CWN/WWS latest

Action: please demand that the dissident group 'Word Woman Spirit' / 'Catholic Women's Network', which has been ejected fro the national Catholic Directory by the Bishops for its campaigning for women's ordination, support for abortion, links to other dissident groups etc. should also cease to listed in diocesan ones, and should cease to supply the senior personnel for the Bishops' Conference agency the National Board of Catholic Women' and its publication 'Catholic Omnibus'. See our dossier on this group.

Comment: It's official: Catholic Women's Network/Women Word Spirit has been removed from the Catholic Directory.

After years of complaints from Catholics, objecting to the openly dissident group Catholic Women's Network (which also uses the title Women Word Spirit) being listed in the Catholic Directory, it has now been confirmed that this group is no longer being included. On page 12 of the Autumn issue of its journal Network, the CWN Contact Secretary, Mary Warrener, states:- "Despite lengthy correspondence showing the continuity between CWN and WWS we have not been included in the national directory (in response to complaints about our supposed views on abortion and links with gay/lesbian groups). A paragraph will appear in (at least) four of the Diocesan Directories - Brentwood, Cardiff, East Anglia and Westminster, listed as CWN but referring to WWS, and the wording as on the introductory leaflet. Please let us know of entries in other Directories." Action: If you live in Brentwood, Cardiff, East Anglia or Westminster, please continue to complain about this group being listed in your local Catholic directories. For other dioceses, please check your directories and if the CWN/WWS is listed, please alert us and also write and complain.

Also, complaints need to be made to the General Secretary of the Bishop's Conference, pointing out that if CWN/WWS has been found unsuitable to be listed in the Catholic Directory, it should no longer be allowed to remain as a constituent member of the National Board of Catholic Women. Nor should CWN/WWS members be allowed to hold influential positions within the NBCW, such as being on the Editorial Team of its journal, Catholic Omnibus - which is the case at present. The following three things can be cited as absolute proof of CWN/WWS's dissent, should this be disputed:-

1) Despite its claim not to be pro-abortion, CWN, as an organisation, co-signed a pro-abortion/contraception document by the group "Catholics for a Free Choice, titled "A Faith-Filled Commitment to Development Includes a Commitment to Women's Rights and Reproductive Health", (see here: pdf )

2) CWN, as an organisation, made an open declaration supporting the aims of Women's Ordination Worldwide, which was published in the CWN journal Network in September 2001. This declaration stated:- "Women's Ordination Worldwide, International Conference, Dublin, June 2001. From: Catholic Women's Network. 'Catholic Women's Network believes that the gospel speaks about freedom from oppression and calls women to full participation in all aspects of life and the church as a matter of justice. We strongly endorse the aims of the world-wide movement for the ordination of women in the Roman Catholic Church, and of the recent conference in Dublin, for a renewal of priesthood within transformed and inclusive structures, where women's gifts are welcomed and accepted. We believe that it is totally wrong to attempt to ban serious debate, reflection and research of this issue. We commend the vision of those who initiated the conference and are grateful that it has re-energised us all to work more vigorously for the above aims. Catholic Women's Network'

3) CWN/WWS's "starter pack", issued in June 2006, states on page 1 that the title WWS is "a more inclusive and descriptive name which also recognises that the membership has always included many women from other denominations or none". It goes on to say that CWN was founded in 1984 and went through a process of "'denouncing' aspects of church which inhibit women's participation and 'announcing' a new vision of how church could be". The group also "identified strategies for bringing about change . . . in our church institutions". On page 2 it states that "WWS feels that the contribution women can make as responsible Christians, gifted in the spirit, to the RC Church is often ignored; in particular women are excluded from the ordained ministry and thereby from the leadership in the church . . ." On page 5 of the pack, WWS proudly shows its networking links with other dissenting groups, even giving website/e-mail addresses so that they can be contacted - in other words, helping to spread and promote dissent. WWS's networking group list contains all the usual pro-abortion/contraception, pro-homosexual and pro-women's ordination groups, which CWN have long promoted and supported:-

. Association for Inclusive Language

. Catholics for a Changing Church (see our dossier)

. Catholic Womens' Ordination / Women's Ordination Worldwide

. Roman Catholic Caucus of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (see our dossier)

. Living Spirituality Network

. European Network - Church on the Move

. Catholics for a Free Choice (see our dossier)

(see here for this starter pack. This webpage also contains the WWS documents "How to plan women's liturgies/rituals" and "Create your own mandalas" )