CLOSED-CIRCUIT television units and -over,flow meetings" were needed to cope with
thousands of students taking part in a campaign to promote understanding between Christians of all denominations and non-Christians at Liverpool University last week.
At dozens of informal coffee partica more than 5,000 students and professors hammered out issues raised by a learn of 16 missioners led by the Archbishop of
anterbury and including five Catholic priests. It was the First venture of its kind at Liverpool.
Called "Christian Encounter 19641" the four-day drive was planned to have a major impact on the life of the university. The aim was lo get the basic tenets of Christianity across to the students and cause a ferment of interested discussion amongst them.
"We have conic here in the service of truth in order to help ihose who are seeking after truth", said Dr. Ramsey. "Our ecumenical encounter will deepen arid challenge and enrich in a way that is very good for us all.
I i homes McGoldrick, Uni
Sersitv chaplain told the Cal-mem Hi Hato: "We are still too close to the events themselves to give a completely accurate assessment of the lasting effects of the encounter on the university. But one can record a few tentative impressions.
"The first is that the students at Liverpool University are still very much interested in religion. They crowded to hear the Archbishop teaching traditional Christian theology. And the second is that the authorities. in a constitutionally secular university, showed themselves very much aware of the value of such discussion."
The main characteristic of the team of missioners was "cohesion of effort and mutual charity". Fr. McGoldrick said. A daily conference ensured a common direction of effort. The plan was a daily lunch-hour talk in the StudentsUnion by Archbishop Ramsey, a question-time each afternoon and an evening dialogue between speakers chosen to represent differing viewpoints.