NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF PRIESTS

Papal visit is part of Renewal process
LAST WEEK delegates representing 5,000 priests in England and Wales were addressed by Cardinal Hume and Archbishop Worlock who stressed that the Papal visit. the National Pastoral Congress and Easter People were all part of the Renewal of the Church in England and Wales.
Speaking in Birmingham. at the National Conference of Priests Archbishop Worloek said that people should not see the Papal visit as "a one-off jamboree", but as a Nrt of a process of Renewal. He told' delegates not to worry too much about what it would cost. "Let us try and see what it will do." he said.
Cardinal Flume, when asked during a short impromptu Press conference during his visit to the conference, if we could afford it, replied "it depends on the way we do it. We would like it to be done well, but we have no intention of doing it extravagantly."
Archbishop Worlock told the Catholic Herald that it was always the intention to invite the Holy Father to England at some stage after the Congress. "It was discussed by the Standing Committee of the Bishop's Conference, and agreed that the invitation would be given when Cardinal Hume and I presented a copy of the Easter People to the Holy Father at Castelgandolfo on August 23.
Archbishop Worlock said the Pope was "very interested" in the Easter People and was already very well informed about what had happened at the Congress.
"When we presented the document and gone through it with him during our two-hour private audience, we asked him what he would think about a visit to England and Wales and I was very surprised at the rapidity with which he agreed to come."
We were told that there were some 37 countries with invitations before us, and that four visits a year was probably the practical maximum, and so at that rate we could have expecterd to see him in England in about 10 years' time."
"There is no date and no programme yet, but the visit will be discussed at the next meeting of the Bishop's Conference which takes place in November."
Cardinal Hume and Archbishop Worloek refused to be drawn on what personal preference they would have for an itinerary. Archbishop Worlock said: "We must try to ensure that the Pope goes to places of maximum accessibility to the largest number of people."