Right to the Eucharist (Fri Apr 15, 2005 10:33 am)

ARCC is pleased to support this effort by FutureChurch to insure the right we all have to the Eucharist. ARCC members are encouraged to sign this petition as we work together with FutureChurch.

Petition to the International Synod on The Eucharist

This petition will be sent to U.S. cardinals and bishop delegates to the International Synod on the Eucharist. On the web it can be found at http://www.futurechurch.org/fpm/corpus/petition.htm A Spanish version is also available. http://www.futurechurch.org/)

Whereas, nearly half of the world?s parishes and missions have no resident priest, requiring millions of Catholics to go without Mass and the sacraments; and
Whereas, mandatory celibacy is a church rule, not a church doctrine, and
both a celibate and a married priesthood are God's gifts to the Church; and
Whereas, the early church had many women deacons such as St. Phoebe who delivered St. Paul's letter to the Church of Rome, (Romans 16:1-2); and
Whereas, we the undersigned wish to exercise our right under canon 212.2 to "make our views known about matters which concern the good of the Church."

We therefore respectfully request our leaders at the International Synod on the Eucharist to place the spiritual and sacramental needs of the People of God above every other consideration and begin a wide-ranging discussion among laity, priests, pastoral ministers and bishops about the need to remove mandatory celibacy as a requirement for the priesthood and to open the diaconate to the tens of thousands of qualified women serving the Church right now.

Name ___________________________
Address_______________________________________________
e-mail ________________________________

1. Only your name, city and state will be sent to U.S. cardinals and
delegates to the 2005 International Synod on the Eucharist. The second collection deadline is the Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 2005. However, petitions will continue to be accepted up to the date of the actual synod (still to be announced)
2. Your name and address (including e-mail) will be entered into a special database so we can notify you of ongoing developments of a campaign which may well last several years. If you do not wish to share your contact information with other likeminded groups, please tell us.

Send this completed petition to: info@futurechurch.org and please pass this petition on to all your catholic friends.