Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth has initiated a reform of his diocese’s pastoral practice in response to Pope Francis’s Amoris Laetitia.
In a pastoral letter read out in the diocese’s churches on Sunday, Bishop Egan said he would like both clergy and lay people to “review and develop our pastoral practice” concerning marriage.
The bishop added that the Pope’s apostolic exhortation “does not change Church discipline”, a reference to the issue of Communion for the divorced and remarried, but rather calls for a “new attitude”.
He said the document looked at four areas in particular: promoting the vocation to marriage among young people; marriage preparation; supporting families; and helping those “in troubled relationships and so-called ‘irregular unions’”.
Bishop Egan called for a “richer theology and deeper culture of vocation throughout the diocese”, treating marriage as a “call from God … in the Church for the world”.
He mentioned possible changes in the curriculum, and commended the Explore programme, in which married couples give presentations to schoolchildren.
Describing marriage preparation as a “crucial area”, Bishop Egan recommended a 12-month notice period, so that pastors had time to help a couple prepare for marriage.
He also reiterated canon law’s requirement that Catholics should normally receive the sacrament of Confirmation before that of Matrimony.
Bishop Egan asked for a review of current practice in the diocese to make sure marriage preparation covered “the sacramental theology of marriage, the spirituality of marriage and family life, advice on NFP and communication skills”.
Churches to hold national collection for Walsingham
A national collection for the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham will be held in September.
The Bishops of England and Wales are launching a one-off collection for the shrine, which dates back to the 11th century. It will take place on the weekend of September 24-25. The feast of Our Lady of Walsingham is on September 24.
Last year the shrine launched a £10 million appeal. It is hoped that £6 million will pay for upgrading buildings, with a new cloister, refectory, conference and retreat centre, as well as new accommodation for the disabled. The rest of the money will focus on developing the work of the shrine.
News of the appeal came as it emerged that the Catholic television network EWTN is establishing a studio at Walsingham – its first in Britain.
Mgr John Armitage, the rector of Walsingham, said he was delighted about the studio. He said: “EWTN were looking for a place where they could be based and have an experience of a vibrant crossroads of Catholicism – that’s why they came to Walsingham.”
Mgr Armitage said the studio would “have a warm welcome for all who visit”.
England’s Marian statues reunited
On Saturday, for the first time in 30 years, Catholics from Westminster travelled on a diocesan pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols led 4,500 pilgrims who brought the statue of Our Lady of Willesden with them. The last time the Willesden and Walsingham statues were together was 1538, when they were burned by Thomas Cromwell.
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