Bishops report from their Plenary Assembly

Image: CBCEW

A virtual press conference was held on Friday, 15 November to discuss the Bishops' plenary meeting in Leeds that took place between 11-14 November at Hinsley Hall. The event was chaired by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops' Conference Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues and Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Chair of the Bishops' Conference International Affairs department.

At their Plenary Assembly, the bishops listened to the reflections given by the three Episcopal delegates from England and Wales who attended the second session of the 16th Ordinary Synod of Bishops in Rome. While awaiting the official English translation of the Synod's Final Document, which has been approved by Pope Francis, the bishops were pleased to see how the fruits of the Synod will both complement the current work being undertaken by the Conference as well as deepen and enhance the participation of the faithful in strengthening the communion and mission of the Church.

Amongst the current work being undertaken by the Conference, the bishops are developing the formation which will be required for those members of the lay faithful who are called to the instituted ministries of Lector, Acolyte and Catechist. In addition to these instituted ministries, the bishops also discussed the importance of the development of other baptismal gifts and charisms which are necessary for the life of the Church and for the service of the People of God as emphasised by the Synod. These too require careful discernment and formation to ensure that they contribute to the communion of the Church and its authentic mission.

A deep reflection will need to be undertaken by local Churches, and by clergy and laity in their local parish communities, to discover how the fruits of the Synod gathered in the Final Document might be harnessed to mission.

The Bishops' Conference supported the proposed National Evangelisation Festival 2025 planned for 25-28th July 2025 at St Mary's College, Oscott. It thanks the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom for its vision, organisation and backing of this, and potential subsequent celebrations in preparation for the great Jubilee of Redemption in 2033.

Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, was appointed Episcopal Secretary to the Conference. The Conference appoints Mr Gregory Pope as Acting General Secretary to work alongside Bishop Hudson.

The Bishops "expressed their profound gratitude to the Holy Father for the publication of the fourth Encyclical Letter of his papacy Dilexit Nos on the human and divine love of the Heart of Jesus Christ. The Person of Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour, God's revelation to humanity, is the source and centre of our Christian faith."

"In Dilexit Nos, Pope Francis proposes that we should always be 'Christ-centred people' who drink from the loving Heart of Christ in order that we become people 'capable of forging bonds of fraternity, of recognizing the dignity of each human being, and of working together to care for our common home' (202). We thank the Holy Father for citing Julian of Norwich, St Claude de la Colombière and St John Henry Newman who are closely related with our lands. Indeed, he notes that it 'was in the Eucharist that Newman encountered the living heart of Jesus, capable of setting us free, giving meaning to each moment of our lives, and bestowing true peace (27).' We warmly commend this Encyclical for prayerful study and reflection that all may discover for themselves those "streams of living water" flowing from Christ's Heart 'that can heal the hurt we have caused, strengthen our ability to love and serve others, and inspire us to journey together towards a just, solidary and fraternal world' (220)."

The Bishop also issued separate statements on the anniversary of the Ukrainian Holodomor Famine-Genocide.
See: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/51097

and Assisted Suicide ahead of the Second Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/51095