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| A "Mass" of the "We Are Church" Modernists |
Nearly three months has passed since the
editor of The Southern Cross wrote, in “Unity In The Church”, that the “We Are All
Church movement in South Africa (or WAACSA) has decided to modify its name and
adopt its own mission statement, so as to set it apart from the international
We Are Church movement”.
The editor went on to say that, “By creating some structural distance between
the international We Are Church movement and themselves, WAACSA has stated its
serious intent to be part of the life of the local Church.”
The problem with both of these statements is
immediately apparent when one visits the website of the “We Are All Church South Africa” movement. Three months has passed since this editorial was
published and since this movement has made known its “serious intent” to set itself apart from the international movement.
Yet today there is still boldly displayed, at the top of each page on the WAACSA
website, the words: “Affiliated to the
International Movement We Are Church (IMWAC)”.
In the same way, when one visits the website
of the International Movement We Are Church, they in turn confirm their relationship with the South African
movement by providing a website link to WAACSA, under their list of membership
countries.
There can be no doubt that WAACSA,
regardless of how it may attempt to disguise this reality, is clearly a proud member
and supporter of the dissident IMWAC. It is also apparent that WAACSA has done
absolutely nothing, except for a bit of shoddy window dressing, to set itself “apart from the international We Are Church
movement”.
The new mission statement of WAACSA is nothing
more than a rewording of The Roman Declaration (1996) petition. This is the petition, which led to the
establishment of the IMWAC in the first place, in order to ensure that the
petition is spread worldwide.
Sadly, this weekend the WAACSA was permitted
to hold yet another meeting, on the premises of the Rosebank parish in Johannesburg, despite
the reality of this groups continued support of and affiliation to the
dissident IMWAC.
The National Coordinator of WAACSA reported in January 2012, that “a meeting with the
Archbishop of Cape Town lead to the Western Cape group being banned from using
Church property for their meetings.”
It is time, I believe, that WAACSA should be
banned entirely from conducting any of their meetings on the premises of the
Catholic Church. All the other bishops in South Africa should follow the excellent
example given by the Archbishop of Cape Town!
