UK & Ireland

The Day of Prayer for Victims and Survivors of Abuse this year will be observed on 30th April 2024. It is always marked on the Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter in England and Wales. This year's focus is on communities who have been directly affected by allegations or convictions related to abuse, especially, but not exclusively, within the Church. This may be associated with clergy, a teacher i... Read More

The Irish Chaplaincy has announced the appointment of Marie Norbury as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Marie comes with a breadth of experience gained from working in both the charity and corporate sectors as well as ten years in Catholic education. Rooted in Catholic Social Teaching, she joins the Irish Chaplaincy from Pact (Prison Advice & Care Trust) where she has played a key role i... Read More

The Holy Father Pope Francis has appointed Monsignor Timothy Menezes, Dean of St Chad's Cathedral, and Canon Richard Walker, Vicar General, as new Auxiliary Bishops to serve the Archdiocese of Birmingham. Mgr Menezes has been the Dean of St Chad's Cathedral since 2019. He is also the Vice-Dean of Birmingham Cathedral and South Deanery. He was the Vicar General for several years and also the Archbi... Read More

In a pastoral letter addressed to all Scotland's Catholics, the bishops of Scotland ask them to urge their MSPs to reject the recently published assisted suicide proposals. The letter will be read out in all of Scotland's 460 Catholic parishes, at all Masses on 27 & 28 April. The bishops describe the proposal put forward by Liam McArthur MSP, as "dangerous" and call on MSPs to focus their ene... Read More

The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales have issued a pastoral reflection on gender, highlighting the teaching of the Church but stressing that accompanying those struggling with gender dysphoria is "a complex but essential pastoral task." The document, titled Intricately woven by the Lord: A pastoral reflection on gender by the bishops of England and Wales, emphasises that all are welcome in th... Read More

The CNACD (Christian Network Against Caste Discrimination) believe that it is vital that the issue of casteism is addressed as part of the Synod on Synodality. Caste is an artificial hierarchy used around the world to rank people by their birth, and is generally associated with darkness of skin colour and ethnicity. Casteism exists in many countries including Yemen, Japan, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal ... Read More

The annual Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Hartley in Kent on 4 May 2024 from 12pm. 'The Romance of a Kentish Mission' is the title of a booklet by Cyril Charlie Martindale, SJ, who was was a prominent priest, scholar, and writer in the first half of the 20th century. He referred to the unlikely development of an Oratory in rural north-west Kent by Miss Beatrice Davies-Cooke, a direct desc... Read More

Pope Francis has appointed Monsignor James Curry as an Auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of Westminster. Cardinal Vincent Nichols said: "I express my warmest thanks to Pope Francis for the appointment of Mgr James Curry as an Auxiliary Bishop for service in this Diocese. His appointment, I am sure, will be widely welcomed. I welcome it myself, with gratitude to him for his generous response. He bri... Read More

Have you ever seen scratches on an old wall and wondered what they mean? Historic graffiti, often found on the walls of medieval churches, serve as a fascinating time capsule for historians and archaeologists. Drawings and writing in these spaces give us glimpses into the stories of past communities and people. Join Crystal Hollis (PhD) at the Guildhall Library in Aldermanbury, London EC2V 5AF, on... Read More

The former Bishop of Raphoe, Irish Jesuit Alan McGuckian SJ was installed as the new Bishop of Down and Connor on Sunday afternoon, 14 April 2024 in Saint Peter's Cathedral, Saint Peter's Square, Belfast. Saint Peter's Cathedral Choir and the Down and Connor Schola Cantorum performed the music throughout the liturgy under the direction of Mr James McConnell. You can watch the ceremony here. Cardin... Read More

Mariapolis 2024 is coming to Shropshire this summer for the first time. The Mariapolis is a summer gathering for people of all backgrounds and ages, providing an opportunity to build a small, temporary society based on mutual respect and to experience how mutual love creates connections. The programme will include moments of reflection, workshops, games, outings and inspiration for all ages. The ... Read More

In his pastoral message for Good Shepherd Sunday, the Chair of the National Office for Vocation, Archbishop Malcolm McMahon, has affirmed the value of being a good listener in order to hear God's call to holiness. "One of our modern problems is that our world is very noisy, and it is often difficult to hear our own voices and thoughts in the surrounding din, let alone the words of others," he writ... Read More

This Sunday, 21 April, Good Shepherd Sunday, Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly SMA will celebrate a Mass of Welcome at 1pm for the relics of Polish martyrs, Blessed Zbigniew Strzałkowski and Michal Tomaszek. This Mass will be celebrated at Saint Joseph and Saint Brigid Church, Bohernanave, Thurles, Co Tipperary, E41 KF98, in the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. Looking forward to Sunday's special celebra... Read More

Kristina Cooper reports: There seems to be a new stirring of the Holy Spirit at the moment. People are suddenly turning up in church who haven't been for a long time or have never been. Apparently there were so many people trying to enter Westminster Cathedral this Easter that they couldn't all fit in! There are reports of similar things happening at parish level. This is perhaps not surprising... Read More