An overall report on the bishops' autumn plenary. Statements were issued on assisted suicide and abortion, and environmental matters. A resolution was made on the Great Jubilee 2033. Video interviews are also available.
The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales gathered at Hinsley Hall in the Diocese of Leeds for their autumn plenary meeting from 10-13 November 2025.
Statements were issued on assisted suicide and abortion, and environmental matters. A resolution was made on the Great Jubilee 2033. Video interviews are available on Life Issues (Archbishop John Sherrington), Prisons (Bishop Richard Moth), CAFOD’s work in Zimbabwe (Bishop Stephen Wright), and a plenary reflection from Cardinal Vincent Nichols.
One day was dedicated to updates and discussion on the work of the six departments of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
As is customary, the bishops spent significant time discussing safeguarding in the Church and the vital work that is carried out to continually improve practices and procedures to ensure that every person who comes into contact with the Church is safe.
The work continues on two important aspects of the Church’s mission, Synodality and its expression in the life of the Church in England and Wales, and the lay ministries of Lector, Acolyte and Catechist. Both were discussed at length and will be progressed in the coming months.
The bishops also met privately with the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía.
The next in-person plenary meeting will be a week-long retreat at the Venerable English College’s Villa Palazzola just outside Rome in April 2026.
The dignity and protection of human life was central to the bishops’ discussions during the week, particularly parliamentary moves to legalise assisted suicide and decriminalise abortion up to birth in some cases.
Read the bishops’ post-plenary statement on assisted suicide and abortion.
In a video interview, Archbishop John Sherrington, Archbishop of Liverpool and Lead Bishop for Life Issues, said:
“Hope has not been lost, but 2025 is marked by an assault on human life, both at its beginning and at the end, and that’s why the bishops have spent time focusing on the two bills in the House of Lords at the present time: the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and the Crime and Policing Bill.”
You can watch the interview with Archbishop Sherrington here.
In a short post-plenary statement, the Bishops of England and Wales call on the government to support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty campaign that will be presented during the COP30 (30th UN Climate Change Agreement) negotiations, taking place from 6-21 November in Belém, Brazil. They argue that there is an urgent need for a binding commitment to end the expansion of new coal, oil and gas projects – and to accelerate a global transition away from fossil fuels.
The bishops are planning several events in the lead up to this significant occasion, including the next National Eucharistic Congress, Adoremus, in London in October 2026.
Another key moment in the life of the Catholic Church will be the 200th anniversary of the Catholic Relief Act of 1829 that led to emancipation, which, Cardinal Nichols explains, “enabled Catholics again to take our place in society, to be servants in society, and to play our part in the common good and social cohesion of society.”
You can watch Cardinal Nichols’ reflection on the plenary and the events leading up to the Great Jubilee of 2033.
Presentations on the work of CAFOD and Missio were given by Christine Allen and Fr Anthony Chantry respectively.
Director of CAFOD Christine Allen updated the bishops on CAFOD’s global workstreams including in Zimbabwe where Bishop Stephen Wright of Hexham and Newcastle, Chair of the Catholic aid and development charity, made a visit in October 2025. He later spoke to the bishops about his experiences and discusses them in this video.
Bishop Wright said:
“It was a great privilege to see the CAFOD projects, they were truly inspiring. I had the joy of visiting three primary schools and a maternity unit. Jesus said we would find him in the poorest of the poor, and so we do. CAFOD speaks about nobody being beyond reach, and truly in that remote part of Zimbabwe, they are not beyond reach. What you can see is the love of the Lord being shared with others and, in those small steps, you can see the huge impact that it has on their lives.”
Bishop Richard Moth, Bishop of Arundel and Brighton and Lead Bishop for Prisons, praised the ongoing work of prison chaplains in the development of prisoners’ engagement with their faith. Ensuring prisoners have access to the chapel for prayer and worship has long been a priority for the bishops.
In a video interview recorded after plenary, Bishop Moth said:
“We have our right to worship, and so exercising that right to be able to attend Mass and other services in chapel is really important for those in prison. It’s really important that time in chapel is recognised by the prison system as time well spent, as a valuable way of spending some of your time in the prison system.”
Assisted Suicide and Abortion – Life Issues Statement
2025 is marked by an assault on the value of human life.
The Bishops of England and Wales express deep sadness at the continued passage through Parliament of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill which could legalise assisted suicide. If passed by both Houses, this act would devalue life and put the lives of the vulnerable at risk. We have expressed our concerns on many occasions, highlighting the danger of coercive control and the pressure that will be put on vulnerable people who are ill, as well as the threat to the survival of care homes and hospices who oppose this legislation, especially where the mission and values of those institutions would prevent them from facilitating assisted suicide.
We are also alarmed by the amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which proposes to decriminalise abortion up to birth in some circumstances. This amendment will further endanger the life of the unborn child.
The laws of our country should give special attention to the vulnerable, especially the unborn child and the terminally ill patient. They should protect life, preserve human dignity and promote the common good. Assisted suicide and the proposed decriminalisation of abortion up to birth in some circumstances are directly contrary to these aims.
We would like to thank wholeheartedly all those who continue to work to prevent these laws being passed, whether by letter-writing, lobbying or prayer. We ask Catholics and others who share our values to continue to work and pray for the defeat of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. We also ask you to offer support to those parliamentarians who are attempting to overturn the amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which decriminalises abortion up to birth in some circumstances.
We commend the work of those who endeavour to rebuild a culture of life in England and Wales, and we pray for the success of that work. This includes those who care assiduously and with love for the terminally ill and the dying.
We will continue to stand up for the dignity of all human life from conception to natural death. We will accompany the most vulnerable, whatever circumstances or challenges they face, for “The love of Christ urges us on” (2 Corinthians 5:14).
Environmental Matters
The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales ask the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty campaign that will be presented during the COP30 (30th UN Climate Change Agreement) negotiations, taking place from 6-21 November in Belém, Brazil. The need for a binding commitment to end the expansion of new coal, oil and gas projects – and to accelerate a global transition away from fossil fuels is urgent.
Currently, a bloc of seventeen countries, consisting mainly of island nations which are under threat of rising sea levels due to climate change, are leading the campaign for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. These small island nations who, in a dark irony, are the least cause of global warming, need our support.
Great Jubilee 2033
The Bishops’ Conference asks that a Reference Group be established to consider the main themes of the Great Jubilee of 2033. This should include the anniversary of Catholic Emancipation in 2029 and other intermediate events leading up to 2033. This will require the support of Directorates across the Secretariat of the Bishops’ Conference.
Cardinal Nichols, in his video, reflected on the encouragement and hope which characterised this meeting. He concluded by inviting everyone to look forward with confidence. His time as President is coming to an end.
Archbishop John Sherrington is the Archbishop of Liverpool and Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Bishops’ Conference.
Bishop Richard Moth is the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton and Lead Bishop for Prisons for the Bishops’ Conference.
Bishop Stephen Wright is the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle and the Chair of CAFOD, the official aid agency for the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
The Church’s role in supporting those involved in the criminal justice system.
Bishop Wright on his visit to the remote Rushinga District in north eastern Zimbabwe.
Calling on government to support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty campaign.
