Special Collections & Archives

Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain 1998 – 2002

The archive evolved from a project commissioned in 1996 by the Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham. The project investigated the nature, exercise and experience of authority and governance within the Roman Catholic Church in England, Scotland and Wales. It involved conversations, interviews and conferences and approximately 1,000 participants from clergy and laity. The project has generated a large number of written documents and audio records.

The main areas investigated were:

• The model church as it operated locally in comparison to the official diocesan model;
• The engagement of the parish with diocesan structures and personnel and parish leadership;
• Parish leadership, this included lay participation and formation and mission.

Holdings

• Diocesan studies including statistics, reports, finance;
• Study of clerical attitudes;
• Studies related to the topic of celibacy, the ordination of women and the sacramental participation for divorced and remarried members of the church;
• Correspondence;
• Project meeting papers and related correspondence;
• Chapter drafts and research for publications which evolved from this project.

A description of the holdings can be viewed on our Archives catalogue; a detailed list of resources is available below.​​