Bishops’ Conference Easter 2022

This week, from Sunday to Friday, the Bishops’ Conference is being held. Usually, the conference is held at Hinsley Hall, Leeds, but this time we are in Cardiff. The Bishops of England and Wales meet twice a year for a conference, in the spring, a couple of weeks after Easter, and in late autumn, during the second week of November. In addition there are now four online day-long meetings, one per three months. In the past, the spring conference has often been extended by a few days to include a short retreat or a period of in-service formation, such as in 2019 when we met at the Royal English College in Valladolid for a week on Safeguarding. The programme is normally quite intense. Business starts at 9.30 and runs though to the evening, with a short break for lunch. Much of the time is taken up with departmental business, reflecting on the various works being done by the different departments of the Conference. This time, as we are in Cardiff, one afternoon we will be visiting the Welsh Senedd, followed by a Reception at Cardiff Castle. All the bishops of England and Wales attend, including the Bishop of the Forces, the Ukranian Eparch and Syro-Malabar Eparch, and the Apostolic Administrator of the Prefecture of the Falkland Islands (the latter being also the Ecclesiastical Superior of the Missions to Ascension islands, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha). The Conference concludes on Friday morning with voting on the various proposals and propositions. Please say a prayer to the Holy Spirit that the Spirit will guide our discussions, deliberations and decisions this week.