The Right Reverend Jonathan Gledhill made the comments in a
wide-ranging presidential address to a Lichfield Diocesan Synod meeting.
Addressing the issue of the Ordinariat – the section set up for
former Anglicans unhappy about issues such as the ordination of women
bishops – Bishop Jonathan said: "How many clergy and people have left
our diocese to take up the offer of the Pope?
"Well, not enough people have left… to undermine 40 years of ecumenical work together.
"We have been growing much closer together and relationships
have been much better at a local level and a national level; so it is
not likely that will be fazed by this."
He told the Synod that three retired clergy and a church warden
from the diocese have told him they intend to leave to join the Roman
Catholic Church and he said: "We wish them well."
He urged others who were thinking of going to wait until the
General Synod's final vote because "there is still everything to play
for and pray for".
Bishop Jonathan said he wanted clergy or groups of laity who are
seriously thinking about leaving the Church of England to join the
Ordinariat to invite him, or one the diocese's area bishops or
archdeacons to a meeting of the Parochial Church Council.
And he added: "Of course there is also two-way traffic between us and Rome. We regularly receive Roman Catholics into our congregations and ministry.
"Maybe we should set up our own Ordinariat for people coming in the opposite direction," he joked.
The bishop also addressed the marginalisation of Christianity,
saying: "Now is not the time to weaken the place of the Christian faith,
and the Church of England in particular in our nation.
"It's quite moving to realise, as I did again this week, that our Parliament does nothing without prayer.
"And I know that schools all over this city welcome our youth
leaders and our church workers in to take assembly or RE lessons and
good relationships are fostered."
He added: "There is quite a head of steam at the moment about Christians being persecuted.
"Certainly they are in many parts of the world and they deserve
our prayers and our support and the support of our government too.
"But some of the stories about persecution in this country need to be taken with more than a pinch of salt.
"It is very important if we get up on our high horse about a topic for us to know the truth and not just rely on press reports."
Bishop Jonathan concluded by telling the Synod the diocese was
aware that money it receives from the Church Commissioners as one of
the poorest dioceses in the Church of England was likely to be cut in
two years' time.
"We are going to… look closely at our mission resources and see
which churches are more vulnerable if they lose the Church Commissioners
subsidy, and in particular which ones we should continue to help as a
diocese," he added.
"I am confident that though several churches are struggling we need not be pessimistic about our future."