Roman Catholic Church Transformed
Ten Principle Charter
August 2014
Principle One: Gender Equality. The path to a female pope in God’s good time opened.
Principle Two: Married Priesthood. With gender equality it follows, priests, male and female. For the first thousand years our tradition had married clergy. Let’s do it right this time. Some priests called by God to live as monks, a mystery between them and God.
Principle Three: Sex. Alert, a major upgrade is needed. It is fair to say when the truth is revealed that the Church’s teaching on sex, gender and reproduction is so out of date comparisons with Galileo will not be out of the question. Sex seen in the light of reason and we see more clearly the nature of sex. A transformed Church will have an inclusive understanding of the nature of family, heterosexual, one man and one woman, only one form of many kinds of family.
Reason and faith reconciled.
Principle Four: Sacred Doctrine Ordinary Teachings. The imposition of singularity where there is plurality is unjust. Our center in Christ held by sacred doctrines the essential message of Love that unites all within this tradition. The immutable mystery of God's Love. Ordinary teachings about earthly and changeable matters best given over to an informed a conscience.
Principle Five: Marriage. Ordinary and sacred. Ordinary marriage allows for a no fault annulment … when love becomes destructive, time to call off the marriage, but not the legitimacy of progeny. At seven years marriages blessed as ordinary and going strong now ready for sacred vows. Committed for better or worse till death do we part. The model: Monks before they take life long vows many years of preparation for life long vows.
Principle Six: Human Life. The sanctity of human life a continuing refrain echoed through the centuries. Our tradition needs to adjust the refrain to reflect new knowledge and deeper understandings of what is human life, and most so in the matter of love and sex. For sex and love are surely the essence of being human. Gifts from our God of Love.
The existence of Love makes the Nature of God obvious to reason. We are created in the image of God “male and female”. And from that beginning the many varied form of sex and gender.
Principle Seven: Mystical. Only through the mystical eyes of Love can we see truly our Sacramental Nature.
Principle Eight: Democratized. How democracy will look in a Church Transformed will be a matter for careful reflection. Bishop's selected and then elected a good idea.
Principle Nine: Social Justice. In this our Church’s message is so in line with Jesus. We have to live the message of justice better. Support the development of global institutions of justice as Pope Benedict taught.
Principle Ten: Separated and Bounded: Church and State are co-creators, the Church under God, the State under Justice, in building a civil social order. When these actors are in imbalance, evil abounds. History shows, too much power in one or the other leads to grave injustice. How that balance will look in any given situation is an evolving question related to culture and tradition.