Catholicism for the Next Generation

Source: Catholic Union of Great Britain

Lord Lemos CMG CBE, social policy expert and author, delivered the Catholic Union's 2025 Craigmyle Lecture on Tuesday 16 September at Notre Dame, London. The lecture, entitled 'Catholicism for the Next Generation', was extremely well attended with standing room only. It was Chaired by Baroness Hollins, President of the Catholic Union.

Lord Lemos said: "Catholic belief is alive and well among children and young people. Religion and faith are about practice as well as belief and, of course, conscience is more important than ever. In an increasingly complicated world, the Catholic Church should confidently share its wisdom and tell of the contribution God's grace and divine providence makes to the troubling problems of anxiety and mental health among young people".

Speaking in a personal capacity, Lord Lemos' talk focused on social trends affecting children and young people beyond the Church, and also the well-documented challenges facing the Catholic Church including the abuse crisis. He shared what he had found from his wide-ranging research, spanning four continents, about the spiritual lives of Catholic children and young people. The question and answer session was lively and included questions about youth workers, influencers - of which St Carlo Acutis was a powerful advocate - social outreach and social media.

The Craigmyle Lecture is the Catholic Union's annual flagship lecture, giving a platform to a prominent public figure to talk about a matter of importance to Christians and wider society in this country. Lord Craigmyle (Donald) was a former President of the Catholic Union after whom the lecture series is named. Some of the previous speakers have been Dame Rachel de Souza, Baroness Hollins, Lord Bird, Professor Tom Shakespeare, Baroness Scotland, Sir James MacMillan, Field Marshal Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe and Sir Rocco Forte.

Baroness Hollins, President of the Catholic Union, said: "We are extremely grateful to Lord Lemos for delivering a comprehensive and thought-provoking lecture on such an important topic. His work makes an extremely rich contribution to the consideration of how to make a better society and the role of faith. He also emphasised how important it is to listen. He in turn was very generous listening to the many varied questions from the floor".

Lord Lemos is a Member of the House of Lords. He is a writer and researcher about social policy and his most recent book, published in November 2024, is Childhood and Contemporary Catholicism.

LINK

Catholic Union Events Briefing at: https://catholicunion.org.uk/events/events-briefing/