Catholic Church

On the eve of the funeral of Pope Francis, Cardinal Vincent Nichols spoke to several BBC local and regional radio stations to discuss the legacy of the late pontiff and the shape of the days to come. Linking up live from Rome, the Cardinal spoke to presenter Roberto Perrone, himself a Catholic, to share his experiences. This interview went out live on BBC Three Counties Radio and BBC Radio Northampton on Friday afternoon, 25 April 2025. With thanks to the BBC for the audio.

Three days after the death of Pope Francis, Cardinal Vincent Nichols speaks to us from Rome about his personal feelings and experiences ahead of the papal funeral.

With so many noble causes competing for our attention, why is it important for us to pray for the Christians of the East with whom we share an indelible link? And how can we find out more about these Christian communities and the challenges they face? That’s the subject of this Catholic News podcast. We’re joined by Dr Harry Hagopian, an International Lawyer with experience in conflict resolution and a consultant on the Middle East North Africa region. Importantly, Harry is an Armenian Christian and was a former Assistant General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches.

On a day of celebration, when we come together to share the light of Jesus Christ risen from the dead, Cardinal Vincent Nichols urges us to find an image of Easter that strengthens our faith: “It might be the image of the light of Christ coming like the dawn and slowly dispersing the darkness of our nights and showing us a new horizon – a new thing to aim for. It might be the image of water pouring from a solid rock face as we experience life as harsh. Yet we know that in that rock face, Christ has created a fissure through which light and water pour, giving us hope and strength. “It might be the image of a desert suddenly covered with a bloom of flowers – new promise in what seemed to be a barren way of life. Whatever the image, the proclamation is simple. Christ is Risen. Death has no power anymore.”

Looking at the human being should always be our standpoint when we look at any issue. That's the view of Archbishop John Wilson, who spoke to us shortly after launching his local CARITAS Southwark social action charity for South East England. The Archdiocese of Southwark not only has South London in its catchment area but also Kent and hence its coastal areas, like Dover. “At the heart of any issue is a person. And if we lose sight of the person, then we begin to work in a way that is inhuman and that is intolerable,” he said. “We must always, at the heart, see the person and value and love the person.” “It’s really, really important that when we think about the needs of the other, that other has a face and that other has a name and that other has a family – that other could be me one day, it could be you one day.”

The First Minister of Wales, the Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS, has attended a service of Memorial Vespers in Cardiff’s Catholic Cathedral joining the faithful as they gathered to pray for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who died on New Year’s Eve aged 95. Archbishop Mark O’Toole, Archbishop of Cardiff and Bishop of Menevia, led the service and used his sermon to pay a warm tribute to Benedict XVI in the presence of ecumenical and interreligious guests as well as local dignitaries.“He did not want to be served but to serve,” said Archbishop O’Toole. “He was a faithful and humble servant of the Gospel. “He gave out all the wealth of his heart, and intellect, and serving in this way, he has left us rich fruit, especially in the corpus of his writings, homilies, papal audiences, as well as his sensitive attention to the person in front of him.” The Memorial Vespers for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI took place in Cardiff Cathedral at 6pm on Tuesday, 3 January 2023.

Our final ‘At the Foot of the Cross’ podcast of the year features a whistle-stop review of the year with our General Secretary, Canon Christopher Thomas. As we move prayerfully through the final octave of Advent, and with our O Antiphons audio series live and online, in this podcast, we look towards Christmas and the coming of the Word made Flesh. Canon Chris discusses some of the events that have framed our year – the tragedy of the war in Ukraine, the Bishops’ first plenary meeting in Wales for 18 years, the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the visit of the relics of St Bernadette. He concludes with a final reflection for Advent, encouraging us all to pray at the crib this year – particularly for peace in troubled times. Finally, it’s over to Bishop Peter Brignall, the Bishop of Wrexham for a wonderful five-minute Christmas message.

Retiring Bishop Alan Hopes, the fourth Bishop of East Anglia, formally requests that the mandate from the Holy See is read out at the Episcopal Ordination of his successor Peter Collins. These are the words of Pope Francis read in Latin and then in English.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop of Westminster, gave this homily at the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Peter Collins in Norwich: "Peter, this is what you will do very shortly as you lie prostrate before the Lord your last act before becoming a bishop. Your act of prostration is our keenest moment of prayer. We beseech for you every grace and blessing, for we know and believe that all this, all that is good, is the work of the Holy Spirit. For that gift, we pray with all our hearts." Given in the Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist in Norwich on Wednesday, 14 December 2022.

Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, Eparch, or Bishop, of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic community in the UK, spoke to us on the day His Majesty King Charles III and the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, visited the Ukrainian Welcome Centre in London. The Centre was set up to provide guidance and assistance to the temporarily displaced Ukrainians. "One of the touching moments was when His Majesty was talking to some of these young mothers with their children and the expressions on the children's faces. They maybe didn't recognise who His Majesty was but they knew that people were paying attention to them and it was a wonderful experience. "Others were just overwhelmed by the fact that they woke up this morning and they had no idea that today they would be meeting the First Lady and His Majesty the King. A lot of people were showing their emotions at being greeted both by His Majesty and the First Lady of Ukraine."

November’s ‘At the Foot of the Cross’ really is pushing its luck, coming in on the last day of the month. Profound apologies, but, hopefully, it’s well worth the wait. Canon Christopher Thomas, General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference joins us and kick-starts the podcast by reviewing elements of the Bishops’ November plenary meeting at Hinsley Hall, Leeds. He talks about the visit of the relics of St Bernadette Soubirous – the young French girl who saw the Virgin Mary eighteen times in a series of apparitions that took place in cave on the outskirts of Lourdes, a place much-loved by pilgrims from England and Wales. The relics toured England, Wales and Scotland for two months and have been visited by tens of thousands of people. We then discuss the vital need to promote a culture of vocation in the Catholic Church in our countries and reflect on the Bishops’ plenary resolution on the subject. Canon Chris wraps his slot by talking about Advent and the O Antiphons that we hear in our liturgy on the last seven days of the season. We then hear from the man who has just been announced by Pope Francis as a new auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Southwark – Monsignor Philip Moger. And if that wasn’t enough, we have a lovely Advent reflection from Bishop Paul Swarbrick. The Bishop of Lancaster takes a November evening stroll with us around the grounds of Hinsley Hall. All this and more on November’s ‘At the Foot of the Cross’.

Audio taken from a virtual press conference in which four Catholic bishops from England and Wales discussed their autumn plenary meeting. Bishop Paul Mason, who chaired the press conference, spoke about the Church's safeguarding work, Bishop John Arnold discussed four resolutions concerned with environmental matters, Bishop John Sherrington addressed the issue of buffer zones around abortion clinics and Bishop Nicholas Hudson updated journalists on the Church's Synodal Journey. The Bishops' plenary meeting took place at Hinsley Hall, Leeds, from 14-17 November 2022.

Ahead of Remembrance Sunday, Bishop Paul Mason, the Catholic Bishop of the Forces, has given a reflection, asking Catholics to visit war memorials up and down the country and pray for the dead.

On today’s ‘At the Foot of the Cross’ podcast, we’re lifting the lid on the four constitutions of the Second Vatican Council. Sacrosanctum Concilium on the Sacred Liturgy, Lumen Gentium on the Church, Dei Verbum on Divine Revelation, and Gaudium et Spes on the Church in the Modern World. This is very much a short overview, given by our General Secretary, Canon Christopher Thomas, to encourage further reading and engagement. Also on the podcast, we speak to the CEO of Caritas Salford, Patrick O’Dowd, about the cost of living crisis and the impact on people in the north west. We finish by hearing from one of our bishops. Bishop Patrick McKinney is our Lead Bishop for Interreligious Dialogue and gives us a reflection on the importance of dialogue with followers of other religions.

Our audio series ‘Full of Grace’ focuses our prayer on Mary, the Blessed Mother of Jesus, as we pray the Hail Mary in the world's languages. Here we pray the Hail Mary in Tamil. It's a language of the Dravidian language family, spoken primarily in India. It is the official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (Pondicherry). It is also an official language in Sri Lanka and Singapore and has significant numbers of speakers in Malaysia, Mauritius, Fiji, and South Africa. The aim of our 'Full of Grace' series is to stand in solidarity with believers the world over and entrust our joys and sorrows - and everything in between - to Mary.

Every year, millions of pilgrims from around the world visit the foothills of the French Pyrenees to walk in the footsteps of Saint Bernadette at Lourdes. It’s one of the world’s busiest Catholic pilgrimage sites with around five million pilgrims visiting each year. It’s estimated that over 200 million people have visited the Marian shrine and sanctuary since 1860. Bernadette Soubirous was a poor 14 year old girl, to whom the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in a series of 18 apparitions at a Grotto on the banks of the river Gave between February and July 1858. Hers is a remarkable story that led from suffering and surrender to sainthood. In this audiobook, produced in partnership with the Catholic Truth Society, we listen to the message of St Bernadette - a message that is as clear today as it was in the 19th century. The content for this audiobook is taken from a publication of the same name written by Vernon Johnson, It was published by the Catholic Truth Society (CTS). The text was revised and updated by Donal Foley in 2008.

As the Social Justice department of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales launches a new revised edition of the Bishops’ teaching document on the environment 'The Call of Creation', Bishop John Arnold, our episcopal lead for environmental matters, has been speaking to us about the current ecological crisis, our responsibilities as Catholics and custodians of the created world, and his belief that we all need to play our part to protect our common home.

In a month in which we lost our longest-serving monarch, it's only fitting that we start our 'At The Foot of The Cross' podcast by discussing the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Regular studio guest, Canon Christopher Thomas, offers his personal reflections on a much-loved sovereign and a woman of faith and longevity. He also discusses the continental phase of the synodal process and looks forward to the jubilee year of 2025 and how the preceding two years will be spent leading up to it. We also have a message from Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees, Bishop Paul McAleenan, for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees plus an interview with Bishop John Arnold, who has our environment brief, discussing our environmental work and the Bishops' updated teaching document on the subject - the soon to be released 'Call of Creation'.

The director of a new Ukrainian Welcome Centre in central London has urged Britons to keep their hearts and doors open to Ukrainians who are arriving in the UK fleeing the war in their homeland. Andriy Marchenko talks to us about the Centre, based at the cathedral of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family near Bond Street in central London. It provides a single point of contact for essential information for arrival, settling and long-term living in the UK and is a partnership between the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London and the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain.“ Many of these people have come through a lot of hardship before ending up in the United Kingdom. Many have been through a lot and they tend to be stressed out, they tend to be disoriented sometimes and we aim to help them, to signpost them to the right services in the UK, to give them correct advice so that they know exactly what to do – what their next move should be in order to succeed and, eventually, to thrive in the United Kingdom.” ukrainianwelcomecentre.org

The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family has opened a Welcome Centre in London in partnership with the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain. Based at the Eparchy’s cathedral near Bond Street in central London, the Centre provides a single point of contact for essential information for arrival, settling and long-term living in the UK. Bishop Kenneth Novakowski, the Ukrainian Catholic Bishop for the Holy Family of London, talks to us about the new welcome centre and how the Ukrainian community in the UK is working with the government, NGOs and other charities and organisations to help Ukrainians fleeing war in their homeland. ukrainianwelcomecentre.org

Welcome to At the Foot of the Cross – a monthly podcast from the secretariat of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. This episode is something of a summer offering, covering July and August. We’re joined by our regular guest Canon Christopher Thomas, General Secretary here at the Bishops’ Conference. We start with the two-year Synod process and talk about the National Synthesis and an initial reflection from our Bishops called Seeking Our Hearts’ Desire. Both documents have now been submitted to the Synod office in Rome. The relics of St Bernadette visit England and Wales in September giving the Catholic community a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pray in the presence of one of our much loved saints – bringing the spirituality and charisms of Lourdes to our shores. Then we look at a new date in our Catholic calendar. The Third Sunday in September, formerly called Home Mission Sunday, is now “Evangelii Gaudium Sunday”. Named after Pope Francis’ first (solo) Apostolic Exhortation on the Joy of the Gospel, the day presents the opportunity to celebrate the beauty of our faith and our affirm our commitment to witness to the fullness of life in Christ. Finally we turn our attention to a new document from our Committee for Marriage and Family Life. It’s called The Joy of Love and looks at the main themes of the 2016 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia. Bishop David Oakley tells us more about the document and how we can use it. All this and more in our July/August 'At the Foot of the Cross' podcast. Image: Charnoff on Wiki Media (CC BY-SA 4.0)

At a press conference in London at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols introduced the Bishops' reflection document on the Synodal National Synthesis. Titled "Seeking Our Hearts’ Desire" the Bishops' reflections are formed in the light of our shared faith in Christ and our shared belonging to His Church. Cardinal Nichols is joined by Canon Christopher Thomas, General Secretary of the Bishops' Conference and Sarah Adams, Clifton Diocese's Director for the Department of Adult Education and Evangelisation.

In December 1916, deep in the Sahara, an unknown French hermit was shot through the head and dumped in a ditch. He was 58. An accomplished geographer, linguist and explorer, in youth he had been a disillusioned soldier and aristocratic playboy. Why at 30 did he abandon family, career, everything, to search for 'the last place', close to the poor and suffering? This audiobook describes his epic pilgrimage from misery to love and of silent witness to Christ among the Tuareg of the Sahara, including his writings and prayers, and the work being done today by Little Brothers and Sisters of Jesus. +++ This now out-of-print title offered by the Catholic Truth Society (CTS) was written by the late J. Fawley in 1999 and published a year later. But, fear not, this excellent book has not been lost. You can listen to this audiobook version for free. Read by Monica Nash.

At the Foot of the Cross looks at the Pope’s announcement that he will create 21 new cardinals at the end of the summer, one of whom is the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments – our very own Archbishop Arthur Roche. A former Bishop of Leeds, Cardinal-elect Roche will be elevated to the rank at a consistory on Saturday, 27 August 2022. Our General Secretary, Canon Christopher Thomas, congratulates his predecessor and explains what a consistory is and what will happen in August. We also discuss the National Synod Day that was held in the Archdiocese of Southwark on 1 June – an occasion where 20 bishops, alongside clergy and lay people, reviewed prayerfully the draft of the national synthesis that will ultimately be sent to Rome. Day for Life is celebrated in our parishes on Sunday, 19 June and it seems an opportune time to give you an example of where the grant money goes. We have an interview with Rachel Mackenzie from Rachel’s Vineyard, an organisation helping women, and men, recover from the trauma of abortion. We conclude by looking back on the Holy Land Coordination with outgoing chair, Bishop Declan Lang. The annual gathering of bishops from across Europe and around the world stands in solidarity with the Christians of this complicated region to assure them they’re not alone. The bishops gathered in Jerusalem from 21-26 May. All this and more in June’s At the Foot of the Cross.

For the second time this year, Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, the Pope's representative to Great Britain, visited asylum seekers housed in a former army barracks in Kent to bring the Holy Father's special blessing and greetings to them as they seek the prospect of a better life without persecution. The Apostolic Nuncio saw Pope Francis' simple Christian gesture as a sign of solidarity and hope.

A group of Catholic bishops from across Europe visited the holy city of Jerusalem from 21 - 26 May to stand in solidarity with the local Christian communities and to express their support through the four Ps: Prayer, Pilgrimage, Pressure and Presence. Bishop Declan Lang, who led the group, gives us his thoughts on this year's visit.

May’s At the Foot of the Cross looks back on the Bishops’ visit to Cardiff for their first plenary meeting in Wales for 18 years. Canon Christopher Thomas, General Secretary here at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, joins us to talk about the historic meeting and its fruits. We discuss, specifically, a statement titled Returning to Mass at Pentecost. As COVID restrictions have been lifted, most of us are now in a position to return to church. We address what we mean when we talk about the ‘Sunday Obligation’. Canon Thomas also looks back on an important day of prayer for survivors of abuse. It was marked on Tuesday, 17 May and a group called The Isaiah Journey – a group that includes survivors – produced resources that were not only used on that specific day but are available and relevant for the whole year. We also listen to a Scripture reflection from the Book of the Apocalypse. Chapter 21 looks at the the new heaven and the new earth – the new Jerusalem. Finally Collette McGovern from our Policy and Research team joins us to talk about Day for Life – an important day in the Church’s calendar when we celebrate the dignity of human life from conception to natural death. Day for Life this year falls on Sunday, 19 June and focuses on care for older people.

Bishop Paul Swarbrick, Bishop of Lancaster, introduces us to Charles de Foucauld, a former soldier and Trappist who will be canonised by Pope Francis on Sunday 15 May 2022. Photo © Jean-Louis Zimmermann (CC BY 2.0)

Titus Brandsma was a Carmelite friar who was killed in the Dachau concentration camp on 26 July 1942. The Nazi invasion of Holland took place on 10 May 1940. Their persecution of the Jews is well known. Titus defended the Jewish people - especially Jewish children who attended Catholic schools. He said: "the Church in carrying out her mission makes no distinction between sex, race or people." In late 1941, Dutch Catholic media outlets were ordered to carry Nazi Party advertisements. The Catholic hierarchy asked Titus to intervene, which he did with great courage, writing to all editors of Catholic publications and pleading with them to defy the order. He was betrayed to the Nazi authorities. He was arrested on 19 January 1942 and spent seven weeks at the prison in Scheveningen, before being transferred with a hundred other prisoners to Amersfoot concentration camp. He spent nearly two months there, before being sent back to Scheveningen for further questioning. The head of the secret police called Titus "that dangerous little friar". When it became clear that Titus would not go against his conscience and give in to the demands of the Nazi party, he was sent to Dachau. He was taken to the camp 'hospital', in reality an experimental laboratory, where he suffered more degrading treatment. Finally, on 26 July 1942, an SS nurse administered the injection that would kill him. Titus Brandsma was beatified by Pope Saint John Paul II on 3 November 1985 and will be canonised by Pope Francis on Sunday 15 May 2022. +++ This audiobook, produced in collaboration with the Catholic Truth Society (CTS), was written by Hugh Clarke and is read by Pierpaolo Finaldi. It is taken from a collection of texts, published by CTS in ebook form, titled: Edith Stein, Marcel Callo, Titus Brandsma: Victims of the Nazis.

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.

Sunday 22 May is a day of prayer and celebration for our overseas mission organisation 'Missio', and indeed the whole Church. One of its founders, Pauline-Marie Jaricot, will be beatified in Lyon. It's a leap forward on the path to Sainthood that will see Pauline Jaricot declared a 'Blessed'. Fr Tony Chantry, Missio's National Director for England and Wales, visited us to tell us a bit more about Pauline Jaricot - very much a saint for our times.

It’s Eastertide and time for the second episode in our new monthly podcast series At the Foot of the Cross. In early May, our Bishops are meeting in plenary away from their usual venue of Hinsley Hall in the Diocese of Leeds. This time, the Bishops spring gathering takes place in Cardiff – the first time they have met for a full plenary in Wales for 18 years. On this podcast we’re joined by Canon Christopher Thomas, our General Secretary, himself a proud Welshman, to talk about not only what the Bishops will be discussing but also the history of the Catholic Church in Wales. Next in the running order is a Synod update from Fr Jan Nowotnik, our Director of Mission. Then we have a very poignant Easter reflection from Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, Eparchial Bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The community follows the Julian Calendar so they have marked Holy Week and celebrated Easter a week later than us. Finally we open our bibles at the Acts of the Apostles and listen to a Scripture reflection from Fleur Dorrell from the God Who Speaks initiative. Hopefully this will whet your appetite to follow our daily Scripture podcasts for Easter, Reading Acts in Easter.

Canon Christopher Thomas, General Secretary of the Bishops' Conference, looks ahead to the Bishops' plenary meeting in Cardiff from 2 - 6 May 2022. It's the first full plenary meeting in Wales since November 2004. Canon Thomas was born in Wales and is a Welsh speaker. He gives us a short potted history of the Catholic Church in Wales and talks about his favourite saints and pilgrimage sites in the country. This interview is taken from April's 'At the Foot of the Cross' podcast.

Pope Francis has appointed Monsignor John Mbinda C.S.Sp. as Bishop of the Diocese of Lodwar in Kenya. Monsignor Mbinda, former Provincial Superior of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit in Kenya and South Sudan, has been serving as an assistant priest at Our Lady of Grace and St Edward in Chiswick, west London. Prior to this, he had served at St Chad's Church, the Spiritan parish in South Norwood in the Archdiocese of Southwark. Bishop-elect Mbinda tells us about his sabbatical in England, his reaction to the news and gives us a brief introduction to the Catholic Church in Kenya.

The Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, visited people housed in former army barracks in Folkestone to show the Pope's solidarity with them as they look to a better future. Spending the morning of Thursday, 31 March at Napier Barracks, Archbishop Gugerotti, listened to the asylum seekers' stories and learned more about their struggles.

Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, Eparchial Bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the UK, has given us a short reflection on the day Pope Francis and Catholic bishops around the world consecrate Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Bishop Nowakowski explains why we revere Mary the Mother of God, and who she is to us, as Christians - especially in relationship to Our Lord and Saviour. He also expresses his gratitude to "our brothers and sisters who are on the border", particularly Poland, who are welcoming over a million displaced people.

Welcome to the first podcast of a new monthly series called ‘At the Foot of the Cross’. Each month we’ll bring you updates from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. Whether it’s the Church’s response to a crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic, or an aspect of Catholic life and worship like the progression of our new Lectionary, we’ll bring you the latest on ‘At the Foot of the Cross’. Each episode will offer a Scripture reading and reflection as well as suggested points for prayer. When there’s something of national import, we’ll also have news from the offices, agencies and directorates that work to serve the bishops and dioceses of England and Wales. Introduction Today we’re joined by Canon Christopher Thomas, the General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference. The tragedy of the Ukraine war and the Church’s response, the penitential season of Lent, the desire to see more of the faithful back in our Churches as we approach Easter – these are our focal points in March. But let’s start with the very basics. We ask Canon Thomas the simple question: What is a Bishops’ Conference?

The Act of Consecration of Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that will be recited by Pope Francis, the bishops, priests and religious of the world on Friday 25 March. This audio version is read by Cardinal Vincent Nichols.

On Friday 25 March, the Feast of The Annunciation of the Lord, Pope Francis will consecrate Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, explains exactly what Acts of Consecration are and why, as Catholics, we have such a strong devotion to Mary.

Archbishop John Wilson visited volunteers at the White Eagle Club in Balham, south London, on Ash Wednesday to witness first-hand how the Polish community was responding to the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Ukraine. The Archbishop of Southwark, armed with some essential supplies for families, saw donations of clothes, pillows, duvets, toys and sanitary products stacked from floor to ceiling at the Polish social club. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people and refugees are trying to cross the border into Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to escape the warzone.

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."

The Bishop of Plymouth, Bishop Mark O’Toole, has strongly urged all Catholics to go to Mass this Ash Wednesday to pray for peace in 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.“ The Bishop urges all Catholics to pick up the weapon of prayer: “Physical attendance at Mass, for those who are able, can be a practise that is lived in these days as an act of solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are suffering.” He said that the weapon of fasting: “is an act of solidarity with those who are poor.” He described: “how shocking it has been for us to see the scenes of panic food and fuel-buying in Ukraine, of the very real sacrifices forced on people as a result of war. Fasting brings us closer to them.” And the weapon of almsgiving helps us to be in solidarity with “the poorest in our communities” and “more sensitive to the needs of our neighbours, both at home, and in Ukraine.” His hope is that “our countries will be generous in receiving these desperate brothers and sisters fleeing for safety from war in their homeland.”

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.

Audio from our archives of Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, former Minister of State for Faith and Communities, who gave the second Benedict XVI Lecture in London on 2 December 2013.

Audio from our archives of former Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks giving the 2011 Benedict XVI Lecture. The inaugural lecture in an on-going series celebrates the historic meeting that was held in the Waldegrave Drawing Room at St Mary's University in 2010 that saw representatives of the world's major religions gather with Pope Benedict XVI to celebrate the contribution people of faith make to British society and the common good.

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.

Listen to the 'Our Father' prayer in Welsh. Let us pray with confidence to the Father through the words our Saviour gave us...

Listen to the 'Our Father' prayer in Ukrainian. Let us pray with confidence to the Father through the words our Saviour gave us...

Listen to the 'Our Father' prayer in Tagalog - a language spoken by over 17 million people. It's the national language of the Philippines. Let us pray with confidence to the Father through the words our Saviour gave us...

Listen to the 'Our Father' prayer in Swahili - a lingua franca of the African Great Lakes region and other parts of eastern and southeastern Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Let us pray with confidence to the Father through the words our Saviour gave us...