Friday, October 02, 2009

Catholic church must reach those who have left it, says new archbishop

The Roman Catholic church must address the challenge of "reaching and touching families" who have strayed from the religion, one of its most senior figures said today as he was revealed as the new archbishop of Birmingham.

Bishop Bernard Longley replaces the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, who earlier this year was installed as archbishop of Westminster.

Speaking before the official announcement in Birmingham, Longley reflected on the priorities and possibilities that lay ahead in his new role.

He said that while it was important to preach to the converted, it was also incumbent on the church to bring lapsed Catholics back into the fold.

"That's a challenge – to find ways of reaching and touching those families who have a Catholic heritage, but who don't always feel confident about living according to it today," he said, adding that the visit of the relics of St Therese, a Carmelite nun who died 112 years ago, had inspired thousands of people to be more confident about their religious identity.

"It has really been quite remarkable. I think the way in which faith has been strengthened, the numbers of people who have been visiting the cathedrals and churches and convents where her relics have rested – [The visit has] emboldened us to speak of our faith and indeed to speak about the importance of the Communion of the Saints."

Earlier this year Longley was widely tipped by bloggers and commentators to become the next archbishop of Westminster. He said Nichols, his predecessor, had left a "tremendous legacy".

The archdiocese of Birmingham comprises Warwickshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Worcestershire and those parts of Oxfordshire which belong to the former county of Oxfordshire north of the Thames. There are 282,592 Catholics in the archdiocese of Birmingham and 278 diocesan priests.

The diocese will be a focal point for Catholics in 2010, because of its ties to Cardinal Henry Newman, who is likely to become the first Englishman since the 17th century to be canonised. More significantly, it will be on the itinerary of the eagerly awaited papal visit by Benedict XVI.
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