In news from Britain and Ireland (19 January), you report that the Bishop of Dunkeld has launched a Year of Re-Evangelisation aimed at bringing lapsed Catholics back to Mass. The method is the usual one in these circumstances, namely more concentrated catechesis. Why do bishops always suppose that the solution to low Mass attendance is to proclaim the contents of the Catechism more loudly and in more detail? Why do they never suggest considering the message itself, to try to discover if there are aspects that might lack credibility for ordinary people?

If they did, it would reveal some fundamental details of Christian belief that require revision, as they are just not credible in today’s world, and that modern theologians provide alternative, helpful insights. It would also reveal that going to Mass is not always a very fulfilling experience for many people, for a variety of reasons.

Getting people into Mass seems a poor objective for a programme of evangelisation. Pope Francis says in Gaudete et Exsultate that “Christianity is meant to be lived” and holiness is to be found in all areas of normal life. This document would be a much more inspiring basis for a renewal programme and perhaps Bishop Robson, following his ad limina in Rome, already has this in hand.