What are the challenges for a rural diocese like Herefordshire?
The Archbishop of Canterbury has spent the first day of his three-day visit to the diocese in the city centre, but he accepts the rural nature of Herefordshire throws up some challenges.
He said quite often the problems are hidden behind the beauty of one of the Church of England’s most rural dioceses.
“I think every diocese is challenging nowadays, I don’t suppose there was ever a time when they really weren’t,” The Most Reverend Justin Welby said.
“I think particularly now it is very challenging and every diocese has its own particular challenges.
“Obviously a rural diocese like Herefordshire you’re dealing with much smaller communities, the whole agricultural sector where the Church has always been very engaged for a thousand years.
“And often the problems in a rural diocese are hidden behind beautiful buildings, rolling hills, you know grazing cattle, yet they are as real.
“So yet the challenge of the Church to love and care for the communites is as great, but the capacity to do so is a big challenge.”
Read it all and enjoy all the pictures.
https://t.co/YOM8Nxnx0y a great photo of Archbishop Justin at St James Messy Church in this article. @HerefordDiocese @MessyChurchBRF
— Kathy Bland (@Kathymessybland) October 14, 2019