21 June 2026
Day for Life is the day in the Church’s year dedicated to raising awareness about the meaning and value of human life at every stage and in every condition.
The Church teaches that life is to be nurtured from conception to natural death. In England and Wales, Day for Life is celebrated on the third Sunday of June each year.
This year’s theme is The Wonder of the Child in the Womb. More information, prayers and downloads.
President of the Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Reverend Richard Moth, has welcomed the publication of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical letter Magnifica Humanitas.
“At every age, humanity lives with changes and the development of AI calls us to think about the opportunities and challenges it brings. We must respond to these, placing the centrality of humanity above all else, most especially the solidarity that is needed if we are to seek peace amongst peoples. We are made in the image of God and must never forget that we have a responsibility to one another, especially the most vulnerable. Pope Leo reminds us that ‘more powerful does not necessarily mean better’.”
The big news since the last episode of At the Foot of the Cross is the publication of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical Magnifica humanitas. That’s the main focus of this episode but we also discuss Pentecost, the Holy Spirit in the Bible and art, Day for Life, the 900th anniversary of Pope Honorius II’s formal approval of the Norbertines, cross to Rome for a reflection on the encyclical, before concluding with an interview with Fr Mícheál MacCraith who serves as the Guardian, or superior, of Saint Isidore’s College in Rome – the oldest Irish foundation in Rome. Fr Mícheál talks about his Franciscan life and St Francis for our segment ‘Little Brother Francis’.
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