We Are Church:" Beatification of a Controversial, Contradictory Pope"

International Movement
We Are Church
Media Contact:Christian WeisnerTel.: +49-172 518 40 82
Email: media@we-are-church.org
Web: www.we-are-church.org
See below for U.S. media contacts and other international contacts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Rome / Lisbon, January 16, 2011

We Are Church: Beatification of a controversial, contradictory Pope

Pope John Paul II, whose beatification on 1 May 2011 was announced earlier this week, was a pope of great contradiction. His tragedy lies in the discrepancy between his commitment to reform and dialogue in the world and his return to authoritarianism within the church.

It was his penchant for spiritual authoritarianism that contributed to the greatest tragedy of his tenure as pope: the sexual abuse of thousands of children globally. By holding church hierarchy paramount above the needs of the people, John Paul II perpetuated a toxic environment in which priests were permitted, often repeatedly, to sexually abuse children as long as the criminal behaviour was kept secret, preserving the public image of untarnished leadership.

Perhaps one of the best reflections of this is seen in John Paul II's strong relationship with the Legion of Christ and its founder Marcial Maciel. Maciel is accused of decades of serious abuse against women and youth, much of which was allowed to percolate due in part to the 1983 bylaws John Paul II approved for Maciel's religious order that demanded secrecy and prohibited criticism of its founder.

It was John Paul II's same need for hierarchical control that also lead to the constriction of theology with scarring impact on people's lives. His attempt to discredit liberation theology left thousands working for liberation without the full theological and ecclesial support they deserved while suffering under brutal political regimes.

Spiritual authoritarianism was also seen in John Paul II's attempt to suppress discourse on gender equality which, in turn, deprived the Catholic world of the gifts women would bring to church leadership. His stance against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people places him in complicity with local churches and governments who continue to deny the civil and moral equality of LGBT persons. Additionally, his repeated denouncements of condom use complicated the moral choice of millions around the world attempting to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and promote sexual health.

The International Movement We Are Church believes that beatification and ultimately sainthood should not be measured by whether a "miracle" can be attributed to a particular person, but rather, whether someone's life truly embodies the values of Christ who sought, not power, but the well being of God's people.

Please contact / Póngase en contacto con / Contatti / Contacter /Kontakt/ Por favor entre em contato:
Austria:
Hans Peter Hurka
+43-650-315 42 00
hans_peter.hurka@gmx.at
Belgium:
Edith Kuropatwa-Fèvre
+32-(0)-2-567-09-64
ekf.paves@happymany.net
Brazil:
Irene Cacais
+55-61 3223 4599
luisirenecacais@solar.com.br
Canada:
Jean Trudeau
+1-613)745-2170
trudeau.jean@videotron.ca
Cataluña:
Francesc Bragulat

somescat@somesglesia-cat.org
Chile:
Enrique Orellana
+56-696 4491
lapazesobradelajusticia@yahoo.com
Denmark:
Kaare Rübner Jorgensen
+45-367 81 804
ruebnerjo@webspeed.dk
Finland:
Giovanni Politi

giovanni.politi@kolumbus.fi
France:
Hubert Tournès
+33-240119873
hubertournes@orange.fr
Germany:
Christian Weisner
+49-172-518 40 82
media@we-are-church.org
Hungary:
Dr. Marcell Mártonffy
+36-1 2190621
martonffy@pantelweb.hu
Ireland:
Helen McCarthy
+353-61-310562
wearechurchireland@eircom.net
Italy:
Vittorio Bellavite
+39-02-70602370
vi.bel@IOL.IT
Netherlands:
Henk Baars
+31-6-41170229
hbaars@steknet.nl
Norway:
Aasmund Vik
+47-47269148
aasmund.vik@nationaltheatret.no
Peru:
Franz Wieser
+51-1-4492716
fwieser@speedy.com.pe
Portugal:
Maria Joao Sande Lemos
+351-91 460 2336
mjoaosandel@gmail.com
South Africa:
Brian Robertson
+27-21-7945527
brian.r@mweb.co.za
Spain:
Raquel Mallavibarrena
+34-649332654
rmal@telefonica.net
Sweden:
Krister Janzon
+46-86620802
krister.janzon@comhem.se
Switzerland:
Brigitte Durrer
+41-819212725
bridu@gmx.ch
United Kingdom:
Valerie Stroud
+44-(0)7904 332201
valeriejstroud@we-are-church.org
United States:
Anthony Padovano
+1-973-539-8732
tpadovan@optonline.net
United States:
Nicole Sotelo
+1-773.404.0004 x285
nicole@cta-usa.org