In a message sent to His Majesty King Charles III, Pope Leo XIV has expressed his “heartfelt condolences” and “prayerful closeness” to the King, the Duke of Kent, and the Royal Family as they attend the Requiem Mass for Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, in Westminster Cathedral. Read more.
Bishop James Curry, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, preached at the funeral and described the Duchess as “a woman of grace, beauty and determination.” He praised the Duchess for her charity work, her commitment to the education of young people, and her desire to comfort the suffering. “She experienced and gave compassion, empathy, forgiveness and reconciliation,” he said. Read more.
Bishop James Curry, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, preached at the Requiem Mass for Katharine, The Duchess of Kent, in Westminster Cathedral on Tuesday, 16 September. Read more.
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has appointed Rev. Mgr Charles Azzopardi as Bishop of Gibraltar. Mgr Azzopardi was, until now, parish priest of St Theresa’s Church and Rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe. He succeeds the Rt Rev. Carmel Zammit whose resignation was accepted by the Holy Father. Read more.
Earlier this year, our Lead Bishop for Africa visited the Tigray region of Ethiopia, a place that suffered one of the deadliest conflicts of the 21st Century. Bishop Paul Swarbrick talks about his experiences on our Catholic News podcast channel. He describes how the people he met touched his heart and how hard it was to hear about the brutality and trauma visited on hundreds of thousands of Tigrayans. Listen here.
As the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is being considered at length in the House of Lords, we reiterate our firm opposition to the bill in principle and in practice. Despite being described by proponents as the safest of its kind, the bill remains unworkable. It puts the safety of our healthcare institutions, professionals, and patients at risk. Read more.
The ‘World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation’, celebrated on 1 September, is the official start of the ‘Season of Creation’, a time of sustained prayer and action which lasts a month and four days. During this season we are encouraged to pray and engage in community events in order to deepen our relationship with God, our neighbour and the earth we share, being ever more attentive to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. This year also marks the ten-year anniversary of Pope Francis’s encyclical on care for creation, Laudato Si. Read more.
Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Chair of the International Affairs department of the Bishops’ Conference, has added his voice to those of Pope Leo, the Patriarchs of Jerusalem, and Caritas Internationalis on the situation in Gaza. “I add my voice to those of the Patriarchs in denouncing the Israeli government’s actions – that this approach is wrong; that it is impossible to justify the deliberate and forcible mass displacement of civilians. For, as the Patriarchs say, ‘There can be no future based on captivity, displacement of Palestinians or revenge.’” Visit this page for the full statement and suggested prayers.
Pope Leo XIV will officially declare Saint John Henry Newman, the most recently canonised saint from England and Wales, the 38th Doctor of the Church. Read more.
We have a useful section of articles explaining exactly what a ‘Doctor of the Church’ is and why Saint John Henry Newman’s teaching and wisdom not only resonated with his contemporaries, but still illuminates, instructs and inspires us today. Articles available:
What is a Doctor of the Church?, Faith, Reason, Conscience and Truth, Development of Doctrine, Sensus fidelium: Newman and the people of God, Education: Moral and intellectual ‘under one roof’, Scripture, the Fathers and Ecumenism, and Newman and Ecclesiology.
Pope Leo XIV highlights how migrants and refugees in a special way can become witnesses of hope and tenacity amidst adversity and calls for a future of peace and respect for human dignity, in his Message for the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, released on Friday, 25 July. Read more.
The Department for Social Justice of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has published a document on taxation called Render Unto Caesar. It offers perspectives on taxation from Catholic social thought and teaching. Read more.
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