ARCHBISHOP Derek Woriock and Bishop Michael Henshall, the Anglican Bishop of Warrington. were among local corn munity leaders who met the Prime Minister, Mrs Margaret Thatcher, on her visit to Liverpool on Monday. Bishop Henshall was deputising for Bishop David Sheppard. the Bishop of Liverpool, who is on sabbatical leave.
In a pastoral message to the Liverpool archdiocese last Sunday, Archbishop Worlock said it had been "a hard week for Liverpool". He offered sympathy and prayers for those directly involved with the riot, especially injured policemen. He asked Catholics to contribute to the Lord Mayor of Liverpool's Toxteth appeal Fund, for those needing emergency aid.
The archbishop said that while there was a need to analyse and tackle the root causes of the trouble, our immediate concern should be with the restoration of peace. "We cannot condemn violence in Belfast .and try to explain it away in Toxteth," he said. "We should go eils2, with recriminations and condemnations," the archbishop continued. "Rather we should concentrate upon the building up of our family life which in the longterm is the only real answer to our problems". This meant closer collaboration between parents. teachers and priests.
To the young people he said: "Only a handful of hot-heads can give your generation a bad name." He said young people had their responsibilities as well as their parents, and he told them not to be discouraged or led into irresponsible action because they felt frustrated.
Bishop Thomas Holland of Salford said last week that it would be wrong to attribute our present problems simply to material deprivation.
Speaking last Thursday, the day after the Moss Side riot in Manchester, Bishop Holland said the root cause of the problem was "a defect in love".
"Where no love for God's law has been passed on. it is unlikely that there will be any love or respect for civil or criminal law," said Bishop Holland. An abdication of tuition in love and respect by countries or parents meant "depriving their dependents of the mainspring of civilised community livingsaid the bishop.