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Urbi et Orbi: Pope urges world leaders to end wars

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Pope Leo has called on world leaders to lay down their weapons and choose "encounter" over domination. In his Urbi et Obi Message delivered today, Easter Sunday, to tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square, he urged "those who have the power to unleash wars" to chose peace. This should not be a peace "imposed by force", he stressed, but one achieved through dialogue - "not with... Read More


Stations of the Cross with a difference

Near Trafalgar Square

Fr Joe Ryan writes: On Holy Saturday a different type of Stations of the Cross were organised by The Catholic Worker and Pax Christi. We went to Central London visiting various sites; Government buildings, arms manufacturers headquarters; oil and gas companies, mining companies and other historical sites built on the backs of extraction, slavery the destruction of our climate and the deaths of inn... Read More


Gospel in Art: Easter Sunday

Rouen Cathedral, West Facade, Sunlight,   by Claude Monet, 1894 © National Gallery of Art, Washington

Gospel of 5 April 2026 Matthew 28:1-10 After the Sabbath, towards the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards tr... Read More


Pope: Easter drives out hatred and brings down the mighty

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Pope Leo XIV reflected on good, evil, and rebirth, as he presided over the Easter Vigil Mass in St Peter's Basilica last night. Easter, the Pope said, quoting from an ancient hymn, "drives out hatred, fosters concord and brings down the mighty". While the heart of the Easter story is Jesus' resurrection from the dead, Pope Leo said, "the holy mystery of this night … extends across the centuries"... Read More

Jerusalem: 'The Word of God resounds louder than any silence'

Cardinal Pizzaballa at the Easter Vigil Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Image: LPJ

"Easter does not begin with a proclamation of victory, but with listening to a story: a story that confronts death to reach life." With these words, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, recalled the passage through darkness necessary to reach the Resurrection, in his homily for the Easter Vigil celebration that he presided over on the morning of Saturday, April 4, in... Read More


Archbishop Richard Moth's Homily for the Easter Vigil

Image ICN/JS

On 4 April 2026, Archbishop Richard Moth celebrated his first Easter Vigil as Archbishop of Westminster. During the Mass, the Cathedral's candidates and catechumens joined hundreds of others throughout the diocese in receiving one or all of the Sacraments of Initiation. In his homily, Archbishop Moth rejoiced in the witness of so much new life in the Church and gave thanks for their faith, saying:... Read More


Cuba pardons 2,010 prisoners for Holy Week

Photo by Spencer Everett on Unsplash

The Cuban government announced that it has granted pardons to 2,010 detainees ahead of Easter, after already releasing 14 prisoners less than a month ago. This is a "humanitarian and sovereign gesture" taking place "within the context of the religious celebrations of Holy Week," the government stated in an official announcement broadcast on Cuban television. Although neither the list of detainees ... Read More


Easter Sunday Reflection with Canon Robin Gibbons

The Three Marys at the tomb - Monaco Lorenzo 1396 - Louvre, Paris. Wiki Image

The Resurrection of the Lord - Pascha Christ is risen, he is truly risen! Though the recent debate about the sudden recovery of Christianity amongst us may not be quite the numerical success story as some people suggest, one thing seems to be at least true and verifiable, that our faith is far from dying! I tend to ignore the religious culture wars, the noise of those who prefer the Tridentine Mas... Read More


Westminster: Archbishop's Reflection for Good Friday

Image: Mazur/cbcew.org.uk

Archbishop Richard Moth's Homily, given at the Solemn Liturgy of the Passion on 3 April 2026 at Westminster Cathedral. Dear Brothers and Sisters, The liturgy in which we come together today is like no other in the Church's year. The very simplicity and starkness of this liturgy assist our reflection and meditation on the passion and death of the Saviour. Today, therefore, let us open our minds and... Read More


Archbishop Moth's Homily for Office of Readings on Good Friday

Image: Mazur/cbcew.org.uk

Given for the Office of Readings on Good Friday, 3 April 2026 at Westminster Cathedral. Stat Crux dum volvitur orbis. The Cross stands while the world goes round. These words, which form the motto of the Carthusian Order, are helpful to us in the busy-ness of our lives and the instability and seeming chaos of the world in which we live. The cross is not a sign to be misappropriated, but a constant... Read More


Gospel in Art: Holy Saturday

The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb by Hans Holbein the Younger © Öffentliche Kunstsammlung, Basel

Gospel of 4 April 2026 Matthew 28:1-10 After the Sabbath, towards the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards tr... Read More


Rome: Pope Leo carries the Cross in Colosseum Via Crucis

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Pope Leo XIV tonight became the second Pope ever to carry the Cross for the entire Good Friday Via Crucis at Rome's Colosseum. Joined by more than 30,000 faithful and countless people around the world on social media, television, and radio, the Pope led the Way of the Cross through the candlelit ruins of the ancient Roman ampitheatre, which witnessed the martyrdom of so many early Christians. Beg... Read More


Holy Saturday Reflection with Canon Robin Gibbons

Gotland Dalhem Kyrka Glasmalerei

April 4th 2026 Holy Saturday is an odd day for many of us, whilst we know that this day is one in which we remember Christ's descent to death in the tomb, that journey to the last long sleep we all have, nevertheless it is also a day of anticipation, for we know the resurrection already permeates every aspect of our human lives and the life of the whole world. Yet it is good to push a pause butto... Read More


South African Reflection: Fuel, Fear and Faith

Photo by Chad Stembridge on Unsplash

This week, the news warned of the sharpest fuel price increase ever experienced in South Africa, driven by soaring international oil prices due to the war in the Middle East. The warning landed in my body, not only in my head. After a long day of meetings and Holy Week commitments, I found my tank running low and decided to risk the petrol station. Two stations were dry. The third had a long queue... Read More

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