Bishops call for 'president' of churches council

by Martin Newland
THE Bishops' Conference of England and Wales this week opted for full participation in the proposed ecumenical bodies for England, Wales, and Britain and Ireland outlined in the Inter Church report Churches Together in Pilgrimage and scheduled to replace the British Council of Churches in September 1990.
As a contribution to debate, the bishops have outlined some "points of concern" which should be taken into account by the Inter Church Steering Committee when finalising arrangements for the new ecumenical "instruments" as they are known.
Concerning the proposed ecumenical body for England, called Churches Together in England, the bishops have asked that its structures reflect adequately the "episcopal" hierarchical structures of the Catholic and Anglican Churches, as well as the "congregational" aspects of free church organisation. "Such a balance is important if the instruments are to continue . . to reflect the different ecclesiotogies of the participating churches," said the Secretary to the Bishops' Conference, Mgr Vincent Nichols this week.
The Bishops' Conference has also requested that any decisiontaking process on the part of CTE should be rooted in the authority structures of each participating church. The new body should have a visible leadership, or "presidency" to whom the media and ordinary Christians can relate.
The bishops made a heartfelt plea that wherever possible, the instruments and new coordinating ecumenical bodies for England, Wales and Britain and Ireland should take their agenda from local ecumenical initiatives and needs.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Catholic Episcopal Conference has formally agreed to proposals for a new ecumenical body called Action of Churches Together in Scotland.
For the first time, both Protestants and Catholics in Scotland can look forward to sharing a common forum for ecumenical reflection and action, since the new ecumenical body will replace the Scottish Churches Council, this time with the Scottish Catholic Church in full membership.