The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales met for the first of their bi-annual plenary meetings of 2018. Here you can read or download the statements and resolutions from the meeting that took place at Hinsley Hall in the Diocese of Leeds from 16 – 19 April 2018.
“Today there is intense public debate about gender. It highlights not only the suffering and discomfort of some, but also raises profound questions about human nature, how we understand ourselves, relate to one another and our capacity for self-determination…”
“We, the Bishops of England and Wales, are immensely grateful for the reflection on holiness which the Holy Father has given in Gaudete et Exsultate. We commend it to all those who seek wholeness and peace in their lives…”
The Bishops’ Conference designates 2020 as a Year in celebration of The God who Speaks, inviting the Church in England and Wales to listen afresh to the Word of God as did Our Blessed Lady at the Annunciation, to encounter anew the presence of that Word and to proclaim it afresh in the Church and the World.
At this time of heightened international tension, we ask our priests and people to pray daily for peace in the world and for a greater collaboration between all nations. We recommend that, in the coming months, the following Prayer be used at Mass:
Let us pray, through the intercession of Mary Queen of Peace, for peace on earth and an end to violence and terrorism in our world, for a new spirit of trust and collaboration between nations, for the gift of wisdom for our politicians and leaders, and especially for the resolution of long-standing conflicts in Syria, Gaza and Ukraine, and in other countries around the world.
A press conference to explain the Bishops’ plenary resolutions can be played using the embed below.
The panel for the press conference consisted of Bishop John Sherrington, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, Fr Chris Thomas, General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference, Dr Philip McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) and Isaac Withers who represented the Catholic youth of England and Wales at a pre-Synod meeting in Rome ahead of the main Synod of Bishops gathering that covered the theme ‘Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment’.
Plenary Overview – April 2018
