Tony Flannery

Statement on LGBT Issues at the 2018 World Meeting of Families in Dublin, Ireland
Adopted by the International Church Reform Network [ICRN], June 14, 2018

The Vatican’s World Meeting of Families [WMF], to be held in August in Dublin, Ireland, needs to send clear signals that ALL families, including LGBT families will be welcomed. Just as Pope Francis has been meeting regularly with survivors of sexual abuse to listen to their stories, we call on him to meet LGBT families, who have long suffered from another form of clerical abuse.

The International Church Reform Conference took place over five days last week in Pezinok, a few miles outside Bratislava. About fifty people attended, from various corners of the world, all of them involved in one way or another with Church Reform issues. There were about two thirds men, and one third women. The variety of people was one of the striking factors, – from Estonia, Korea, Russia, Bulgaria, India, Argentina, Australia, and many other places, – fifteen countries in all.

Uniting for a Positive Resistance in Support of Pope Francis
Press Release of the “International Catholic Reform Network” (ICRN) June 16, 2018
Pezinok/Slovakia. Fifty Catholics from 18 countries and 4 continents gathered near Bratislava, Slovakia from June 11 – 15, 2018. Formed as the International Catholic Reform Network (icrn.info) in 2013, the participants of this year’s conference learned from members of the former Czechoslovak Underground Church about positive resistance.
The group was inspired by the testimonials of the people who endured severe oppression under the communist regime of that time.