POSITION STATEMENTS
Damaging impact of Dignitas Infinita
The release of Dignitas Infinita, the Declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on Human Dignity, has had a damaging impact on LGBTIQA+ Catholics, especially transgender, gender diverse and non-binary Catholics and their families.
Rather than offering confirmation and support, the document casts a harsh shadow over the lives and lived experiences of transgender Catholics.
The Declaration is devoid of pastoral concern for trans and gender diverse members of our Catholic community. It insists on compliance to ideas that undermine their dignity and ignores the revelations of science and theology articulated by LGBTIQA+ Catholics.
It imposes a classical ‘top down’ theological approach that is distant from the lived experience of LGBTQIA+ Catholics and pays lip service to the principles of synodality.
Whilst LGBTIQA+ Catholics have led the way for our church to move forward over the past 5 decades (click on the link below for more), the Declaration effectively relegates LGBTQIA+ Catholics and their families as clients at the door knocking, rather than co-heirs of the Reign of God and actual members of a synodal church they are helping to build.
ACCCR Pledges Continued Support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart
While ACCCR accepts the reality of the failure of the ‘Yes’ Vote in the October 2023 Referendum related to Constitutional Recognition and a Voice to Parliament for Australia’s First Nations Peoples, we are committed to the Uluru Statement of the Heart (2017) in its fullness, including its expressed wish for the following specific national reforms:
We call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution.
We seek a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history.
While we hope for action by the Australian Government we support the actions taken by State and Territory Governments for Treaties and Voices to Parliament.
ACCCR Statement on LGBTIQ+ Conversion Practices
As the members of 16 Catholic organisations in Australia and New Zealand we give our full and unqualified support for a ban on LGBT conversion practices in NSW.
The Australasian Catholic Coalition for Church Reform abides by Jesus’ message of love, justice and equality. It is our duty to challenge unjust social structures that cause harm and disadvantage the vulnerable and to advocate for those who suffer and do not have a voice.