ABSTRACT
The worship of God, in whatever way worship is interpreted, is the fundamental purpose of the Church and, for that matter, of all Christians, indeed, of all, Christians or not, who believe in the existence of a creator God. In early Christianity a group of Christians was simply called 'the Church' of such-and-such a place. Such Churches were originally established in urban centres, under the charge of the bishop of the city. Gradually the bishop's jurisdiction extended outwards to include surrounding rural areas, and churches were set up in these areas to serve the local population. The relatively small amount of discussion about the parish possibly reflects the ambiguity between a parish and the diocese to which it belongs. The Basic Communities, as has been said, lie outside the traditional structure of Catholicism. Often the parishioners have reacted angrily and appealed to Rome against the bishop's decision: such appeals are rarely successful.
