Catholics liven up ecumenical groups

BY A STAFF REPORTER OF about 650 local Councils of Churches throughout the country, 248 have active participation by Catholics. Catholics take a particular interest in Greater London, the northern Home Counties, in Northumberland, Durham and Cumberland.
This was stated in the introduction to a report "Local Councils of Churches Today", by the Department of Mission and Unity, to the British Council of Churches.
Most councils confine their activities to the Week of Prayer and to Christian Aid, and most have reached a state of frustra
tion, says the report. Those Councils in which Catholics are active sponsor a marginally greater number of activities than others, the report states.
It makes it clear that Catholic involvement began with the Second Vatican Council. In 1965 Dr. Ruth Slade conducted a survey which showed that nearly half of the then 500 Councils had some association with Catholics in their areas. A further survey in 1967 revealed that the situation had developed, and Catholics were already full members in a number of Councils, associate members in others, with Catholic observers present at the meetings of a large percentage.