Half way through Synod: Archbishop Longley takes stock
(Vatican Radio) Half way through the three week Synod of Bishops on New Evangelisation
taking place here in the Vatican, there are several key themes that have emerged as
essential for the revitalisation of the faith in different countries around the world.
Formation, a solid grounding in the faith and better training for priests and
lay people has been seen as a number one priority, alongside the ability to live out
the Christian faith in love and solidarity, in concrete gestures of charity and closeness
to all those who suffer or seek a sense of meaning in their lives. As the Synod
fathers gathered to mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second
Vatican Council last week, participants have also stressed the ecumenical imperative,
that overcoming “the scandal of divisions” is more essential than ever before if we
are to be effective witnesses to Christ in our secular world. Among those who
chose to focus on the importance of ecumenism was the English Archbishop of Birmingham
Bernard Longley, co-chairman of ARCIC III, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International
Commission. He shared some insights with Vatican Radio’s Philippa Hitchen…