Bishop Philip Egan says his suggestion was prompted by the recent scandals of clerical sexual abuse.

"Clerical sex abuse seems to be a world-wide phenomenon in the Church," Egan says in his letter.

"As a Catholic and a Bishop, these revelations fill me with deep sorrow and shame."

He says he asked for the synod because he feels compelled to offer a more "constructive suggestion" to the abuse crisis.

The synod could be preceded by a "congress" for bishops that is organised and run by members of the laity.

Organisers should have "particular expertise" in clergy abuse scandals and in forming policy for safeguarding children and other vulnerable people, he suggests.

From there, the synod's results could be carried into a formal session of the Synod of Bishops in Rome.

Egan says topics at the extraordinary synod could include discussing the "identity of being a priest [or] bishop," and devising guidance on "life-style and supports for celibacy," to proposing a "rule of life for priests [and] bishops" and establishing "appropriate forms of priestly [and] episcopal accountability and supervision."

Egan said the results of such a synod could be used to inform changes to canon law and help dioceses draft their own "directories for clergy." He also noted that as a diocesan bishop he had "few tools" to help him in the day-to-day management of clergy, and compared this with the structures and supports which existed in seminaries to help formators assess and develop vocations.

"By contrast, once ordained, priests [and] bishops have few formal on-going assessments or ministerial supervision," Egan wrote.

"It ought to be possible to devise mechanisms to help bishops in their responsibilities towards clergy and to help clergy realise they are not ‘lone operatives' but ministers accountable to the direction and leadership of the diocese."

Source

• Catholic Herald
• CruxNow
• Image: Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth
  

Bishop Philip Egan's pastoral message followed a report which concluded 650 people died at a hospital within his diocese between 1989 and 2000 after they were given large doses of painkillers without medical justification.

Egan said he was "shocked and saddened" by the report and described the deaths as "a terrible tragedy."

Seriously ill patients are still facing the same threats within Britain's National Health Service, Egan says.

The likelihood of them being over-sedated and dehydrated mean people are safer being cared for at home than in hospital, he says.

While he says Britain's National Health Service "is a huge blessing," Egan says it's important to be "vigilant to the policies, values, priorities and procedures that operate within it."

"As next of kin, gently insist on being involved in decisions. It might be appropriate to ask staff for a second opinion or a re-evaluation of treatment."

He has also called for a review of geriatric and end-of-life care "in relation to fundamental moral principles."

In this respect, he noted it is "not morally permissible until the very last to withdraw feeding and hydration."

So far, no medical professionals have been prosecuted following the investigation into the deaths of the 650 people.

Jeremy Hunt, who is the secretary of state for health, has indicated that police will study new evidence produced by the investigating panel.

Source

• Crux
• Catholic Herald
• Catholic Register
• Image: Twitter.com

The Bishop of Portsmouth, Bishop Philip Egan, said denial of Communion is an act of mercy.

This is with the hope that individuals can be brought back into full communion with the Church.

MPs told The Tablet that ordinary Catholics would be appalled at such a position.

Bishop Egan told LifeSiteNews that when Catholics vote in favour of same-sex marriage, they shouldn't be receiving Communion.

Of politicians in his own diocese who backed same-sex marriage, he said: "I personally would be in favour of saying that somebody should not be receiving Communion."

However, he added that he would "have to act really with the other members of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales".

He called for his confreres to debate the issue.

A spokesman for the England and Wales bishops' conference said there were "no plans" for the bishops to discuss the proposal at their next meeting.

Forty-seven out of at least 82 Catholic MPs last year voted in favour of allowing same-sex marriage.

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill was passed in the United Kingdom House of Commons by 400 votes to 175.

Conservative Party MP Conor Burns, whose seat is in Bishop Egan's diocese, called the bishop's comments a tragedy.

Mr Burns said Bishop Egan "appears not to have noticed that we have a new gentle shepherd preaching a Christ-like message of inclusivity, love tolerance and forgiveness".

"I look to the guidance of the Holy Father Pope Francis," said Mr Burns.

Labour's Siobhain McDonagh and Stephen Pound, as well as the Conservative's Bill Cash made similar comments to The Tablet.

No Catholic MP contacted by The Tablet backed the Bishop's comments

Bishop Egan told LifeSiteNews that "nobody is forced to be Catholic".

"We're called by Christ and he's chosen us, it's a free choice. We live under the word of God. It's not my truth, it's God's truth," he said.

Sources:

• The Tablet
• LifeSiteNews
• Image: Portsmouth.co.uk

"Its intentions are benign," he writes, "yet as a pastor, my own experience, together with anecdotal evidence, suggests that what should be supported dying becomes blurred with assisted dying."

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