We Are Church In Disguise

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!