Both the Church of England and the Catholic Church are anxious to influence the public agenda. The Newsnight episode is just the latest instance of the Catholic bishops’ reticence and limited profile, compared with their Anglican counterparts. Time and again, the Church of England ”“ and some other Âbodies such as the Jewish Leadership Council ”“ appear to be more sure-footed in their engagement with Government and civil society.
Why is this, and what is holding back the Catholic Church? Part of the difficulty is the contrasting backgrounds, formation, experience and responsibilities of Catholic and Anglican bishops. The Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, and Dr Williams lead Churches whose pathways to the nation are as different as if their leaders had lived in two separate worlds.
The article focuses almost entirely on process rather than outcomes. One would imagine if the COE is so much more skilled at handling the process that it would lead to outcomes that the COE desire to see effected. It would be good to know what such outcomes are.