Nuncio to Bishops: Express Church teaching in a clear and outspoken way


On St George's day, the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Mennini addressed the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales at their Plenary meeting in Leeds. He began by speaking of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and asking for generosity in support of it. He spoke of the Bishops' pastoral letter on marriage as "a good start." On the question of marriage, he raised another issue, quoting Pope Benedict:
On the practical level, marriage preparation programmes must be carefully reviewed to ensure that there is greater concentration on their catechetical component and their presentation of the social and ecclesial responsibilities entailed by Christian marriage. In this context we cannot overlook the serious pastoral problem presented by the widespread practice of cohabitation, often by couples who seem unaware that it is gravely sinful, not to mention damaging to the stability of society.
A little further on, he said:
We all know how difficult it is to live in an increasingly secularised society but, that is why we need to express the teaching of the Church in a clear and outspoken way. This testimony in public life will affect the future of the young and will, God willing, also touch the hearts of all persons of goodwill who are seeking meaning in their lives and, often without realising it, are in fact, searching for God.
Here is a link to the full address.

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