‘Catholic News’ is a podcast carrying interviews with a diverse range of people – lay people, religious and clergy – involved on the front line of the Catholic Church’s work in England and Wales.
10th May 2022
Cardinal Vincent Nichols spoke to journalists, remotely, about the Bishops’ first plenary meeting in Wales for 18 years.
The Cardinal, President of the Bishops’ Conference, looked back on the five-day meeting and talked about their discussions.
The meeting took place in Cardiff from 2 – 6 May 2022. Cardinal Nichols gave a briefing on the deliberations of the bishops, including Ukraine and refugees, the synodal process and challenges following the pandemic.
27th February 2022
The Most Reverend John Wilson spoke passionately to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic community in the UK about the disastrous consequences that war has brought to Ukraine.
The Archbishop of Southwark was invited to preach at the Divine Liturgy at the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in central London on Sunday 27 February.
He spoke to us afterwards:
“The gospel today in the Ukrainian liturgy is the gospel of the Last Judgment. Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do it to me, said the Lord Jesus. We must hear these words. They must cut into our hearts.
“They’re not just words for Christians, they’re words for any decent person, that what we’re doing to others, we’re doing to Christ. We are misusing the gifts that we have to build up for peace by destroying through war. And so this must cease.
“This is the message of Christ, this is the message of every right thinking person – every right thinking nation. We must say no to war, we must say yes to peace and we must pray. We can feel powerless when we look on. We can give material support. We need to do that individually and as nations and governments, but as believers, as disciples of Christ. We must pray.”
25th February 2022
In a pastoral letter to the Catholic faithful of his diocese, Plymouth, Bishop Mark O’Toole has urged the community to pick up the spiritual weapons of prayer, fasting and almsgiving this Lent for the people of Ukraine.
This follows Pope Francis’ call to observe Ash Wednesday, 2 March, as a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace.
“We all feel somewhat impotent,” said the Chair of the Department of Evangelisation and Discipleship at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales in a Pastoral Message being sent to parishes in the Diocese of Plymouth today. The disciplines of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving “have a particular focus for us,” he said, “as we link these spiritual weapons to the reality of what we are living through in Europe at this time.“
7th February 2022
Speaking at a Mass in Brixton, South London, a week before Racial Justice Sunday, Archbishop John Wilson has talked about how important it is we use the occasion to affirm the dignity and place of every person in the life of the Church.
Stating explicitly that there is no place in the Church for racism and racial injustice, the Archbishop of Southwark said:
“One of the challenges for us is to think not just about the ‘heart’ in this question of appreciating people of different cultures and nationalities, but also to think about the ‘mind’. In a sense, we could say, ‘yeah, we’ve got to love everyone.’ I mean, that’s true. It comes from the Gospel. It’s the commandment of the Lord Jesus. But we also need not just to broaden our hearts, to love, but we need to broaden our minds to understand and to recognise that in the cultures of others, in the languages and traditions of others, there is something enormously enriching for the whole of the world.
“What none of us should do, I think, is live with a very narrow focus, that the world is about ‘me’ and where I live, my town, my country – it’s not – the world is about all of us. We should actually broaden our minds through education, to learn about different traditions.”
Racial Justice Sunday is celebrated in parishes throughout England and Wales on Sunday 13 February 2022.
25th January 2022
Pope Francis has called for a day of prayer for peace in Ukraine as the threat of Russian troops invading the Eastern European country continues to rise.
Catholics around the world will join in prayer on Wednesday, 26 January.
The Right Reverend Kenneth Nowakowski is the Eparchial Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London.
We spoke to Bishop Nowakowski about the alarming situation in Ukraine, the various prayer initiatives and live streams, the history, how we can respond in England and Wales and the long-term pathway to peace.
“We can pray along with the Ukrainian people and people of goodwill throughout the world for peace because it will not only be Ukrainians or Ukrainian citizens who will suffer in this, it’ll also be Russian citizens whose fathers, brothers, husbands will be involved in the fighting and will also be suffering…
“Any form of peace starts at home, in your own heart, in the community that you live in. If we live in a country of peace, if we live in a community of peace, if we live in our homes in peaceful ways, this will affect the way the world also lives. So I think the first thing is to make sure that we are a peaceful people, a peace-loving people, a people that know how to cooperate with each other, that respect each other – that is an example for the world.”
22nd December 2021
Providing a hot meal and friendly conversation is an act that sits well with those of a Franciscan persuasion. The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal are known for embedding themselves alongside the poor, the homeless and the destitute.
Saint Fidelis Friary, in Canning Town, London, was established in 2000. As part of their work of ‘making all things new in Christ’, the friars provide material and spiritual care to those in need at Friar Benet’s Kitchen.
Listen to Father Christopher McBride CFR and, ‘Clare’, one of the soup kitchen’s volunteers, talk about this vital ministry of service and support.
29th October 2021
Pope Francis has given BBC Radio 4 his ‘Thought for the Day’ reflection focussing on the environment and climate change ahead of the COP26 UN climate summit.
Used with kind permission of BBC Radio 4.
11th October 2021
Bishop Robert Byrne has recently returned from the week-long International Eucharistic Congress that took place in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Established in 1881, these congresses take place every four years and celebrate the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Bishop Byrne’s diocese, Hexham and Newcastle, is about to embark on a ‘Year of the Eucharist’. It’s an opportunity, he says, to re-connect with the Sacramental Church – Christ in the Eucharist at the source and summit of our Catholic faith.
“We’re having a year of the Eucharist, linked with the synodal process that the Holy Father has asked us to engage with. It’s an opportunity for all of us to reflect on how we listen to the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit.
“We need to consider how we emerge from the pandemic. What kind of Church do we want to be? A listening Church? An active Church? A Church that’s ready to go to the margins? A Church that is always focused on Christ and can only be fed on Christ? It’s only Christ that adequately feeds us, and we only really get to know Him through the Eucharist.
“That’s why, for me, the Eucharistic year in the Diocese will be one that is feeding people so that they are able to listen to the voice of Christ speaking in their hearts so that we can re-form as it were – re-form and go forward.”
Bishop Byrne acknowledges the role that technology has played over the past 18 months – particularly the live streaming of Mass. He also appreciates that personal and family prayer in the home has strengthened. However, this is not a substitute for our Eucharistic encounter with Christ in our churches.
“Our faith isn’t just a personal devotion – it’s something that we share. We draw strength from each other and, of course, from Christ ultimately. We can only do that really effectively by coming together as God’s family to hear the Word spoken to us and to receive the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist so that we grow together.”
6th October 2021
Stella Maris, the Catholic charity that supports seafarers, fishers, and their families, has just completed a year-long celebration of its 100 years of service.
To mark the end of the centenary year, a special Mass was celebrated in St George’s Cathedral, Southwark, on Tuesday, 5 October.
For this podcast, we caught up with Martin Foley, Chief Executive Officer of Stella Maris, and Anne McLaren, Regional Port Chaplain for Hull and Goole.
We’ve all experienced a degree of separation and isolation over the past 18-months as we face the on-going Covid19 pandemic, but, as Anne McLaren points out, this is simply a way of life for seafarers:
“Many seafarers spend up to six to nine months away from home, so they don’t see their families. They don’t have the connection that most of us have with our families every day. So they need a lot of spiritual support.
“We need to remember that in the UK, because we are an island, if seafarers stopped supporting the economy by bringing in all the goods we need – petrol, fuel, grain and the things that are going to be required for Christmas – then we’d soon recognise the vital role of seafarers. But sometimes it’s ‘out of sight, out of mind’ and what we need to do is to support the ministry of seafarers and bring them into the sight of the population.”
Chief Executive, Martin Foley, says that seafarers need our support now more than ever:
“During the pandemic, seafarers have had to put up with a lot of disruption so it’s not a recent phenomenon. At the height of the pandemic, there were 400,000 seafarers stranded at sea, unable to get home. That number has now reduced by approximately 50%, but they’re still experiencing disruption to their lives.
“Some of the disruption that we’re currently experiencing in our supply chains in terms of provision of fuel and food – it’s something that seafarers have had to put up with for 18 months.”
12th August 2021
In recent weeks we’ve been raising awareness of a long-running Anglophone conflict in Cameroon that has seen almost a million people displaced. Tragically, many thousands have suffered brutal atrocities – perpetrated by both sides – and at least 3,500 people have been killed. As if this wasn’t enough, a million children have been unable to attend school for four years due to an enforced boycott on education.
Fr Anthony Chantry, National Director of Missio for England and Wales, told us the Church “happily” stands in the middle, bringing people together and providing the consolation of Christ when all seems lost.
Now it’s time for us to listen to the voice of a missionary priest who knows exactly what it’s like on the ground right now.
Father Richard Njoroge is a Mill Hill Missionary based in Anglophone Cameroon.
He serves the innocents stuck in the middle of this conflict – the women, men and children literally caught in the crossfire.
“The only thing people hold on at this time is their faith because it seems everything else has fallen by. Even though there’s a higher sense of insecurity, the churches are still full on Sunday and people will defy all odds to go and pray because they feel their faith still gives them hope.”
The people aren’t easy to reach. Many have fled to the bush to escape the state forces on one side and the Amba Boys on the other.
“I was shocked that a huge population is living in the bush with no shelter – children and women all just lying in the open – it’s a sorry scene… but we go to the bush and gather the Christians together and celebrate the Eucharist there. The Church will go to where the people are.”
Listen to our full interview with Fr Richard Njoroge to learn more about the devastating impact of Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis and how your prayers and support are vital at this time.
4th August 2021
The Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon is taking a toll on the country and its people. It’s a long-running conflict, with its roots in colonial times, that is often overlooked by the rest of the world. There’s no real end in sight and the human cost is severe. Almost one million people have been internally displaced, there are frequent reports of atrocities such as kidnappings and use of torture and more than 3,000 have been killed.
On this ‘Catholic News’ podcast we’re speaking to Father Anthony Chantry, Director of Missio, the Church’s overseas mission charity.
Fr Chantry has been visiting the country in the west of central Africa for more than two decades – most recently in 2018.
“I think the big tragedy is that very few people have been unaffected by this. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. I’ve met them. Some have actually moved to places like Douala, which is in the Francophone area, because it was no longer safe just to live their normal daily lives in the villages, because of the conflict between the military and the Amba Boys.”
The Catholic Church stands happily in the middle of the conflict. Happily as the ‘middle’ is the place from which it’s possible to bring people together.
“The Church’s general message to the population is that the way it’s being handled at the moment – by both sides – is not going to achieve anything except more violence, more deaths, more suffering.
“The people trust the Church and trust what the Church is saying. They don’t trust the government and they probably don’t trust their own leaders up to a point, but they do trust the voice of the Church and will listen to it.”
7th July 2021
Pope Francis has given us a new annual day to raise up grandparents and the elderly that will be celebrated, this year, on Sunday 25 July.
So, naturally, the focus of this ‘Catholic News’ podcast falls on the older generation – the “Intensive Prayer Units” of the Church as our guest Bishop David Oakley puts it! Bishop Oakley is the chair of the Bishops’ Committee for Marriage and Family Life.
We’re talking about the value of the elderly and how they play a huge role within the Body of Christ through their prayerful intercession.
Visit our full section on the inaugural Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.
