Call for third Vatican Council. (Church Reform).

We Are Church (UK), a progressive Catholic group, has released the text of a letter it sent to the leaders of the Catholic church in Britain, calling for an urgent response to the crisis affecting the Catholic church around the world.

The letter, "A kairos for the church," refers to the "people who have been abused emotionally, physically, sexually and spiritually" and suggests that now is "a time of grace and opportunity" for the church to act. It was sent to all of the bishops in Britain, and addressed to Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England & Wales, and Archbishop Keith O'Brien, president of the Scottish Catholic Bishops' Conference. The letter urged the hierarchy to take a more strategic approach to the crisis and work in partnership with the laity towards a solution.

WAC's coordinator, Valerie Stroud, said: "Instead of dealing with the current concerns as if they are all quite unrelated matters, it's time for the church's leadership to wake up to the fact that these issues reflect a much more fundamental and structural dysfunction in the church. Too many doors are being shut in people's faces when it's greater openness that's needed. It's no good dealing with this piecemeal, through `inquisitions' or silencing. The church's pastors should offer full repentance for the abuse of power at the heart of the problems in the church, and a firm purpose of amendment."

WAC has urged the hierarchy to convene a formal Council of the Catholic church to include all the church's bishops and the full participation of lay and other ordained members, as well as representatives from other faith communities. [www.weare-church.org]