Letters

Dear Editor, The early Catholic church seems to have had a very dynamic beginning; the acts of the apostles are filled with very interesting examples of how the Holy Spirit worked in partnership with them. For example telling Phillip to catch up with the Ethiopian eunuch's chariot and make that first African convert; or Annanias being instructed in a vision to visit Saul and pray for his healing. ... Read More

On the 26 August 2024, Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, called on global leaders to drastically slash global greenhouse gas emissions and pursue a "fast and fair" phase out of fossil fuels. He was seeking to build momentum for action before the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan in November. He called for a "massive" increase in finance and support for vulnerable countrie... Read More

Dear ICN, I write to be sure you have noticed the remarkable start the new Government has made towards tacking the problems of the prisons - about which I continue to have a deep interest and concern. You may be aware that on 25th June the Prison Governors Association had written an open letter to all the political parties highlighting and explaining the prison crisis and asking all parties to pre... Read More

Thank you for publishing 'Fr Shay Cullen: True freedom is to reveal the truth without retaliation' - https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50094 - Jun 30th, 2024 It's so important that he highlighted the shocking treatment of Julian Assange, incarcerated for so many years for telling the truth, and the dangers faced by media workers around the world, especially in the Philippines. We mustn't forge... Read More

Dear ICN, As a service to Catholics, I am appalled at the one-sided and frankly denigratory review of the recent Vatican document Dignitas Infinita. Unfinished Dignity: Some Reflections On Dignitas Infinita - https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/49556 The whole tone of your correspondent is condescending and almost sneering. As someone involved in education as my footer may show, the clear doctrin... Read More

Dear Willie I feel the need to write to you posthumously after your execution to remember our friendship and companionship over 13 years. It was the organisation 'Lifelines' that put us in touch and we used to correspond regularly after that. I was sorry that I could not meet you in person but I knew from the start that you were a generous and warm hearted person. We used to share our joys and... Read More

Nadia, who has written for us in the past, is a young widow with small children and a sick mother. She has been forced to move several since Israel's onslaught on Gaza began five months ago. The family are now in a desperately overcrowded camp - with the continuous noise of drones and planes overhead and sounds of explosions all night. She writes: Do you know what it means to live in a tent?! Thi... Read More

Have you ever wondered how Palestinians both in Palestine and in the diaspora feel about the ongoing ethnic cleansing ? How Palestinians perceive the dehumanization perpetuated not only by their colonizers but also by the western media, and some governments around the world granting apartheid Israel carte blanche and impunity to continue their war crimes against the Palestinian people? Have you co... Read More

Dear Friends, Christmas greetings from Friends House Moscow. Here is a link to our latest newsletter, now available on our website: Newsletter Winter 2023 - Friends House Moscow To read it, click on the "DOWNLOAD" button. From here you can save a copy, or print it, or just read it online. As you will see, we are currently operating in several countries: Russia, Ukraine, Estonia and Armenia. We ... Read More

Dear Editor, On Gaudete Sunday (December 17th) the theme of which expresses the joy of anticipation at the approach of the Christmas celebration, the parishioners of St John the Baptist, Ilford are again devastated by the news that Mass on Christmas Eve wil be the last Mass at the Church - and told to us not in person but via newsletter. This is highly insensitive, particularly at this time of yea... Read More

Dear Readers The situation in Gaza, right now, is desperate. Israeli forces have now entered Gaza, encircling Gaza City. They continue their massive, indiscriminate bombardment and nowhere in Gaza is safe. More than a million people have been internally displaced, and a total siege has cut us off from essential supplies. Sleeping, eating is very difficult. We don't even have clean water to drink.... Read More

We are Christians who believe that God has been definitely revealed as having a preferential option for the poor and oppressed. We believe that Christians are called to reflect that preferential option in our lives and proclamation. With this in mind, we stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza. We condemn utterly the Israeli attacks on Gaza, and in particular the killing of civilians. We have ... Read More

We share with you the following worlds from Fr Paul Abernathy, of the FOSNA Board of Trustees: We Orthodox Christians have for days heard of and seen the courageous witness of St Porphyrios Orthodox Church in Gaza. We have seen this community in prayer as they offer comfort, shelter, and refuge to Palestinians who are suffering from indiscriminate Israeli military aggression as well as from the hu... Read More

Dear Editor, Those of us who had hoped for the Update to Laudato Si' - Laudato Deum - to at last bring animals to the forefront of discussions on the environmental crises were very disappointed. Animals got barely a mention, and animal agriculture not a whisper. The story of mankind's exploitation and enslavement of animals goes back to the dawn of civilisation right up to this moment when we are ... Read More