“The church is God’s family and, like any family, has its differences,” the bishops said in the ad. “Sometimes people are hurt by other family members. We ask your forgiveness if you have been hurt in some way through the church.”

In the past, church leaders have asked forgiveness for their failures in dealing with such issues as church unity, care for Aborigines and sex abuse.

In the ad, the bishops acknowledged that some Catholics in Australia might have drifted away because of the pressures of life.

“Why not join us again? We need each other,” the bishops said. “We need your help in carrying on the mission of Jesus. Only with you can we be all that Jesus calls us to be as His church. You have a God-given gift which you alone can bring to the church. We need that gift.”

The ad encouraged people to connect with the church again simply by going to Mass, talking to a priest or calling a hot line.

The bishops were to follow this with a pastoral letter distributed to all Australian parishes June 21-22, encouraging parishioners to make their parish “a place of true welcome for people who do respond to the invitation to return.”

“No one can excuse themselves from this responsibility, because it flows from the baptism that we all share,” says the letter.

It tells Catholics not to worry if they feel they do not have the necessary theological background to talk to others about religion.

“Sharing your faith with people is sometimes better and more convincing than theological argumentation,” the letter says. “Faith speaks to the heart, and the heart responds to God.”

The letter encourages parish communities to make use of two new resources developed by the bishops’ National Office for Evangelization. The first, called Reconnect, is a six-week parish program for people wishing to return to practise their faith. The second, called Rewired, is a similar program aimed at encouraging young people to engage in the life of the church.

In their pastoral letter, the bishops say World Youth Day, July 15-20, will be a “unique and powerful witness to Jesus Christ and to life in the church.”

“World Youth Day will challenge all those who have Jesus in their heart to reflect more deeply on their relationship with Him. It may well be the occasion for many to turn again to the family of the church,” the bishops said.

To download the advertisement, click on this link: http://www.acbc.catholic.org.au/documents/200806151433.pdf

To download the Australian Bishops' Pastoral Letter, "You will be my witnesses", click on this link: http://www.acbc.catholic.org.au/documents/20080625166.pdf