ACTA Archive Material
- Written by: Alex Walker
Archive Material
In the last few months Fr Derek Reeve, a retired priest of the Diocese of Portsmouth, has been in touch with the Trustees. Members will know him to be one of the original seven clergy whose letter to The Tablet was the start of the movement that became ACTA. He wished to pass on material that recorded the early meetings of the clergy, the thoughts and aspirations of those involved so that they could be shared with the membership. The material has been scanned and can know be accessed on the Archive Material page. Each file contains letters/ emails/ notes from a distinct period.
We thank him sincerely for giving us this access and hope you enjoy the material in the weeks and months ahead
ACTA as we look ahead
- Written by: John Sullivan
My first thought was that, with recent developments under the leadership of Pope Francis, most especially, synodality, we no longer need a movement like ACTA, because the climate for communication with the Church is much healthier than it was when ACTA was set up in 2012. I am heavily committed to synodality as the path towards a more healthy Church and I hope that it will deliver on its promises. In principle, at least, if synodality truly becomes our way of being Church, much of what many of us hoped for from ACTA will have become a reality: mature, serious, genuinely open and mutually respectful dialogue between all members of the Church.
However, I am well aware that there are powerful forces within the Church who strenuously oppose the initiatives of this papacy, who want to turn the clock back to a fortress Church and who see openings towards being a more pastoral and inclusive Church as somehow corrosive of truth and tradition. Depending on who is elected the next Pope – which cannot be many years away – many of the humane and pastoral seeds sown during this papacy could be rejected rather than nourished. And, it is important to remember that there are still many aspects of church governance and practice that are in urgent need of reform.
Where do we go from here?
- Written by: Alex Walker
This coming year, ACTA celebrates the 10th anniversary of the first National Delegates Conference in May 2013 at Hinsley Hall. It is an appropriate moment to reflect on its future role in a synodal Church.
A Zoom meeting has been set up for 7.30 pm Thursday 1st December 2022. It will be open to all members, coordinators and trustees. Papers from several members are in preparation and will be distributed in the coming weeks.
Registration is essential. In a document dated January 2014, the late Fr Gerry Hughes SJ wrote: “I have been thinking a bit about where we in ACTA should go from here” The Trustees, too, have been thinking along similar lines.
ACTA came into existence to support honest and respectful dialogue between clergy, religious and the laity, just as Pope Francis was being elected Pontiff. The development of the synodal process, culminating in the ongoing Synod on Synodality, begins to create something of the environment that the original members of ACTA were hoping to create.
Please complete this form if you wish to attend:
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A CLOSING DOWN SALE
- Written by: Joseph O’Hanlon
My first appointment after my ordination in 1966 was to a wealthy Nottingham parish, wealthy that is, except for an enclave that was hurriedly created to house people making bombs and bullets for the war that followed the War To End All Wars. The main parish had just built a beautiful new church to serve the exciting inclusive liturgy given us by Pope John’s Vatican Council. The poor of the parish had to trudge a good mile or more: there were no buses on their route to the splendid new church. I was blessed in that regard: I had a bicycle.
The curate was commissioned to look after the poor end. Due to illness, I lasted only two months in that bit of a parish. But I kept in touch. I was astonished by the determination to have their own church, their own parish, their own priest. Fifty-six years later I still remember the two women who led the campaign: Sadie Goode and Mary Sullivan. They organized raffles, jumble sales, bazaars, knitting circles and dances. They got their church, small in size, beautiful beyond words, and eventually became a parish, with their own priest. I loved those people, their church, and, above all, their faith. The FOR SALE sign is now on the front door. It breaks your heart.
Ongoing international Synod Document
- Written by: Alex Walker
A newly released Vatican document for the next phase of Pope Francis' ongoing consultation process for the world's Catholics reckons with a number of topics once considered taboo in the Catholic Church, including women's ordination, LGBTQ relationships, children of priests, sexism and clergy sexual abuse.
The 45-page document, released on Oct. 27, distills a number of the major themes from listening sessions held with millions of Catholics across the globe over the last year. While the document is careful to note that it is not magisterial church teaching, it is arguably the most comprehensive and candid expression of the Catholic Church's relationship with the modern world yet released by a Vatican office.
The document will serve as the framework for the continental phase of the church's ongoing synod process, which will involve ecclessial gatherings on every continent over the next six months, ahead of two assemblies that will be held in Rome in Oct. 2023 and Oct. 2024.
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