We call on the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales to support a national celebration in each of their dioceses of the forty fifth anniversary of the closure of the Second Vatican Council in 2010. We ask them to re-commit themselves to the teachings of the Council and to implement programmes for the further renewal of our Church in line with the Decrees promulgated by the Council. We appeal to them to re-dedicate themselves to the words contained in Bishops Conference document 1995 The Sign we Give which said, "The Second Vatican Council gave the Catholic Church a renewed and dynamic understanding of its nature and purpose. It presented the Church as a communion of life, love and truth and an instrument for the salvation of all; as the light of the world and the salt of the earth it is sent forth into the whole world. Two of the most striking new emphases in all the Council said about the Church are those which laid foundations for a collaborative ministry; the emphasis on mission, and the recovery of laypeople's full share in the life holiness and mission of the Church".

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