Last week Bishop Longley wrote (The Tablet, 29 January) of the "three Ps": Prayer, Poverty and Peace. His article concerned the Eucharist and Ecumenism.
I was interested that his concentration on prayer brought him searching for closeness to other Christian groups but seemed to stop short of action. He had three paragraphs about sharing the Eucharist under "pastoral provisions"! This seemed to me to be yet another failure to grasp and wrestle with what separates us, and fails to tear these things apart and allow us to "share fully".
Christ said: "Take this and eat…" He gave no limitations; such as "only if you believe this, or this"!
I find it incomprehensible that no Catholic was officially present at the consecration of Bishop Libby Lane. If I am invited by a friend to attend any ceremony or celebration then it is hard to refuse on any grounds. I have been invited to share something which is important to them.
Where is Christ’s command in this situation? Do we have to look for excuses to disagree and strive to keep our Churches apart? This "non presence" is an obstacle to Ecumenism! What an insult to say "I cannot come".
When is the Church going to come to terms with sharing the significance of women’s place/role/responsibility in society and in Christian life? If this is the Catholic Church’s idea of friendship and Ecumenism then if I was an Anglican I don’t think I would want to pursue the dialogue any further. More seriously, for me, I question whether I want to be identified as a Catholic with the Church seemingly at odds with Christ’s teaching to "Love one another as I have loved you", unconditionally.
Steve Wilson, by email
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