We are a group of Catholics, some of whom are ordained, brought together by our love of Christ's Church and our anxiety about its future. Still inspired by the Second Vatican Council, we want to contribute fully to the life of our Church so that we may be a more effective sign of the Kingdom of God. To do this, we believe that an atmosphere of openness and dialogue both with each other and with our church leadership needs developing. Accordingly, we aim to supply channels of free and frank communication. We desire to help create a climate of trust and respect for all where this dialogue may be fostered.
THEOLOGY statement:
ACTA is a movement built from below by clergy and laity alike in every diocese in England and Wales. It exists to give those people an effective voice. It is an instrument to establish and promote space for a trusting dialogue within a hierarchically structured people’s Church.
ACTA believes that the reforms of the Second Vatican Council are the only way forward for mission to modern society. It is not a small chapel of selected followers; it believes in the Church as a “big tent”, with open doors. As a free and representative association of believers, it seeks to liberate the expertise in the ranks, so as to bring added energy and witness to the Church in the world.
The Leadership Team are delighted to let you all know that after several years of trying, we have succeeded in ACTA being granted CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) status with the Charities Commission. If you are interested in the legal and administrative implications, a good place to start is https://www.gov.uk/guidance/charity-types-how-to-choose-a-structure
from which you will see how complicated it is. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Andrew Hornsby-Smith for finally pushing us through all the hoops with the Charity Commission. His many, many hours of work were built on earlier efforts by the lawyer on the Leadership Team, Jo Fenton. We are also very grateful to Jo for her hard work and expertise. At the AGM on February 29th when the new status will hopefully be ratified, Andrew will tell us about the relevant differences and benefits that this status involves and we will make this information available here on the website.