In October last year a group from throughout the diocese met together for two days to formulate a strategic pastoral plan for the diocese. For the next five years the vision statement above will guide the diocese as we focus on the five pastoral priorities below, one each for the next five years, to help develop this vision. • Companioning (this will be the focus in 2021-22) • Partnerships/Mana Ōrite • Mission/Outreach • Empowering and Enabling • Facilitating the Encounter With Christ It is envisaged that we will take 03
one priority each year starting at Pentecost. This will enable resources to be prepared to assist parishes, schools, communities and groups to work on this as well as the diocese as a whole. In this issue of Kete Kōrero I want to reflect on the vision statement. For some time now I have been becoming increasingly concerned about the increasing divisions within our world and Church. The growing hate talk and constant attacks and accusations against people really upset me. We see this increasing as the mainline media lose the art of investigative journalism and as social media grows, allowing
BISHOP STEVE LOWE | DIOCESE OF HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND
anyone to publish any idea or any so-called “truth”. Often these are followed by comments and commentaries that are filled with anger and even hate and this leads to the development of factions, cliques or sects, reinforcing wrongheaded opinions, but that does not encourage minds and hearts to be widened. In our Church it really distresses me to read all the anti-Pope Francis rhetoric. There was similar rhetoric against Popes Benedict and John Paul II but the extremism and vitriol has increased with the growth in social media and independent news sites. A number of new media
