ARCHIVE – Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square in May. Photo: Gregorio Borgia/AP/dpa/Archive image
Keystone
Pope Leo XIV will welcome representatives of the international reform movement “We are Church” in an audience at the end of October.
Eight delegates will take part in the jubilee meeting of the synodal teams from October 24 to 26 as part of the Holy Year in Rome, as reported by the official news portal “Vatican News”. In addition to the audience, the program also includes a pilgrimage through the Holy Door and a closing service in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The movement, which was founded in Rome in 1996, campaigns for reforms in the Catholic Church in around 30 countries – such as the ordination of women, more rights for LGBTQI+ people and the abolition of compulsory celibacy – and has often come into conflict with the Vatican line. The delegation was invited by the Secretary General of the World Synod, the Maltese Cardinal Mario Grech.
It is important to keep the synodal spirit alive, Christian Weisner from “We are Church” told Vatican Radio. “That is what we hope for from the meeting and we are happy to contribute to it.”