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Gospel of 22 May 2025 John 15:9-11 At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, 'As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.' Reflection on the Pointillist Painti... Read More

Pope Leo XIV held his first General Audience on Wednesday, reflecting on Jesus' parable of the sower, stressing that God "does not wait for us to become the best soil." The new Pope carried on with Pope Francis' series of reflections on the parables of Jesus, which he said "help us to rediscover hope, because they show us how God acts in history." Pope Leo focused on the parable of the sower: "a r... Read More

The Temple Church in London and Co-Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus in Jerusalem were the settings for an historic simultaneous ecumenical service yesterday, marking the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. The event featured a livestream broadcast from the two churches and shown on screens. At the Council of Nicaea, in the year 325, church leaders formally assembled to agree on C... Read More

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, gave the following reflection yesterday at the ecumenical service held in London and Jerusalem to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. The Patriarch's sermon, given in the Co-Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus in Jerusalem was screened simultaneously at The Temple Church in London. Dear brothers and sisters, ma... Read More

Following the recent publication of the government's White Paper on immigration, Bishop Paul McAleenan, Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees, called on the government to reconsider the important role of immigration in shaping our shared history, and highlighted the vital contribution of those in low-wage, low-skilled employment. Bishop McAleenan said: "Whilst the Government's commitment to skills... Read More

This International Tea Day (21 May), the Fairtrade Foundation is calling on tea drinkers, businesses and the UK Government to Brew it Fair and ensure fair pay, decent working conditions and job security for the people who grow, pick and process our tea. Over 100 million cups of tea are drunk every day in the UK, but not enough of that money goes back to the women and men who grow our tea. And whil... Read More

Revisiting Laudato Si' - the Diocese of Westminster's celebration for the 10th Anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si' and 800th Anniversary of St Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Creatures, will take place on Saturday 7 June from 1.30-5pm at the Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ) Centre for Spirituality and EcoJustice, 32 Phoenix Rd, Euston, NW11TA. The event will include conve... Read More

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) has expressed its full support for the recent statement issued by Israeli human rights organizations calling for the immediate and unconditional end to Israel's blockade on humanitarian aid to Gaza. CMEP stated yesterday: 'Prime Minister Netanyahu's decision to allow "basic amounts of food" into Gaza resulted in only five aid trucks entering the besieged terri... Read More

Gospel of 21 May 2025 John 15:1-8 At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, 'I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by... Read More

Embrace the Middle East writes: As the humanitarian crisis deepens in Gaza, our Christian sisters and brothers in Jerusalem have called on us to spend a day in prayer and fasting for Gaza. As members together of the one household of God (Ephesians 2.19), we are not helpless or voiceless. Launching on Wednesday 21st May, we are inviting people of faith to fast for a day in any way they can and to j... Read More

On Tuesday the UK government announced that it is suspending trade talks with Israel because of its blockade of Gaza. The announcement came shortly after the UN warned that 14,000 babies in Gaza could die in the next 48 hours, if the aid blockade continues. For more than eleven weeks Israel has cut off water and electricity and stopped all food, medical supplies and fuel to Gaza's entire populatio... Read More

Pope Leo XIV visited the Basilica of St Paul outside the Walls on Tuesday morning. After a moment of prayer in front of St Paul's tomb, the Pope presided over a brief prayer service. In his homily, Pope Leo reflected on a reading from St Paul's Letter to the Romans, which, he said, contains three major themes - grace, faith, and justification - which can help illuminate the Petrine Ministry to... Read More

Ahead of the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato si', Pope Leo XIV has sent a video message to the Network of Universities for the Care of Our Common Home, gathered at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. The Holy Father began by expressing his joy at the Network's commitment to "engaging in a synodal work of discernment in preparation for COP30". He acknowledged... Read More

Archbishop-elect John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, has issued the following statement after the Private Member's Bill seeking to legalise assisted suicide entered its Report Stage on Friday, 16 May 2025. The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales have consistently maintained that the bill is wrong in principle as well as being f... Read More