---

Did you know that the church reform movement in the United States, led by the Women's Ordination Conference in partnership with Catholics Speak Out, launched a campaign in May of 1996 to collect one million signatures from US Catholics by Pentecost Sunday, May 18, 1997? Perhaps you've heard of the referendum campaigns in Europe where more than 2.3 million Austrians and Germans signed a referendum calling for fundamental church reforms. Similar initiatives have been undertaken in Italy, France, Belgium and Australia. Well now it's our turn to join in the call for renewal.

The text of the petition reads as follows:

1. We believe in a loving church where the equality of all the faithful is respected, the gulf between clergy and laity is bridged and the people of God participate in the process of selecting their bishops and pastors.

2. We believe in a church with equal rights for women, where women are full participants in all official decision-making and are welcomed in all ministries, including the diaconate and the ministerial priesthood.

3. We believe in a church where priests may choose either a celibate or non-celibate way of life, where the right of a congregation to the Eucharist and pastoral care is more important than a rule of canon law.

4. We believe in a church which affirms:

* the goodness of sexuality,

* the primacy of conscience in deciding issues of sexual morality (for example: birth control),

* the human rights of all persons regardless of sexual orientation, and

* the importance and urgency of issues other than sexual morality (for example: peace and non-violence, social justice, preservation of the environment).

5. We believe in a church which:

* affirms people rather than condemns them,

* respects primacy of conscience in all moral decision-making,

* embraces and welcomes those who are divorced and remarried, married priests, theologians and others who exercise freedom of speech.

We sign this with prayerful hope for a new movement in the Spirit in our church!

There are two referenda, one for Catholics and one for Interfaith Friends. The Catholic Referendum can be signed by anyone who identifies as Catholic and is old enough to understand the content. The Interfaith Resolution can be signed by anyone of another faith tradition or philosophical tradition who wants to support the campaign with a signature and a contribution.

Each signer is asked to make a monetary contribution (as little as a dollar is fine) to fund this national effort and to provide resources to expand the movement for church reform. Your donation is a symbol of your support for a more inclusive church.

The completed Referenda will be delivered to the Vatican and, together with groups from other lands, a Third Vatican Council will be called for, not as a meeting of bishops, but as a Council of the Whole People of the Church.

We hope you will consider signing this referendum and making a contribution to this important grassroots call for reform in the Catholic Church. You can sign the referendum at the Center when you visit us. If you would like to help collect signatures in your area, you can contact We Are The Church Coalition, P O Box 2548, Fairfax, VA, 22031, for more information. Remember - We Are The Church!