We are calling on Catholics in England and Wales to unite in prayer and compassionate action to oppose assisted suicide. In early September 2024, Our Lead Bishop for Life Issues, Bishop John Sherrington, called for Catholics to unite in prayer and compassionate action. That call is renewed now as on Wednesday, 16 October, the House of Commons will hear the first reading of a new bill on assisted suicide tabled by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater. This is another attempt to legalise assisted suicide and we need you to contact your MP to voice your opposition.
We stand at the half-way point of the Second Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome that is exploring ‘Synodality’ – how the Catholic Church can be a missionary synodal Church in our times. Bishop Nicholas Hudson, who was chosen by Pope Francis to be a Synod member, has sent us a fascinating insight on proceedings as the Synod enters its latter stages. Read more.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops’ Conference, has written a pastoral letter calling on Catholics to play an active role in opposing assisted suicide. Cardinal Nichols offers three key points for Catholics to be aware of, and calls on the faithful to be fully engaged in the debate and to write to their MP to oppose assisted suicide being rushed into law. Read more.
Dominican priest Father Timothy Radcliffe OP is set to be elevated to the rank of Cardinal by Pope Francis at a Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals on 8 December 2024, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Read more.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales continues to be seriously concerned about the implications of the current two-child policy on Universal Credit payments for vulnerable, larger families.
Introduced in 2017, the policy has been undermining the financial security of families with three or more children. Such families often have no choice but to make claims for Universal Credit as a result of common, but unpredictable, life events, such as job loss or the onset of disability. The majority of families affected by the two-child policy are working families.
The UK Government is reviewing the cap as part of the work of the newly formed Child Poverty Taskforce.
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The World Day of Migrants and Refugees is celebrated on 29 September 2024, the Holy Father has chosen the theme ‘God walks with His people’. Read more.
On 18 September the UK Government announced that legislation to enact so-called ‘safe access zones’ or ‘buffer zones’ outside abortion facilities in England and Wales will come into force from 31 October.
Such legislation remains deeply concerning as a threat to freedom of speech, thought, conscience and religion for people of all faiths and none.
Following the announcement, Bishop John Sherrington, the Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said:
“As the Catholic Bishops’ Conference repeatedly stated during the passage of the Public Order Bill last year, ‘safe access zone’ legislation is unnecessary and disproportionate. We condemn all harassment and intimidation of women and hold that, as was accepted in a Home Office Review, there are already laws and mechanisms in place to protect women from such behaviour.” Read more.
The World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, celebrated on 1 September, kicks off the Season of Creation, a time of sustained prayer and action which lasts a month and four days. During this season we are encouraged to pray and engage in community events in order to deepen our relationship with God, our neighbour and the earth we share, being ever more attentive to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. Read more.
A new edition of the Lectionary, the book which contains the readings which are proclaimed at Mass, will come into use in England and Wales on the First Sunday of Advent 2024.
For information and resources on the new Lectionary, visit the dedicated section in our What’s On area.
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