We are asking for a Vatican III to convene in October 2015, which is 50 years after Vatican II finished its groundbreaking renewal of the Catholic Church.

Why Vatican III? In the past fifty years we have experienced immense social, political, cultural, educational, and technological changes. Citizens around the world are asking for democracy in their governments, replacing military dictatorships and monarchies. Workers are organizing and producers are forming cooperatives so they, as stakeholders, have a say in their own future instead of having it dictated to them by CEOs and stockholders. Worldwide, people are more educated than ever before, with advanced degrees becoming more and more commonplace. Technological advancements allow us to communicate with anyone around the world in an instant.

Cardinal Levada of the Vatican when proposing the Year of Faith, Oct. 2012-Nov. 24, 2013, said, “Year of Faith is intended to contribute to a renewal conversion to the Lord Jesus and to the rediscovery of faith, so that the members of the Church will be credible and joy-filled witnesses to the Risen Lord in the world today–capable of leading those many people who are seeking it to the door of faith.”

To be credible and joy-filled the laity need to have actionable power in the church and not just exist as advice-givers, especially when that advice can be ignored by the ordained, the ones who currently hold all of the power. As theologian Fr. Ron Rolheiser recently expressed in his column about the many non-practicing Catholics and how to bring them back to the church, it will be an uphill battle. “We need to remain widely ‘Catholic’ in our approach. We are not trying to get people to join some small, lean, purist, sectarian group, but to enter a house with many rooms.” This is indeed a serious obstacle. The hierarchy in the church currently are chastising or removing from duty nuns, priests, and bishops who question their decrees or ask for alternatives to at least be open for discussion. These clergy are being made examples of for not toeing the line in their speech and writings. We laity are troubled by these condemnations, and find it difficult to respect a hierarchy that infringes upon the right to freedom of speech of its members. The hierarchy supports freedom of speech in the political arena but not in the church because it challenges their authority.

Chapter 3 of the Vatican II document asks the laity to use their skills “to make the church more efficient and effective.” By calling for a Vatican III to form processes for laity to hold power in the church, we are fulfilling our duty to make the church more effective.

Pope Benedict reminds us that love is intrinsic to justice and that if we love someone, we insist that he or she be treated fairly. He says that this is the very heart of our moral witness as Catholics. To have justice in the church, laity must have some power to make decisions.

Today the laity provides the money for everything in the church, but has no voice in how it is spent. This is basically taxation without representation. Without our financial gifts, the church would wither on the vine; the hierarchy has no funding except what the laity has given them.

Our goal is for the church to work out a process for meaningful laity power at Vatican III. Every country in the world with Catholic residents should have laity representation at the council. These representatives should hold voting power and not just be a presence (as they were in Vatican II).

If you support this idea for Vatican III, please join our laity power movement.

Simply start by giving no offering to the church for the month of October. Instead, at each mass you attend place an empty envelope marked “Vatican III Laity Power 2015” in the offering. To show solidarity with others who believe in this effort, please wear something red to every mass you attend until Oct. 2015. Laity are the life blood of the church, and red symbolizes that for all to witness. It can be a shirt or just a ribbon as long as it is visible as a sign of your desire for laity to have power in the church and not just advisory positions.

Thank you for your support! Please share this message with your Catholic friends.