Archbishop Worlock and Dr1 Sheppard try to reconcile parties

Liverpool's two bishops join in budget appeal
by Christopher Rails ARCHBISHOP Derek Worlock of Liverpool, and the Anglican Bishop of Liverpool, Dr David Sheppard, have been making last-minute attempts to reconcile the split parties in Liverpool City Council over the future of a budget for the city.
Last Friday Archbishop Worlock appealed for further prayers for the City of Liverpool in the light of the decision of the City Council the previous day to postpone consideration of a budget.
He said "The time for speeches is over, whether inflammatory or not. Clearly in these next days there has to be a great deal of talking together and of listening, in the hope of finding a way to reopen negotiations — with realism but without threat. We should continue our prayers to that effect."
The archbishop made his remarks in a sermon at a lunchtime service at Liverpool Parish Church.
Fr Paul Thompson, a spokesman for Archbishop Worlock said this week that the two Liverpool bishops were not acting as " key mediators" between Mr Patrick Jenkin Environment Secretary, and Liverpool City Council, as the Sunday Times had reported.
Fr Thompson said that Archbishop Worlock and Bishop Sheppard had been approached by Liverpool City Council officers and Trades Union officials to mediate with Mr Jenkin, but they had not met with the Environment Secretary since the council had voted on the issue of the city budget.
The bishops had expressed grave anxiety over the ruling Labour council's threat of a nobudget or illegal budget situation.
He said the bishops did not regard their rote as political. "They regard their role as that of bringing together the estranged parties" he said.
In his sermon at Liverpool parish church, Archbishop Worlock criticised the Government for cutting youth training schemes.
"It would be idle to deny the dangers and obstructions of present Government policy in aiding schemes to relate training for jobs of a traditional kind" he said.
"This policy of the Government regarding the training of young people is as wrong as the refusal to admit that there is no foreseeable return to full employment" he said.
He warned: "If cultural interest is lost as well as job opportunity, powerlessness soon becomes inert and active despair".