Letters

It was a delight to be present at The Tablet/New Hall School Festival 2026 at Chelmsford last weekend. This two day Catholic festival brought together people from the UK and beyond to pray, reflect and act for justice, peace and human dignity. The event was informative, uplifting, challenging, sad, prophetic, hopeful and encouraging. In dealing with Human Dignity, we focused on the role of Women i... Read More

The compelling report published in ICN on June 29 2026: Holy Land: Settler violence forces Palestinians from their homes into worsening conditions - https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/55332 - detailing the impact of settler attacks in the West Bank, has coincided with a further UN Commission of Enquiry report into Israel's genocide in Gaza. This latest UN commissioned report documents evidence s... Read More

A British press article recently referenced American Christopher Hale (who helped lead Catholic outreach for President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign) in an article assessing the current tension between the Vatican and the White House. In the piece Hale is quoted as saying that Trump is "confused" by the Pope's power and authority, "as it completely overturns how Donald Trump conceives of power... Read More

Re: Saint Bede, 25 May 2026 - https://www.indcatholicnews.com/saint/155 I worked with young offenders. One lad had stolen a carer's car after being wrongly accused of something. 'It hurt' he said. He had been volunteering. Some time later I said he had integrity. 'What's that?' he asked. I told him a story from Bede of a preacher who had gone to live with an ancient hill tribe. They were having ... Read More

The Muslim Council of Britain stands in solidarity with the Jewish community facing an abhorrent rise in antisemitism and those affected by the attack in Golders Green. At the same time, it is notable that far less attention was given to the fact that the attacker, recently discharged from a psychiatric unit, also targeted a Muslim man, Ishmail Hussein, that very morning. It speaks to a disparity ... Read More

In an open letter, 100+ Christian leaders are calling on fellow Christian Sir Paul Marshall - a hedge fund manager and owner or part-owner of several prominent media properties, including GB News - to be transparent about fossil fuel-related conflicts-of-interest from GB News presenters and guests in light of climate misinformation researchers say the channel regularly broadcast in the lead-up to ... Read More

Dear ICN Readers Grace and peace to you. It was eleven days ago when I last wrote to you saying "as the region enters yet another moment of deep uncertainty and escalation, Bethlehem University continues its mission of educating and forming young leaders for Palestine, grounded in faith, dignity, and hope." Today, I write to you from Bethlehem with a heavy heart, yet also with deep faith and hope,... Read More

Deacon Mark Paine writes: I was recently contacted by a group in the US called 'Autistic Catholics'. Would anyone be interested in a UK version? If so, please contact me at: markpaine1970@gmail.com Deacon Mark Paine is a permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Birmingham who has served for many years in Catholic education and parish ministry. He is autistic and a parent to autistic children, which... Read More

To all of humanity, to the mothers of the world, to Doctors Without Borders, to journalists with dignity, to the governments that still believe in justice: My name is like millions of others. I don't have a well-known surname or hold an important position. I am an ordinary Cuban woman. A daughter, a sister, a patriot. And I write this with a broken heart and trembling hands, because what my people... Read More

Dear ICN Readers The British government is handing huge sums of public money to Palantir, a notorious US corporation that supplies Israel with AI and surveillance technology used as an essential part of its genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Yesterday evening, we protested at Palantir's secret reception, with politicians and senior civil servants, hosted to celebrate winning a £240m... Read More

A way forward for RE after double warnings issued to Irish Church by Fr Sean Smith, ICN Jan 15th, 2026 I write as a former RE teacher, lecturer and LEA Inspector in the north of England and as Interreligious Coordinator for the Diocese of Leeds. I know very little about the warnings issued to the Irish Church concerning RE. I totally agree that there is a need to find ways, as Fr Sean argues, t... Read More

As we enter 2026, we are adjusting to a world in flux. Last week the United States invaded Caracas and abducted Venezuela's president Maduro. He has issued threats to intervene in Cuba, Colombia, Greenland and Iran. Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, ICE officers shot a woman in cold blood, claiming it was self-defense despite video footage showing the contrary, then slandered her as a "stone cold liar" a... Read More

At the end of October, we mark the Anniversary of the National Buffer Zone which came into effect on the 31st October 2024, and which bans prayer and offers of help or support to expectant mothers within 150 metres of every abortion centre. Although we have had to move down the road, we are still there seeing women who turnaround and need your prayers and financial support. October is also the mo... Read More

The following open letter was written after the bombing of a warehouse used to store archaeological finds belonging to the French Biblical and Archaeological Research Institute (École Biblique) in Gaza. Since then, a ceasefire has come into effect in Gaza, and the 20 surviving Israeli hostages have returned home. We welcome this development and hope it marks a true end to the war and the beginnin... Read More