SIR – Following the publication of the critical review of the (Roman Catholic) Leeds Diocese’s reorganisation of parishes, we, the parishioners of the Good Shepherd Mytholmroyd, want to offer our support and prayers, particularly to the people of the Bradford area who have been hurt and felt abandoned in the process.
There was little or no consultation with the laity over either the reasons for the need to reorganise or as to how it could be achieved.
As the review by the Kinharvie Institute in Glasgow – Providing Priests For The People – which was commissioned by the Bishop, stated, the process focused on “negative reasons for change – the declining number of priests – and failed to inspire a positive vision for the future.”
We recognise that there can be no future vision for the Diocese without the partnership and participation of the laity in leading the Church forward.
We hope that the recommendations of the Kinharvie report will be fully implemented, especially the process of reconciliation with the affected areas to begin to heal the damage that has been caused and to reassure the laity that they are just as much a part of the Church as the hierarchy.
Mary Rossiter, chairman, Parish Consultors, Church of the Good Shepherd, Mytholmroyd
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