Fr Christopher Jamison to give CAFOD’s Pope Paul Lecture

Fr Christopher Jamison OSB,

CAFOD’s 24th annual Pope Paul VI Memorial lecture will this year be given by Fr Christopher Jamison OSB, Benedictine monk, broadcaster and author.

Fr Christopher will speak on: ‘Charity begins at home: but what is charity and where is home?’ In his lecture Fr Christopher will explore the many ways in which people approach charity and show how these approaches are affected by a sense of home that is no longer confined to the place where we live.

A well-known Catholic figure after his appearances on the BBC, presenting the documentaries The Monastery & The Big Silence, Fr Christopher was a media spokesperson for the Catholic Church during Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the UK in September 2010 and has written several popular books on spirituality.

CAFOD director Chris Bain said: I’m delighted Fr Christopher has agreed to give this year’s Pope Paul VI Memorial Lecture, an event that is always a highlight of CAFOD’s calendar. Fr Jamison’s topic and individual style will provide us with a thought-provoking and challenging lecture that will invite the audience to take a fresh look at the best ways to address poverty in this country and overseas. I hope that many CAFOD supporters will join us for what should be a memorable evening.”

Shelagh Fogarty, a presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live, will chair the lecture, which takes place on 18th November at St Mary and St Michael’s Roman Catholic Church on Commercial Road, Shadwell in East London. Shelagh won the Sony Silver Award in 2007 for the 5 Live Breakfast programme as Best News and Current Affairs programme with Nicky Campbell and has also presented on the Daily Politics Show.

The lecture is a permanent yearly fixture in CAFOD’s calendar for all its supporters and staff and is inspired by the late Pope Paul VI’s landmark encyclical letter, Populorum Progressio, published in 1967. In this, the Pope urged people to work for a better world through an active spirit and the practice of global solidarity.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, eminent Latin American theologian Gustavo Gutierrez and the Rt Hon Shirley Williams have all previously given the lecture. All attendees are invited to a reception for light refreshments after the lecture at no extra cost.

Bishop Challoner Collegiate School Choir, from the local Catholic secondary school, will perform before and after the lecture.

Tickets to the lecture and reception on Friday 18 November, are £6. Doors open at 6.45pm for a 7.15pm start. For more information, please visit: www.cafod.org.uk/lecture