What needs the Bishop's permission, and what does not

Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Shrewsbury take part in many ecumenical activities every year, from Lenten reflections to Week of Prayer for Christian Unity services to joint witness on social questions. Most of this work needs no permission beyond the agreement of the parish priest. A small number of activities, defined by the Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, do.

Permission from Bishop Mark Davies is needed for:

• Joint services held inside a Catholic church where ministers of another Christian community lead any part of the worship.
• Hosting a non-Catholic celebration in a Catholic building, for example a wedding rehearsal where the bride is to be married in a Methodist chapel and the families want to gather first.
• Regular use of a Catholic building by another Christian community, even on a short lease.
• The lending of major liturgical items, such as a relic or a sacred vessel, to another community.

Permission is not needed for:

• Informal joint prayer in a Christian Aid event, school assembly or hospital chapel.
• A Catholic priest preaching at the invitation of an Anglican or Free Church minister, provided the rules on the Eucharist are kept.
• Local Churches Together activity, retreats and shared social action.
• Walking and prayer pilgrimages that pass through churches of different communities.

The Eucharist

The Eucharist is not shared in the ordinary course between Catholics and members of other Christian communities. Bishop Davies has been clear, drawing on the Catechism, the witness of Cardinal Newman and the constant tradition of the Church, that Eucharistic communion is the fruit of full communion in faith, sacraments and governance. Any application that proposes shared Eucharistic celebration will be declined.

This is not a barrier to friendship. As Bishop Davies has often noted, the Catholic loan of the relic of St Chad to an Anglican cathedral was a genuine gesture of Christian fellowship and was carried out without any compromise of doctrine.

How to apply

The application is short and is dealt with by the Bishop's Office on his behalf. The Vicars General, Canon Jonathan Brandon and Canon Michael Gannon, will normally make the recommendation that the Bishop signs off.

1. Write a single email to curia@dioceseofshrewsbury.org with the subject line "Ecumenical permission request".
2. Open with one sentence stating the date of the proposed event and the parish involved.
3. List the partner community or communities, naming the minister who will take part.
4. Attach a draft order of service or running order. If a printed booklet has not yet been written, a bullet list will do.
5. Note any media or photography arrangements, especially if a bishop or senior minister of another community is attending.
6. State which Catholic priest or deacon will preside and who will preach.
7. Allow at least six weeks for a reply. Urgent requests can be considered, but they pull a busy office off other work and should be exceptional.

What the Bishop will weigh

Bishop Davies considers ecumenical applications against the Directory and the Church's tradition. His standing test is whether the proposed event helps Catholics and other Christians to grow in mutual understanding without obscuring what the Catholic Church teaches.

Whenever the Church celebrates the Eucharist, she remembers this promise and turns her gaze to Him who is to come.

This Catechism reference, which Bishop Davies has used in his own pastoral letters, sets the horizon for ecumenical work. Joint prayer is good and welcome. Shared communion belongs to a unity not yet given.

If you receive permission

The reply from the Bishop's Office will set out any conditions: who may preach, where the Catholic celebrant should sit, what must and must not appear in the printed booklet, and any reporting back the diocese asks for. Read these conditions carefully and circulate them to your partners well before the event.

After the event, send a short note to curia@dioceseofshrewsbury.org describing how it went, with any photographs. The Communications Director, Simon Caldwell, may want to share good news on the diocesan website. He can be reached on simon.caldwell@dioceseofshrewsbury.org.

If you receive a refusal

A refusal is rare and always carries a reason. If the answer is no, the Bishop's Office will suggest a different shape for the gathering, often a service of the Word in a neutral building, or a joint prayer event hosted by your Churches Together group. Take that suggestion seriously. It is offered in the same spirit as the original request, and Bishop Davies has spoken often of the friendship the diocese has built with neighbours of other Christian communities across Shropshire, Cheshire, the Wirral and Greater Manchester.