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	Bishops Look for Forgiveness As World Youth Day Looms By Marcus Kuczynski Courier Mail June 19, 2008 http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23884991-953,00.html THE Catholic Church is seeking forgiveness for past hurts as part of its biggest initiative to attract lapsed members back to its fold. Comparing the church with any family which has its differences, the nation's Catholic bishops have embarked on a national outreach to non-practising members ahead of World Youth Day, which will bring 250,000 young followers to Sydney from July 15 to 20. The international Catholic youth festival also will mark the first visit to Australia by Pope Benedict XVI. More about World Youth Day in-depth While it is still unknown whether the Pope will make a formal apology to victims of sexual abuse during his visit, the bishops have sought forgiveness for any unspecified past hurts which may have been caused through the church. "The church is God's family. Sometimes people are hurt by other family members. We ask your forgiveness if you have been hurt in some way through the church," the bishops said. As part of their campaign, they placed advertisements in Sunday newspapers across the country last week in a bid to welcome back Catholics who have stopped attending worship. The ads encouraged people to come to mass, to talk to their parish priest or phone a special hotline, 1300 4 FAITH. The advertising blitz will be followed by a pastoral letter this weekend to all Catholic parishes, calling on them to be places of welcome. The church has also issued two new programs, Reconnect and Rewired, to help lapsed Catholics return to regular worship. Archbishop John Bathersby of Brisbane, who chairs the church's national Commission for Mission and Faith Formation, said there were many reasons Catholics had drifted away from regular worship, but he thought one of the main factors was the pressure of daily life. "Lots of people say they believe in God, but say they can't find the time to attend church," he said. Archbishop Bathersby, 71, who will attend his fourth World Youth Day next month, said the festival would help to put the question of faith at the forefront of people's attention and challenge them to look at their own lives more closely. The results of a National Church Life Survey found that while Catholics remained the largest religious denomination in Australia the numbers attending worship each Sunday were continuing to fall - from 15 per cent in 2001 to 14 per cent in 2006. Congregations also were ageing.
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