Tributes have been paid to Canon Gerald Cox, who has died at the age of 80 after serving parishes throughout the Diocese of Middlesbrough across five decades. Canon Gerry was born in Hull on July 11 1934, the son of Albert and Catherine and brother of Peter and John. At St Vincent's Primary School he was a classmate of another future priest of the Diocese, Father Brian Nicholson. After completing his secondary education at the Marist College, he graduated from Hull University in Mathematics. After a one-year preparation course at Campion House,

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury have offered their support for the 'When Left Behind' appeal launched by His Grace Bishop Angaelos for the families of Coptic Christians brutally murdered in Libya in February 2015. Prince Charles wrote personal letters of condolence to His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St Mark, and His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom following the brutal murder of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya and

His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke will visit the Shrine of St Augustine, Ramsgate, on Monday, 9 March 2015 and celebrate a Pontifical High Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, at 6.30pm, followed by the translation of relics which have returned following conservation work. This is the first visit of a Cardinal to the Shrine of St Augustine since its destruction during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538, and possibly the first visit of a Cardinal to the shrine ever. It is particularly significant. The shrine was reinstated in 2012 by Archbishop Peter Smith at the church of St Augustine's.

Four years on from the outbreak of war, the Syrian crisis continues to deepen, and the human suffering is greater than ever before. CAFOD partner, Bishop Antoine Audo, Director of Caritas Syria, is based in Aleppo. He said: "This war has destroyed whole neighbourhoods, not forgetting the booming industries that were in Syria and the farming. Half of Syrians are either homeless or living as refugees in neighbouring countries. Eighty per cent of the workforce in Aleppo have no work. The rich have left, the middle class have become poor and the poor have become destitute."

Edward Cardinal Egan, Archbishop-Emeritus, 12th bishop and ninth archbishop and seventh Cardinal of the See of New York, died on Thursday, 5 March. The cardinal was pronounced dead at NYU Langone Medical Center at 2.20pm, cause of death was cardiac arrest. Cardinal Egan was born on April 2, 1932, in Oak Park, Illinois. His Eminence was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on December 15, 1957. Cardinal Egan was consecrated a bishop in 1985. From 1985 - 1988, Cardinal Egan served as Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar for Education of the Archdiocese of New York.

Worldliness darkens the soul, making us unable to see the poor who live next to us. The rich have cars with tinted windows so they cannot be seen - but they are also unable to see out. This was Pope Francis main message during his homily at Casa Santa Marta on Thursday morning. Commenting on the parable of the rich man, a man dressed "in purple and fine linen," who "every day gave lavish banquets," the Pope said that we never hear ill spoken of this man, we are not told that he was a bad man. In fact, "He was, perhaps, a religious man, in its own way.

In his address to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, yesterday, the Holy See's Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi called for the abolition of the death penalty in countries that still use it, and urged them to find more humane alternatives. The full text of Archbishop Tomasi's intervention follows: ... The position of the Holy See on this issue has been more clearly articulated in the past decades. In fact, twenty years ago, the issue was framed within the proper ethical context of defending the inviolable dignity of the human person and the role of the legitimate authority to defend in a just manner the common good of society.

Westminster diocese's annual Fairtrade event last Friday was an opportunity to count up the number of diocesan Fairtrade parishes - 89, to update ourselves on Fairtrade statistics, and also to watch the latest Fairtrade tea project in Malawi. This village is currently suffering severe damage due to flooding and we saw how precarious the livelihoods of tea producers can be. The main speaker of the evening, Dr Mark Hayes, of the Department of Catholic Studies at Durham University, gave a stimulating talk. He pointed out that Fairtrade is not charity but justice.

For the past 50 years Chilean photo-journalist has been recording some of the most difficult situations in contemporary history. This exhibition draws on his experience and insight to interpret the traditional Stations of the Cross. Carlos Reyes-Manzo is a Chilean documentary photographer and poet. He studied photography at the Instituto Filmico of the Universidad Catolica de Chile and in 1964 began working as a photojournalist. Following the military coup in 1973 in which General Augusto Pinochet came to power, he was detained and imprisoned

The annual Plater Trust awards ceremony was held at the Cardinal Hume Centre, Westminster on 26th February to announce the latest recipients of Trust grants. It was hosted by the Trust's Chairman, Cardinal Vincent Nichols. The theme for this year's awards is for research into "the specifically Catholic character of the mission and work of Catholic charities today and their links to Catholic Social Teaching" The four successful award winners in 2015 are:The Theos think tank for research into "Being a Catholic charity in Britain today: what it is and what it can be",

Catholic poet Sarah de Nordwall is leading a series of Lenten workshops at St Mary of the Angels Church, in Bayswater. Thomas Kingsley Jones writes: Sarah's Lenten workshops are like the wardrobe into Narnia. You find a subject you think you know about - the wardrobe - and enter into it once more, with Sarah as guide. You find yourself transported into the reality beyond with profound familiarity and yet extraordinary otherness. The fool says in his heart: 'I will not come to this Workshop'.

This East London based homeless charity has an exciting opportunity for a Fundraising and Marketing Assistant to bring their talents to a vital organisation during a period of growth. The purpose of the Fundraising and Marketing Assistant position is to play a central role in the growth of Caritas Anchor House's Communications and Events Strategy. By developing and implementing innovative and effective strategies you will support in raising the profile of Caritas Anchor House with its different audiences and mobilize support to the cause, securing donations.

The Annual J&P Conference - 'The Things That Make for Peace' rakes places at the Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire from 17 - 19 July 2015. This conference will seek to identify the real threats to human security and how we can work together to create a world without war. 'The Things That Make for Peace' recognises that poverty, injustice and environmental destruction are both causes and consequences of conflict, so that all the issues that we engage with across the J&P network have their part to play in building a peaceful world.

Up and coming stars on the London Jazz scene, the Trinity Laban Jazz Singers, directed by Pete Churchill, will be performing in an evening of Cool Jazz, as part of the Brandenburg Choral Festival on Thursday, 19th March, to raise funds for vulnerable children in Thailand. The Thai Children's Trust have become an official charity partner of the festival with proceeds from ticket sales going towards their work in Thailand with street children, refugees, and youngsters with disabilities.

Open Bethlehem is screening at the ICA London on Thursday, 5 March followed by discussion and Q&A hosted by author Louisa Young. The film follows Palestinian director Leila Sansour's journey to the legendary city of Bethlehem, the place where she grew up. Armed with a camera and a family car that keeps breaking down, she sets out to make an intimate portrait of a historic town in peril. Ten years on, with 700 hours of footage, the result is an extraordinary chronicle of a decade of drastic upheaval that changes her own life and the lives of everyone in the town.

"Where the elderly are not honoured, there is no future for the young". This was the powerful message delivered by Pope Francis during his catechesis on Wednesday, devoted to the elderly. Speaking to the crowds gathered in St Peter's Square for the weekly General Audience on Wednesday, the Pope continued in his series of teachings on the family, focusing this time on the role of grandparents. Reflecting on the fact that life expectancy has increased in modern societies, Pope Francis denounced a widespread lack of respect and consideration for the elderly.

The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation announced a £25,000 grant award yesterday, for the proposed project for a Pugin and St Augustine Education, Research, and Visitor Centre at St Augustine's in Ramsgate. They are the 16th grant giving organisation to support the Restoration and proposed Centre. Over 400 people who have generously donated to the project so far. Fr Marcus Holden, Rector at St Augustines, said: "This project is locally driven, but it is a project that has a national importance. The things you see here inspired

John Battle, chaired the Leeds Diocesan Justice & Peace Commission conference entitled "Food Banks: Charity or Injustice?" on Saturday, 28 February, which was attended by about 90 people. One of the Commission's priorities in 2015 is exploring issues of UK poverty and the conference was organised as part of this. The day started with a review of the results of a survey undertaken by the Commission. The day started with a review of the results of a survey undertaken by the Commission. They wanted to find out more about what individual church and parish communities across the Leeds diocese were doing.

The Government's material for schools about the armed forces has been criticised by the human rights group ForcesWatch and Quakers in Britain. In a written report and a graphic animation (see below) the organisations explain why the British Armed Forces Learning Resource (published in September 2014 by the Prime Minister's Office) is a poor quality educational resource, and expose the resource as a politically-driven attempt to promote recruitment into the armed forces and "military values" in schools.

Four Assyrian Christians, including a six year-old girl, who were among a group of at least 220 Christians abducted by Daesh (Islamic State) from their villages in north east Syria on 24 February, were released on 3 March. Their release follows that of 19 other Christians last week following a ruling by a shari'a court. Over 200 Christians are still in captivity. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a Daesh religious court ruled on 28 February for the release the 19 hostages in exchange for a sum of money

Bishop David McGough, Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham has called for prayers for dementia sufferers and their families during National Dementia Prayer Week (12-19 March 2015) Bishop David said: "Prayer is one very powerful way of connecting with all concerned. Let us pray for and with those whose lives have been touched by dementia. In this way we unite ourselves with them, forging a link with the Lord that words alone cannot express. "Dementia is a degenerative disease which tends to isolate both the sufferer and the families that surround them.

A new international network formed to protect the Amazon gathered in Rome yesterday. The Pan-Amazon Ecclesial Network, established in 2014 in Brasilia, Brazil, consists of bishops whose territories include Amazon regions, priests, missionaries working in the Amazon jungle, national representatives of Caritas and laypeople belonging to various Church bodies. The speakers were Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council Justice and Peace Archbishop Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno, SJ, of Huancayo, Peru

During his homily this morning at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis said that there has never been any doubts that God prefers "sanctified sinners" - people who, despite their past sins, learn how to do a greater good, to "fake saints", people who are more concerned with appearing saintly than doing good. Pope Francis was reflecting on the first reading from Isaiah, which he described as an "invitation and an imperative" that comes directly from God - "Cease to do evil, learn to do good"- defending orphans and widows, namely "those who no one remembers".

Bishop Patrick Lynch, Chair of the Bishops' Conference Office for Migration Policy has welcomed a new report on the detention of migrants. In a statement, Bishops Lynch said: "I welcome the report and recommendations put forward by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees and Migration. Now, I sincerely hope that the findings will be translated into humane immigration policies for those who need protection and support from the state." The report, from a cross-party group of MPs and Peers, has recommended that the next government

There are just a few days left before FLAME 2 - the biggest Catholic Youth Event ever in the UK - which takes place at Wembley Arena this Saturday, 7 March 2015. More than 10,000 young people from all over the country will be taking part. With music led by Grammy award winning artist Matt Redman, the day of prayer of prayer, reflection and celebration will include talks by Cardinal Luis Tagle, who has frequently spoken to many thousands at the Los Angeles RE Congress - this is a rare visit to the UK; Baroness Sheila Hollins,