The Bishop of Lancaster has created another parish for the Syro-Malabar rite of the Catholic Church. What a wonderful sign of the legitimate diversity found within the Catholic Church! This diversity does not threaten diocesan life but enhances it. It would be wonderful if dioceses through England thought creatively along these lines, instead of a mentality one so often encounters, that of managing a decline. The sort of thinking one so often finds includes such questions: how can we minimise the number of church buildings we have so it doesn't cost us too much? How can we minimise the number of masses we offer so it is easy to manage? How can we centralise everything so the priests' job is easier? etc. The signal this gives to society in which we live is that the Church is fading away and society doesn't need to take any notice of it. Whereas there is great diversity in worldwide Catholicism, which is rich and growing. And even in this country initiatives like the Ordinariate show that there can be diversity within the one communion of the Church, and that this diversity has the potential to bring new life into the Church.
Fr Ian
Article regarding the Bishop of Lancaster's creation of another Syro-Malabar rite personal parish.
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=27248
