Catholic News

The World Day for Social Communications is marked on Sunday, 17 May. This year, Pope Leo’s message examines how we need to preserve our God-given human dignity and show wisdom and good judgment in our use of fast-evolving communications technologies – particularly AI. This is a theme we discuss on this Catholic News podcast with the ‘media bishop’ for the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Bishop John Arnold. As Bishop of Salford, Bishop Arnold is a stone’s throw from Media City and regularly comments on the issues of the day from a Catholic perspective. Today we talk about the […]

A peace vigil was held in London on Thursday, 30 April, at Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church in Kensington to pray for peace in the Middle East. The vigil was attended by Bishop Jim Curry, Lead Bishop for the Holy Land for the Bishops’ Conference as well as Bishop Mike Royal, General Secretary of Churches Together in England, and His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Great Britain and Ireland and Churches Together in England’s President for the Orthodox Churches. During the service, an address was given by Dr Harry Hagopian, a public international […]

It’s Holy Week for the world’s 2.4 billion Christians. As such, it’s a great time for us to meditate on how sacred music and sacred art accompany us on the road to Calvary to the foot of Christ’s Cross and beyond. The life, Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus have provided rich and provoking subject matter for composers and artists for many hundreds of years, so for this joint Catholic News/Art of Dying Well podcast we’re joined by priest and art afficionado Father Patrick van der Vorst. Where do we start with the ebullient Fr Patrick? Three years a priest, […]

When Bishop Jim Curry, our Lead Bishop for the Holy Land, and Dr Harry Hagopian, our former consultant on the Middle East North Africa region, last offered their thoughts on a podcast together, it was to contribute to the final episode of ‘Middle East Analysis’. Just as we were lamenting the fact that the series had been placed on hold to consider its long-term future, something cataclysmic and literally earth-shattering took place that shook us from our self-imposed slumber to record a ‘special’ on the war in Iran and its wider regional consequences. We share this today on our ‘Catholic […]

For this ‘Catholic News’ podcast we’ve pulled a segment from our Lenten episode of ‘At the Foot of the Cross’. Fleur Dorrell, our Biblical Apostolate Manager, provides a very useful 15-minute whistle-stop tour of the Bible. We’re encouraging our listeners to deepen their relationship with Christ through Scripture during Lent. As well as talking about the books of the Bible, Fleur offers some achievable top tips to help us go deeper into Scripture as we journey towards Holy Week. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts or Amazon/Audible.

It’s the end of the world as we know it. Wasn’t that what REM once sang? Ironically when the famous Seattle rock band committed those lyrics to popular music folklore, the world made more sense. Today, after 17 years and many laughs, smiles, tears (and the odd exasperated outburst), Dr Harry Hagopian brings the curtain down on a remarkable podcasting run with this, the final Middle East Analysis. The epitaph reads: Here lies Middle East Analysis, 2009 to 2026, it lived hard, loved dearly and asks for your prayers as it returns to its maker. Something like that. So for […]

In today’s Catholic News podcast, we are joined by His Eminence Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The Cardinal has been visiting the UK this week with Missio, the Pope’s charity for world mission. Cardinal Marengo has served as a missionary priest in Mongolia since 2003. He has been the Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, a missionary jurisdiction that covers the entire country of Mongolia, since 2 April 2020, and was created a Cardinal by Pope Francis on 27 August 2022 – making him the second youngest in the College of Cardinals. In this episode, Cardinal Marengo tells us […]

Our Lead Bishop for the Holy Land, Bishop Jim Curry, has appeared as a guest on the December 2025 episode of Middle East Analysis, a podcast series that examines the complex religious, political and socio-economic realities of the region covering the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf States. Sitting alongside regular studio guest Dr Harry Hagopian, an international lawyer, analyst and consultant on the region, Bishop Curry discusses Pope Leo XIV’s first overseas visit to Türkiye and Lebanon as well as the need to look east from our comfortable position in the UK to the lands of Christ’s birth and […]

During the 16 Days of Activism against violence against women and girls, we met with Nikki Dhillon-Keane, a therapist, trainer, author and activist, and the founder of Safe in Faith, a project of Caritas Westminster working to support survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence and exploitation in ways that understand how their faith impacts their experiences. Nikki explored the expansion of violence against women in the digital world and explained the additional barriers and difficulties that women face when they stand at the intersection of gender-based violence and racial violence or other forms of oppression. Sharing practical advice and information […]

‘Dying to Live’ was a panel discussion that took place in the Grimshaw Room of St Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham, on Sunday 26 October. It examined how faith traditions approach dying, death, and bereavement and the religious and cultural practices observed in end-of-life settings. Moderated by Associate Professor Maggie Doherty, Lead at the Centre for the Art of Living and Dying Well, the session presented findings from the Centre’s new community-based participatory research. The panel members, who shared deeply personal insights, represented six religions: Ruth Jacobs, Judaism; Shamim Merali, Islam; Shobha Sharma, Hinduism; Simon Romer, Buddhism; Harr-Joht Kaur, Sikhism; Christina Ronayne, […]

Catholic News – October 2025 In this Catholic News podcast we are joined by Anton Asfar, Secretary General of Caritas Jerusalem and Fr Elias Tabban, Parish Priest of Zababdeh Parish, near Jenin. We learn about the happy, hopeful but also cautious mood on the ground among the people following the Gaza ceasefire agreement which marks the end of the war and the beginning of the first phase of the peace process in the Holy Land. There are many challenges which are arising, including the lack of fresh water, sanitation and food supplies, which means that families are struggling. There are […]

The Right Reverend Patrick McKinney, Bishop of Nottingham, joined the National Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope on its last day as pilgrims descended on his diocesan Cathedral Church of St Barnabas. Geographically, Nottingham worked well as the intersection point where the four pilgrimage ‘Ways’ – north, south, east and west – came together to complete a huge Cross that was traced by the footsteps of the pilgrims across England and Wales. Bishop Patrick linked up with the pilgrims walking the final miles of St John’s Way on Saturday, 13 September, braving torrential rain on the way to Nottingham Cathedral. Speaking to […]

On today’s Catholic News podcast we’re speaking to our Lead Bishop for Africa, Bishop Paul Swarbrick. Our focus is Ethiopia – and in particular Tigray. Six months ago, from 17-28 March, Bishop Paul travelled to the country at the invitation of CAFOD, the Church’s Aid and Development agency here in England and Wales, and the charities SCIAF, the equivalent in Scotland, and Trócaire, the Irish Bishops’ agency. Bishop Paul has a love for Africa and her people having served as a missionary priest in Zambia for almost 15 years, but how did he feel travelling to Tigray – a region […]

As the UK endures its fourth heatwave of the year, more people than ever are using their spare time to get out and about to enjoy the sunshine and the many walking routes our country has to offer. Yes, you have to be sensible – you have to be prepared – but why not use this seasonal time of rest and relaxation to combine faith, prayer, and pilgrimage to walk a path of witness that medieval English and Welsh people followed religiously pre-Reformation. One man who wants to see that ancient tradition of walking pilgrimage resurrected and embedded into the […]

World Communications Day falls this year on Sunday, 1 June. The theme centres around the need to communicate responsibly to foster a culture of hope and peace. For this Catholic News podcast, we speak to our Media Bishop, the Rt Revd John Arnold, to discuss the final Communications Day message of Pope Francis’s pontificate and how Pope Leo XIV has picked up where his predecessor left off to speak positively about the need to build bridges with our words: “Pope Leo was very measured with the media professionals [in a meeting four days after his election]. He presented language as […]

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Bishops’ Conference, gave a Sunday morning homily in the chapel of the Venerable English College in Rome, in which he spoke at length about the intense focus on prayer in the Sistine chapel that prevailed in the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV as Bishop of Rome. The homily was given on Sunday, 11 May 2025. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts or Amazon/Audible.

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Bishop William Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine, joins us for this Catholic News podcast. The Bishop was in the UK at the invitation of two charities helping Christians under intense pressure – Aid to the Church in Need and Friends of the Holy Land. During his visit, he met with Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Moderator of the Holy Land Coordination, and gave a talk in central London titled ‘Christians in the Holy Land: Challenges and Hopes’. Listen to Bishop William Shomali discuss how the Christians of the West Bank are fearful for their future, with unemployment rife, severe restrictions […]

The National Director of the Pope’s charity for world mission in England and Wales, Father Anthony Chantry, joins us for this Catholic News podcast to bring us up to date on the work of Missio. After a recent visit to Cambodia, Fr Chantry spoke about the many challenges the Catholic Church faces in the country. He explains how the Church literally had to “start from scratch” and focus its efforts on healing after dictator Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime. We then turn our attention to the incredibly difficult situation for the people of neighbouring Myanmar, before Fr Chantry talks about […]

For this Catholic News podcast, Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues here at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, explains our objection to the proposed legislation passing through parliament seeking to legalise assisted suicide. Ahead of the Bill’s Third Reading and vote, likely to take place in late April or early May, Bishop Sherrington insists all is not lost and that there’s still time to contact your MP to ask them to oppose assisted suicide becoming law. In addition to our Bishops’ principled objection, there are many other compelling reasons why this Private Members’ Bill on […]

A special Catholic News podcast in which we speak to the charismatic Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Robert Rigby. When you picture a Lord Mayor you probably conjure up images of mayoral chains and hats, meeting important people, being the ‘first citizen’ of a city with all the trappings that accompany such an office – but it’s also a role that comes with great responsibility to the people you serve. Faith and humility play a key part in that service, and the Lord Mayor is not afraid to discuss how his Catholic faith underpins his approach to his […]

Understanding the shock, pain, and anxiety that comes after a terminal diagnosis is often best articulated through first-person stories. Today we’re speaking to Matt Parkes about how he cared for his dad, Jeff, at the end of his life. Jeff became aware something was seriously wrong health-wise in 2011. Something had changed. Something felt different. He had a number of episodes where he would lose his balance, and eventually he was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a rare brain condition that causes problems with movement, vision, speech, and swallowing. Not wanting to ‘diminish’, Jeff decided he wanted to end […]

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, took some time out of his very busy schedule to be guest of honour in a joint Catholic News / Middle East Analysis podcast just before the First Sunday of Advent. You can listen to the full podcast here. This excerpt from the full episode offers the Patriarch’s meditation on faith and hope through the lens of Advent and Christmas: “The question of Advent is the question of John the Baptist. When he saw Jesus in the River Jordan, he said, ‘He is the Lamb of God. He is the One.’ […]

We have a special guest for this Catholic News podcast episode – Sister Helen Alford OP, the President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Sister Alford, a religious sister of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine of Siena, was born in London and graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in manufacturing engineering, where she was also awarded a PhD. Touching upon Artificial Intelligence, the role data could play in telling the Church’s story, and what Catholic social teaching has to say about a “human-centred economy”, Sister Alford gives a deep insight into what the Church has to […]

Our studio guest for this special 30-minute Catholic News podcast is the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Born in northern Italy, the Patriarch, a Franciscan, has spend 35 years of his ministry in the Holy Land. In this time he has seen many episodes of war and tension. The current cycle of violence is particularly devastating. However, it is the season of Advent and the eyes of the world slowly turn to Bethlehem. Hope prevails in the darkness, and the Patriarch clings to this when discussing the region’s Christians. Cardinal Pizzaballa talks about the intense and […]

For this Catholic News podcast, we take on a difficult subject – one that needs a carefully considered pastoral approach to those in acute need. Our topic today is domestic abuse and we’re speaking to Nikki Dhillon Keane from Safe in Faith, an organisation that fosters safe support for survivors of domestic abuse and gender-based violence. Nikki is a Catholic psychotherapist and counsellor who specialises in domestic abuse, trauma and faith. She is also the author of a book titled: ‘Domestic Abuse in Church Communities: A Safe Pastoral Response’. That’s what we’re exploring today by looking at the different types […]

Canon Christopher Thomas, General Secretary here at the Bishops’ Conference secretariat, gives us an update on the new lectionary that will be used for the first time in parishes across England and Wales on the First Sunday of Advent. Speaking on our monthly At the Foot of the Cross podcast, Canon Thomas tells us that we need to be patient with the new text, and gives us some examples of the differences between the English Standard Version – Catholic Edition – the base text for our new lectionary – and the Jerusalem Bible that has been in use for over […]

On this Catholic News podcast, you can listen to the President of the Bishops' Conference, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, talking about why it's so important to inform ourselves about assisted suicide and take action to oppose attempts to legalise it. In a pastoral letter to the priests and people of his diocese, the Cardinal refers to a private members' bill on assisted suicide that will shortly pass through the House of Commons. 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. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

If you’ve been a regular at Mass over these summer months you will have listened to the guidance of the prophets in our readings. Whether you've heard God’s wisdom and warnings through Jeremiah, Isaiah, Amos, Micah or Hosea, it’s that time of year when we are given the revelatory word that brings about change in the hearts of some or consolation in the hearts of others. But, as our General Secretary Canon Chris Thomas tells us, prophets are often misunderstood. “Lots of people think that prophets are there to predict the future when really that's not fully their role,” he tells us on our At the Foot of the Cross podcast. "Prophets, as we understand them, are people who are endowed with a supernatural gift of wisdom to be claimed in the hearts of the people. They challenge current day practices and make known to the people the consequences of not changing their ways.” Canon Thomas uses three vocational stories about prophets and their preaching, focusing on Amos, Isaiah and Jeremiah. As we go through the Summer, we'll hear the prophets time and time again. Listening to their words can, at times, be quite difficult, but Canon Thomas offers some advice. “If you keep in the back of your mind that prophets are given a specific word by God to preach to the people so that they will return to being faithful to the covenant and adapt their way of living,” he says. “They can then, as the Prophet Micah says, act justly, love mercifully or tenderly, and more humbly with God. This then leads them to the fullness of life.” Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

Ahead of the World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly, Bishop David Evans has spoken about the need for us to value the elderly and recognise the important contribution grandparents make to society.On this 'Catholic News' podcast we discuss how we can use this day, on Sunday 28 July, as one of thanksgiving and prayer for grandparents and the elderly."We might have a rather rosy idea of family life or of the life of older people," says Bishop Evans, our Lead Bishop for Marriage and Family Life. "In fact, they have their difficulties and their burdens. We are able to recognise these, and to think about the social implications of their isolation. It's important we pray for them and recognise that they too are included in God's love for all."Bishop Evans affirms young people in their care for the elderly - particularly grandparents:"One thing that strikes me is the love which grandchildren have for their grandparents. We're not asking anything exceptional, for them to take care of their grandparents. Many are doing this already, which is a wonderful thing. But it might just be an opportunity just to do something a bit extra for them on this day, to keep them in our prayers, to think perhaps a bit beyond family members, not just our grandparents, but the older people who might live next door."He adds a further suggestion for social outreach:"It may be that one or two people are able, with the proper precautions, to visit older people who live nearby or who live in care homes - paying a little visit to make their day a bit better."Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

Ahead of Sea Sunday, the day we come together to pray for seafarers and fishers to thank them for the vital role they play in all of our lives, we spoke to Deacon Nick O'Neill, the Senior Area Port Chaplain for the South of England and Wales for Catholic charity Stella Maris. In this Catholic News podcast, Deacon Nick discusses the joys and challenges of his job supporting seafarers with host Fionn Shiner. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

Hospices - places you go to die, right? Horizontal in a bed for the last months of your life? Decades ago, perhaps, but the modern hospice offers a wide variety of services - all designed to provide high quality, compassionate care for the dying person. In fact, around 50% of people that use the facilities and treatments go home at the end of the day. It's time to challenge the stereotypes, bust the myths and go behind the scenes to find out just how hospices work and how they are the jewel in the crown when it comes to end of life care.   Produced in partnership with the Centre for the Art of Dying Well, this special podcast sends us to a truly remarkable place - St Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, East London.Most people want their death – or that of a loved one or friend – to be comfortable and reconciled. A dignified death. At St Joseph’s Hospice the dying person always comes first so why not listen to find out more?Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

For this special Catholic News podcast, we take a look back on Bishop Declan Lang’s twenty-three years as Bishop of Clifton. Let me set the scene for you… It was the evening before his successor's episcopal ordination, and we were fortunate to side-step all the intense planning and preparation for the day to come, in order to sit down in the garden of the retiring Bishop of Clifton as the Spring sun gave out its last. Metaphorically, the sun was setting too on Bishop Declan’s years of ministry as the ninth Bishop of Clifton – it was just a matter of hours before his handover to the incoming Bishop Bosco MacDonald. So, for this podcast, it seemed apposite to take a stroll with Bishop Declan to look back over almost a quarter of a century shepherding the diocese. In this 'Catholic News' podcast we discuss: His upbringing on the Isle of Wight The call to the priesthood Being both a seminarian and a university student A meeting with the Apostolic Nuncio - Pope John Paul II's representative in the UK A pastoral plan from bottom to top for Clifton What it's like being a bishop How the episcopal ministry comes full circle Young people - the Church for today and tomorrow National and international work The challenge of living with Parkinson's Poignantly, when discussing his health challenges, he said: "It has strengthened my trust in God - that God knows what He's doing. I'm not saying that God sent me Parkinson's, but I am saying that you can live through Parkinson's. "The Christian message is about life. It's about death, but it's about life coming from death. We are people of hope, and we can find God. We might think Parkinson's is totally destroying lives, but actually God can be found in illness, sickness and vulnerability, and it has made me more vulnerable in some ways." Listen to our full podcast interview with Bishop Declan Lang - his last as Bishop of Clifton. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

Father Gabriel Romanelli is the parish priest of the Holy Family Church in Gaza City. He had to watch from a distance as the horrors of the 7 October Hamas attack unfolded, before Israel's bombardment of the Strip led to the humanitarian crisis and suffering we now see in this torn land. Father Romanelli spent a week in the UK, in London and Glasgow, from 22 - 27 April, meeting with Christian leaders and politicians to highlight the plight of the near 500 people still sheltering in the compound of the Holy Family Church. For this Catholic News podcast, we again partner up with Middle East Analysis - a podcast strand that emanated from the Bishops' Conference 15 years ago and features our former Middle East North Africa (MENA) consultant Dr Harry Hagopian. Dr Hagopian, an International lawyer and analyst who has long worked for peace between Israel and Palestine, joins Fr Romanelli in conversation for this special podcast. We discuss the current plight of the parish community in the north of Gaza, the lack of food, water and medicine, the Pope's daily phone calls and pastoral concern for the people, the need for a lasting peace, what Catholics in England and Wales can do, the light of faith in the darkness, and much more. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

This Catholic News podcast looks at AI and Pope Francis' message for World Communications Day. Bishop John Arnold, Lead Bishop for Communications here at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, talks about how the technology can make information accessible and support the common good but we should make sure that it is carefully regulated. "Let's use machines to assist us in what we're doing to make our world a better place, to enhance the way we live. But let's not allow machines in any way to think for us or to make decisions which are not appropriate." Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

We keep our firm focus on the Holy Land and whilst we continue to weep as we look on at the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and the suffering of all civilians caught up in this conflict, we're joined by Fr Fadi Diab to discuss the lived realities of the Palestinian people in the West Bank as well as in the decimated strip. Fr Diab is from Ramallah and is the rector of St Andrew's Episcopal Church and also minister at St Peter's Church in Bir Zeit. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

Bishop Declan Lang, Chair of our International Affairs department, recently joined former Middle East North Africa advisor to the Bishops' Conference, Dr Harry Hagopian, on a special podcast to discuss the tragic events playing out in the Holy Land as the conflict continues to rage in Gaza. Five long, painful months after the Hamas terror attack of 7 October and the subsequent bombing and ground offensive that has reduced Gaza to rubble and led to several thousand deaths and a humanitarian disaster of the most tragic proportions, this 'Middle East Analysis' special asks the question: Is there a road map to peace in the Holy Land or are we eternally to walk the path of violence, revenge and hatred? Dr Harry Hagopian, an international lawyer, commentator, and MENA region analyst, joins his old friend Bishop Declan for a 30-minute podcast that we have, with permission, uploaded to our 'Catholic News' channel. They look for any signs of light in the darkness, and mourn decades of failure when it comes to securing a lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

The focus of this Catholic News podcast is the Year of Jubilee in 2025, and the preparation year proceeding it that we're currently living - the Year of Prayer. Pope Francis wants the Church to be prepared for the Jubilee Year with a particular focus on prayer, and what better prayer to use than the 'Our Father' that Jesus taught us. During Lent, we are offering a five-week course designed to help us deepen our understanding of the Lord's Prayer called We Dare To Say. Father Jan Nowotnik, Director of Mission for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales talks to us about how important a prayer the Lord's Prayer is to us as Christians: "There is a line in the Our Father that is a prayer of petition, 'Give us this day our daily bread'. When I pray that line, I'm saying, 'Give me today, Lord, just what I need - just for this day'. In the midst of some of the trials and tribulations of life, but also the joys, it's about realising that I put my hope in the Lord who gives me everything that I need - the Lord whose kingdom is in heaven. "'Give us this day our daily bread'. Why? So that we can joyfully trust and hope in Him, but also so that we can forgive each other, so that we can put right some of those wrongs. Which takes us back to the major theme of a Jubilee year taken from the book of Leviticus - allowing the land to grow fallow, allowing that time of tranquilly and peace, so that we can rid each other of the debts that often occur when we don't forgive each other, when we're not kind and supportive to each other. To do that, you have to hope in the promises of the Lord - 'Give us this day our daily bread'." Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

Deliver Us From Evil is a new booklet, published by the Catholic Truth Society (CTS), offering Catholics a useful set of prayers and supplications, humble requests for the Lord's help, that can be used in times of fear, distress or temptation. The prayers are drawn from Holy Scripture and Sacred Tradition and are intended for individual use to protect us from the forces of evil. In this Catholic News podcast, Father Robert Taylerson, a member of our Spirituality Committee and Spiritual Director at Oscott College, joins Liturgy Office Director Martin Foster for a conversation about the booklet and how it can be used by Catholics. Buy the booklet Deliver Us From Evil costs £9.95 and can be purchased from the CTS website. It's a handy pocket-sized guide to help us in the struggle against the powers of darkness. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

As the Church enters the season of Advent, on the first Sunday, 3 December, we also celebrate the International Day of Disabled Persons. It's an occasion that reminds us, should we need reminding, that the Church needs to be a place of belonging for people with disabilities. For this Catholic News podcast we're joined by Cristina Gangemi from the Kairos Forum, her friend Sean, a man who has never let disability get between his love of God and desire to serve the Church, and also Tracy, a lady who helps Sean and kindly assists at those times when Sean's words are hard to understand during this podcast. Please do use the transcript too in order to follow the conversation more closely. We discuss: The International Day of Disabled Persons and why it's important, valuability not vulnerability, the four Ps to help us value people with disabilities, and finish with a good focus for prayer this Advent. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

Bishop Peter Brignall, the Bishop of Wrexham, has warmly welcomed the news that the Shrine of St Winefride in Holywell, north Wales, has been elevated to the status of a National Shrine for England and Wales.The shrine, on Bishop Peter's patch, has an unbroken 1,400-year tradition of pilgrimage and is part of the national heritage of Wales.The Bishops, at their Autumn 2023 Plenary meeting, approved its elevation giving it national status, and the move will likely bring more people to this remarkable place of pilgrimage, prayer, consolation, and hope."Everyone is more than welcome, whether they are of faith or not, to come and discover a bit of our country's tradition and heritage, and that they come with open hearts to that commitment to God that they may not have within their own lives, but are able to recognise in the lives of others and be prepared to be touched by that."Listen to our podcast to learn more about the story of St Winefride and this remarkable shrine in north Wales.Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

Canon Christopher Thomas, General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales speaks about the Bishops' Autumn Plenary meeting held at Hinsley Hall in Leeds from 13-16 November 2023. He talks, in particular, about the resolutions from the meeting and is joined by Father Jan Nowotnik to discuss the longer resolution on the Synod that looks at "Steps Towards Renewal". On this podcast we address: Environmental concerns, the elevation of the Shrine of St Winefride, Holywell to the status of National Shrine for England and Wales. We also talk about the National Eucharistic Congress that will be held at Oscott College in September 2024, and the conflict in Gaza. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

Dominican friar Fr Samuel Burke OP is a chaplain in the Royal Navy currently serving on HMS Duncan in the Mediterranean. He gave a poignant reflection on remembrance and honouring our war dead on BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day. It was broadcast on 11 November, Armistice Day, known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth. "If, during the two minutes of silence, the enormous shadow of grief and the haunting prospect of future loss can't provoke each of us to rededicate ourselves to peace then, frankly, nothing will. "Whatever else you choose to think about during the still moments later today and tomorrow, be sure to make good that solemn promise that we renew each year. We will remember them. They were not so different to us. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

November is a very important month in the Catholic calendar. It's the month when we pause on many occasions to remember our friends and loved ones who have died - the Holy Souls. We also remember those killed in the world's conflicts, especially on Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday. For this podcast, produced in partnership with the Centre for the Art of Dying Well, we head over to South Kensington in central London to speak to Father George Bowen, a priest of the Congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri. The community has a most beautiful church. Built between 1880 and 1884, the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary - the London Oratory - is sometimes incorrectly called the 'Brompton Oratory' and is the second-largest Catholic church in London, with a nave exceeding in width that of St Paul's Cathedral. The architectural style and the atmosphere of the church were deliberately Italianate, in order to bring St Philip's romanità to nineteenth century London. So why are we here? Well, partly for the person and partly for this stunning place of worship. Fr George Bowen has vast experience as a hospital chaplain and has accompanied many people on their way to the Lord - Catholics and non-Catholics. As a priest and Oratorian, his stock-and-trade extends beyond what happens in the here and now - beyond this world to the eternal kingdom. "St Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, talks about our experience in life as if we're living in a tent," says Fr George. "We're living in a temporary place and we need to fold up that tent because there's going to be a house built for us in heaven. And in a way, when we walk into a church like this, what it reminds us of is the house which is prepared for us in the next world. It's meant to do that, really. It's meant to put this world into a different perspective." This podcast is a walk-and-talk tour of the London Oratory's memorials, statues, confessionals, altars, beautiful works of art, and prayerful side chapels - all gateways to a life beyond this world. Prayerful places where we can focus our minds on the Holy Souls and pray for those who have gone before us. Images Although we do our best to paint word pictures in your minds, we have an album of images on Flickr that accompany this podcast. Click here to look through the photos as you listen. The Centre for the Art of Dying Well The Centre for the Art of Dying Well is based at St Mary's University. It's founding aim is to rethink the art of accompaniment at the end of life. It focuses on public engagement, policy, and research on the subjects of death, dying and bereavement. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

Director of Policy and Research here at the Bishops' Conference, Philip Booth, joins us to talk about our latest cost-of-living statement. Philip is an economist who is also Professor of Finance, Public Policy and Ethics at St Mary's University, Twickenham, as well the university's Director of Catholic Mission. The Bishops' Conference statement, released by the Department for Social Justice ahead of the Government's Autumn Statement, recognises that the cost-of-living crisis is multi-faceted and requires actions at a range of levels, including Government, civil society and the Church. It makes a number of specific requests of the Government including the call that the taxation system should treat justly those with family and other caring responsibilities. Other requests relate to the provision and cost of housing, welfare benefits, the removal of the two-child cap on universal credit payments, and the transition to greener energy. You can read the full statement here. Philip also discusses the preferential option for the poor that lies at the heart of Catholic life, what our network of Catholic charities are doing to alleviate poverty, the role of our parishes and schools, and how we can all we can all play a part - no matter our personal circumstances. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

Father Anthony Chantry joins us for this 'Catholic News' podcast to discuss World Mission Sunday. Celebrated on the penultimate Sunday of October, it's a chance to support missionaries and the churches, hospitals and schools where they do the Lord's work, in countries where the Church is new, young or poor. Fr Chantry is the National Director of Missio, the Pope's official charity for world mission. On Sunday, 22 October, we join together in prayer to give thanks to God for missionaries everywhere who are spreading hope and the Good News of Jesus Christ. Fr Chantry tell us what mission is, but also what it isn't: "Mission is not about imposing, forcing or coercing. It's about listening, being present with people, accompanying them and acting on what comes from that - the wonderful wisdom from these encounters. Jesus did exactly the same. We're just following the master. He will show us the way." Listen to Fr Chantry speak about World Mission Sunday, Pope Francis' theme for this year's celebration, Missio's focus on the story of Sister Mary in Africa's biggest slum - Kibera in Kenya, and more. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

Phil McCarthy is a man on a mission - to rebuild a culture of walking pilgrimage that has been somewhat lost in England and Wales. "England is quite unusual in that pilgrimage was actually banned by Act of Parliament in 1538 by Thomas Cromwell," says Phil. "So we lost the shrines, very often the cathedrals, and we lost the religious infrastructure along the way." That's where Pilgrim Ways comes in. It's Phil's brainchild and is a digital resource that provides walking routes to key pilgrimage sites in each of our dioceses: "My idea is to create a 'pilgrim way' in each Catholic diocese - from the cathedral of that diocese to one or more shrines within the same diocese. So I've created a website which has all the routes on, and gradually I'm walking them and adding the directions so people can follow them easily." When we spoke to Phil, he had just set off from St David's Cathedral in Cardiff, heading north for two Marian shrines, the first at Penrhys and the second at Abercynon. The Way of Our Lady of the Valleys. "The shrines are very interesting in different ways because the one at Penrhys is actually ancient. There was a holy well there and people visited in the medieval period, right up until the Reformation, when the shrine was destroyed and closed down and the statue itself was taken to London and burned… "The Rosary Shrine at Abercynon has a very interesting history. In 1926, a little boy was in the river and thought he was drowning. He said he was saved by a 'lady in blue' who he identified as the lady on the religious medallion he was wearing. Consequently, the area became a site of pilgrimage for local miners, particularly Irish and Italian miners. When they were striking in 1928, they actually spent their time creating the shrine there, which was restored by the Archdiocese of Cardiff a few years ago. So two very interesting and very different shrines, one very ancient and the other quite modern." Interested? You can visit the Pilgrim Ways website to access a number of resources to assist in preparing for a walking pilgrimage in England or Wales. Worried about maintaining a solid connection to the internet in order to follow the routes? Don't be. Take the routes and maps with you on your phone: "You can download GPX files and follow on your mobile phone. There are also 'Pilgrim Passports' for you to get stamped along the way and certificates at the end to show that you've done the walk. This very much parallels what they do at the Camino with the passports and the testimonium at the end." Deepening one's faith is the simple aim as, to borrow a Pope Francis phrase, within us all beats 'a heart in search of God': "I hope these are routes, not just for Catholics to deepen their faith, but for everyone to experience pilgrimage within a Catholic setting. Really the title for the project, which is 'Hearts in Search of God', comes from a quotation from Pope Francis where he reminds us that pilgrims, whether old or young, sick or in good health, or just casual tourists, in all of us beats a heart in search of God - whether we're aware of the spiritual journey we're on or not. I think that's a marvellous image." Plan your walking pilgrimage Visit pilgrimways.org.uk to access the routes and resources. Our interview with Phil McCarthy was first broadcast in our Summer 2023 'At the Foot of the Cross' podcast. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

In this Catholic News podcast, we're joined by Bishop Peter Kihara Kariuki, Bishop of Marsabit, and Isacko Jirma, Director of Caritas Marsabit.Marsabit is a semi-arid location 500km north of the capital of Kenya, Nairobi. The local Catholic diocese spans almost 80,000 square kilometres without a single river passing through.The Horn and East Africa has suffered its worst drought in 40 years. In Marsabit, where 80% of people rely on livestock for their income, their animals have died and their crops have failed.Bishop Paul and Isacko discuss the pastoral challenges and the social action projects needed to help more than 300,000 people escape food insecurity.Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

Rachel's Vineyard is a healing ministry for those who are suffering from the trauma of abortion, or have been closely connected to someone who is - whether they're siblings, grandparents, aunts, cousins. Rachel's Vineyard recognises that abortion impacts the wider family and community. The organisation also supports those that have worked in the abortion industry and struggle with the part they have played in abortion decisions.Rachel Mckenzie is the director of the Birmingham-based charity and spoke to us back in June 2022 about the ministry and the growing numbers of people seeking help. I tell them firstly that they're not alone and that they are already loved, and they can get forgiveness, they haven't committed the unforgivable sin and they just need a place where they can work through that pain and be supported along the way.Rachel Mckenzie, Rachel's Vineyard Post abortion trauma is central to the theme of Day for Life 2023.Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.

Recently, Archbishop Bernard Longley was a keynote speaker at a unique interfaith event that examined how followers of the world's major religions viewed eternity, and how a knowledge of eternity can help us to make the most of the life that we have now. Organised by The Centre for the Art of Dying Well and the Institute for Theology and Liberal Arts at St Mary’s University, the Archbishop of Birmingham gave the Christian perspective, explaining that "the starting point for understanding eternity is in our relationship with the person of Jesus Christ - God’s eternal son. "We believe through his life, his death and the resurrection - his rising form the dead that grace by grace, God has shared with humanity the fruits of eternal life." In the Catholic tradition, at the moment of death, the Archbishop said that: "prayers are offered which not only bring comfort and consolation to the departing soul, but also give reassurances of life - that life which is to come at the end of this earthly life." The five other main speakers alongside Archbishop Longley were: Rabbi Yossi Jacobs, The Chief Minister of the Birmingham Hebrew Congregation, Singers Hill Synagogue; Simon Romer, Teacher of Buddhism; Anjana Shelat, Midland region coordinator of Hindu Mandir Network UK, Trustee at Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple; Dr. Gopinder Sagoo, from the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewa Jatha community in Birmingham, and Mohammad Asad MBE, lead Imam at Birmingham Central Mosque. Podcast This Catholic News podcast carries an interview with Archbishop Longley recorded a few days before the event. Use the embeded player at the top of this page to listen or use the subscribe links below. It was part of the bi-monthly 'Art of Dying Well' podcast. Listen here. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.