Liverpool pastoral power house
by Louis Jebb
SHARING will he the theme of the first meeting of the new Liverpool A rehdiocesan Pastoral Council. Mien 250 representatives of deancties, religious older', and lav oraanisations conic together on May 4 and 5 to discuss Sharing in Chris: is life and ini.sion.
The council has been set up in accordance with ileum 511 of the 1983 Code ot canon I as NO jell states that pastoral councils should bc set up in each diocese to stud■ and considet matters "which concern the pastoral works 01" the diocese arid to propose 1)1 actical conclusions concerning them".
Follow ing On I rom the work of parish co in In it I ees and deanery councils in lite past ftm years, Archbishop Worlock of Liverpool said, -we must move to a pastoral council so that as an Archdiocese Ave can play out part better in the life and mission of the Church".
The announcement of the Council meeting and its theme comes less than a nionth alto a group of leading Catholics said that the emphasis on laity and clergy sharing Min kt ry 1 hal came front the National Pastoral Congress of 1981 has all hut died.
In a letter to the Catholic Herald, nine past Presidents of the Newman Assoetai on said that, al a time when !nisei ■ and 511 frelThe seelti io he inereasine. the spirit of the 1981 Coignes,' appears to have died. "to the majority of orviinat churchgoers it is as if the eN etiL had never taken place".
1 he council's agenda . settled by inviting responses from all the archdiocese's 32 deaneries and then 176 pat ishes to a discussion document called ii Ittii Mir, of Church do luc
It) he? the response to the klocumein been dis ided kilo hi kiln!, ono.
Icsponsibilits and Christian he I ILiililv. and pat ish.
Lintel the title 01 k
inetilireis isill (Iisenss the need Ia clot its the "inisandeistoncline 01 the relationships ink oh bet w cell ordained attil 'tallish:is-. and the need fin joint \senate woik as well as 111“)1\ enwill in catecheties and ministry of the ettchin ist .
In the Chi istia ii limitation categories. menthe] s %yin illk:Illdi diSel.lSrSiOn of the +‘ clime oi
separated, Ilk 011eell LI rid ied Cal holies alld ir"nottank..e of catholic sehook.
1ziell al ill be discussed
separately hypickups, 01 50 members, which will in I te ti be It k ided in to silt i.r0111 lit L L cc'.