heart break, grief and loss. In all our communications, we strive for deep understanding, and we respond with openness to listen, to learn, and to love and to share God’s faithful presence always with others in their struggles.

IN SUMMARY

The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) is an international community within the International Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement. As a community of equal disciples, our calling is first and foremost to follow Jesus the Christ, our model of liberation, and to grow in unity with all in the heart of God. Aware of our deep connectedness to one another, and to the community of creation, our mission is to live Gospel justice and inclusiveness by ordaining women and men as equals and partners in the Roman Catholic Church

Manifesto for a Lay Pope. My promise to you; If I am elected Pope I will decree that:

The ordination of women will be enshrined within Catholic Canon Law

If you want to know more about the Holy Spirit led Movement for the Ordination of Women please visit their websites.
romancatholicwomenpriests.org
arcwp.org

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Pope Francis implores us to eat less meat

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In a letter to participants at the recent EU Youth Conference in Prague Pope Francis urged that we should eat less meat to “break this self-destructive trend” of consumerism and prioritise sustainability in a bid to take better care of the environment.

His words now have Catholics considering what they should eat.

In his book ‘The Lost Religion of Jesus: Simple Living and Nonviolence in Early Christianity’ Keith Akers suggests that the central event of the Christian faith, the Crucifixion, was predicated upon Christ’s willingness to fight for animal rights.

Keith Aker s Simple Living and non violence in Early Christianity

“On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: `My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it `a den of robbers.’ (Mark 11:15-18)

For Christians the critical thing to realise here is that one of the most important sources of income for the priests was the temple centred buying and selling of animals, cattle, fowl, lambs and doves for ritual sacrifice. When Yeshua ( Jesus ) throws the merchants from the Temple He is not just overturning tables He is overturning the source of income which sustains the powerful and wealthy priestly class thereby setting himself in conflict with them and ultimately paving the way for His Crucifixion at their hands.

‘‘The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.” (Mark 11: 18)

If it is not acceptable for these animals to be slaughtered as an offering to God why would it be acceptable for them to be slaughtered as an offering on a plate for mankind particularly when God himself has Divinely gifted an abundantly rich and varied source of sustenance which avoids appalling pain and cruelty to animals.

God also said, ‘I give you all plants that bear seed everywhere on Earth and every tree bearing fruit which yields seeds : they shall be yours for food.’ ( Genesis 1:29-30 )

Of course all of the arguments above are irrelevant when it comes to the main reason that Christians should not eat flesh. Genesis tells us that the 6th Commandment says: ‘‘Thou shalt not kill’’. There is no qualification on the tablet that Moses brought down from Mt. Sinai which says that we should not include animals in this new Covenant. God himself carves out The Commandment in stone as an eternal reminder that all life is sacred , ALL LIFE , not just mankind’s.

In the whole history of mankind it has never been easier to fulfill the 6th Commandment and refrain from slaughtering the innocent. In the past neither technology , agricultural policy or the will existed to replace a human extinction diet with a planet saving one but now the world is slowly realising that God’s gift of : ‘‘….all plants that bear seed everywhere on Earth and every tree bearing fruit which yields seeds…..’’ can offer humanity not just a wide variety of cruelty free deliciously healthy culinary delights but more importantly a way of saving ourselves from extinction.

Manifesto for a Lay Pope. My promise to you; If I am elected Pope I will decree that:

All Catholic institutions serving food including schools will be supported to provide a mouthwatering range of organic, planet friendly, pesticide free and health giving plant based menus.
All Vatican media outlets will offer free advertisements and promotions to the plant based food industr
An independent advisory body will be established by the Vatican to bring about divestment of Vatican shareholdings in the meat and related industries and re investment of those funds into ethical and healthy meat free alternatives.
A new Catholic high street fast food chain will be launched offering a wide range of ethically sourced healthy and delicious non meat food and drink refreshments with all profits invested in charities supporting people in food poverty.
The Vatican will lead the way in encouraging all Catholics to adopt a meat free lifestyle by removing all meat products from its food outlets.
Vatican media will be instructed and funded to create a range of social media interventions dedicated to establishing the Catholic Church as a world leader in planet friendly meat free, healthy living.

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The Letter of Chief Seattle

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Roman Catholic Women Priests (RCWP) is an International Movement within the Roman Catholic Church.

The mission of Roman Catholic Women Priests is to prepare, ordain in Apostolic Succession, and support primarily women who are called by the Holy Spirit and their communities to a renewed priestly ministry rooted in justice and faithfulness to the Gospel.

THE CONSTITUTION

If you want to know more about the Holy Spirit led Movement for the Ordination of Women please visit their websites.romancatholicwomenpriests.org arcwp.org

Please subscribe to my mailing list to receive future Manifesto updates straight to your inbox

If you want to know more about the Holy Spirit led Movement for the Ordination of Women please visit their websites.
romancatholicwomenpriests.org
arcwp.org