ARCHBISHOP John Bathersby of Brisbane has urged Catholics to return to prayer and fasting during Lent, reminding them that these practices are still an integral part of the Catholic spiritual tradition.
‘Prayer and fasting are not aspects of old fashioned spirituality, but are just as necessary today as they have ever been,’ he says in his Lenten pastoral letter.
Archbishop John Bathersby calls on the people of the archdiocese to observe Lent fully and to give generously to the Project Compassion appeal.
He also encourages Catholics to dialogue with their Islamic neighbours in the community.
Archbishop Bathersby says people are more aware than ever of the impact of remarkable developments in travel and communication, of the expanding world population and ‘of the increasing and unfortunate temptation to use violence as a solution to the often complicated problems associated with these developments’.
Go to full text of Lenten Pastoral Letter
