Fear of being disciplined by Rome is inhibiting bishops and priests
from advocating church reforms, the first national meeting of a new
church group heard this week.Chris Larkman, an organiser of "A Call to Action" (Acta), said there was a strong sense at the group's meeting in Leeds that there needs to be an end to fear within the Church.
"There was a strong sense that this fear is not of Christ, not of the Christian Church," he said. "Bishops who are frightened of Rome, laity fearful of priests, priests fearful of bishops. It is not creative and there seems to be a lot of it in the Church."
Acta is calling for better dialogue between bishops and laity on issues such as ordaining married men, the role of the Roman Curia and a theology of sexuality more closely rooted in the experiences of the laity.
Mgr Marcus Stock, the General Secretary of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, attended the gathering at Hinsley Hall, on Monday and Tuesday.