Supplementary material
Useful texts
Site map
Directory
Search this site
Home
1: About
2: Synopsis
3: Development
Next:
Previous: Useful texts: toc
This site is part of the natural religion project The natural religion project A new theology A commentary on the Summa The theology company
National Conference of Priests of England and Wales
Letter sent from the National Conference of Priests of England and Wales (10 September 1998) to a Symposium of European Priests meeting in Strasbourg 21-28 September 1998.
From West, page 26:
We, the National Conference of Priests, representing the priests of England and Wales, send greetings from our 1998 meeting in Birmingham to our brother priests in Europe, and we would like to share with you a concern which may find echoes in your own pastoral experience.
As priests committed to pastoral care in dioceses and parishes, we find ourselves naturally the the vanguard of the church's mission. Our ordained ministry is increasingly focused on discovering the developing the gifts of the parish people, many of whom are now sharing a range of formal ministries within the church, as well as exercising their priesthood in the world at large.
We find that there is a growing anxiety among them, which we also share, about the increasingly restrictive and sanction-based directives that come from the Holy See and the Roman Curia. Recent attempts to foreclose on some theological discussion, which are at present unresolved, alarm us and are even a cause of scandal. Efforts to silence and even outlaw discussion are proving grave impediments to people accepting the credibility of the church as an institution. We are acutely aware of the way in which the church's teaching, for instance, on the right to religious freedom and on the values of ecumenism have radically developed over the last century. These developments frequently come about after the conscience of many of the people of God has rejected the older view. The church's traditional teachings often need new forms of expression and fresh applications to the varied problems of our time.
In England and Wales we were greatly encouraged by our bishops' recognition (especially as found in their Meditation on the Jubilee Church in September 1995) of the actual frailty of our communion. They conceded that in the church 'there are people who feel angry or hurt of excluded. We value their saying that we need to become a church more conscious of our own need for repentance, not least because we find ourselves sometimes excluding people whom Christ may well have invited into his company', and we were especially impressed by the humility with which they recognised the Lord's call to follow him joyfully along a path that is not always clear to us.
In the light of such reflective leadership by our bishops, many of our lay people are totally puzzled by the attitude of fear that seems to underlie certain statements from Rome. Enlightened by the Holy Spirit in their baptism and confirmation, they realise that they are called directly to the work of the church's mission and would like their insights on problematic issues to be taken into full account.
We have great confidence in the continuing presence of the Holy Spirit among us and the whole church. We are ready to face all kinds of uncertainties and the possibility of mistakes as we move forward in a fast changing and confusing world. People no longer expect simply authoritative decisions from a church leadership that does not appear to take their understanding into account.
It is possible that a more extended voice from the priests of Europe may encourage change whenever this is necessary for the good of the church.
Papers
| West, Morris, "Doctor Newman's Toast", Eureka Street, 8, 10, December 1998, page 24-28. Editorial: ' On 15 November, Morris West gave the following lecture at the Australian Catholic University, Sydney. The University site was once the administrative headquarters and the training ground for the Congregation of the Christian Brothers or Ireland. Morris West was once a member of that Congregation. This was his first return in 58 years.'. back |
Click on an "Amazon" link in the booklist at the foot of the page to buy the book, see more details or search for similar items
Related sites:
Concordat Watch
Revealing Vatican attempts to propagate its religion by international treaty
Copyright: You may copy this material freely provided only that you quote fairly and provide a link (or reference) to your source.
