The lasting impact of the pandemic was the central theme of Cardinal Vincent Nichols’ homilies during the Easter Triduum. Speaking on Maundy Thursday at Westminster Cathedral, the cardinal said that, even with the traditional foot washing omitted because of Covid restrictions, “sacrifice and service” were at the heart of the evening’s liturgy. On Easter Sunday, the cardinal said that society must “build back better” after the pandemic, on both a local and international level.
In his message for Easter, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, focused on the possibilities for a post-Covid Britain, envisaging a future where society could work for the good of the many and not only the rich and powerful. “We have seen where that left us. Or we can go with the flooding life and
purpose of the Resurrection of Jesus, which changes all things, and choose a better future for all,” he said. He added that Christians should emulate God’s generosity towards them in private charity and on a societal level, such as international aid, which the Government has cut.
The National Justice and Peace Network, Columban Missionaries Britain and the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace have joined more than 40 Christian organisations calling on NatWest Group to amend its defence sector policy to stop investments in nuclear weapon producers. “A change in policy now would be an important milestone on the road to becoming a purpose-led organisation championing the potential of people, families, communities, cities and businesses. Nuclear weapons put all these things at risk,” they said in a letter to CEO Alison Rose.
Catholics in Northern Ireland resumed public worship in time for Easter, with some Catholics south of the border, where public worship is still banned, travelling to Northern Ireland in order to attend Mass on Easter Sunday. Separately, one of the most evocative images of this Easter was a photograph taken of a Tuam priest, Fr Gerard Quirke, celebrating a dawn Mass alone on Easter Sunday at
a Mass rock on Achill Island, Co. Mayo.
Christians must be at the forefront of ensuring that no one in our society has to rely on food banks, the Bishop of Middlesbrough, Terence Drainey, said last week.
While he noted that churches play a “crucial role” in supporting society’s most vulnerable, and have done so throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, “it is so important that, while continuing to extend compassion and crisis support to people facing crisis in our communities, we also seek to challenge and change the drivers of poverty that are putting so many people in this position, and this means tackling unjust systems that trap people in poverty and working to build a fairer society.”
The Bishop of Shrewsbury, Mark Davies, praised the Government for allowing churches to open their doors in England in his message for Easter, and hoped that the promise of Easter will light the path out of lockdown. “The ‘new normal’ people anticipate is not something merely imposed by circumstance. Normality is the choice we make: the same choice that was made at the start of this nation, and each generation must once again choose the light of Easter to be our guide,” he said.
Vaccine passports warning
The head of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, Professor David Albert Jones, has spoken out against proposals for vaccine passports, warning that they could jeopardise medical principles of free and informed consent. “Imposing vaccines without consent would violate the right to bodily integrity,” he said in his submission to a government consultation.
The Genesis Foundation, founded by Catholic philanthropist John Studzinski, (pictured) has partnered with Jewish Book Week to launch a programme to champion and support emerging writers in the UK through mentoring, bursaries and peer support. Applications can be made online: https://jewishbookweek.com/ genesis-jewish-book-week- emerging-writers-programme
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