A retired clergyman is walking the Portuguese Camino over 13 days to raise money to tackle the global hunger crisis. Rev’d Peter Stannard, 62, from Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire, who is taking part in Cafod’s Walk against Hunger challenge, aims to raise £10,000 to tackle global food poverty. Instead of doing the suggested 5km per day over 40 days of Lent, he is walking the entire 200km in just 13 days. Please do consider donating to his Cafod fundraising page. Meanwhile, Team Tablet is around £100 short of its £500 target. Individual members Stephanie Bennett and Carina Murphy are still seeking funds towards their targets.
Aid to the Church in Need has appointed a new chief executive to follow Neville Kyrke-Smith, who is retiring after heading the organisation for more than thirty years. Caroline Hull will move into the post from her role as the charity’s head of outreach. She holds a doctorate in the history of medieval art, and has worked for the charity since 2014. Graham Hutton, chair of the board of trustees, said: “Caroline has a zeal and dedication for our work which, together with her deep knowledge of the charity, makes her ideally fitted to continue Neville’s good work.”
St Mary’s University, Twickenham has announced that it will offer five postgraduate scholarships to Ukrainian students, covering their tuition fees for courses starting in the next two academic years. The university said that its distance-learning provision would allow the successful applicants to complete their courses online should they decide to remain in Ukraine or another country where they have sought refuge. “We feel it is our moral duty to provide access to education for people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, to help the successful applicants to rebuild their lives after such an appalling upheaval,” said Anthony McClaran, the vice-chancellor.
The trial of the man accused of the murder of MP Sir David Amess began last week, with the jury hearing a recording of the 999 call and watching footage of the suspect’s interviews in police custody. Witnesses told the court that Ali Harbi Ali had an expression of “self-satisfaction” after stabbing the 69-year-old MP for Southend West at his constituency surgery on 15 October last year. In a police interview hours after the killing, the suspect said “I killed an MP and I done it, yeah”, and insisted that he was motivated to target MPs who had voted for airstrikes in Syria. Ali has pleaded not guilty to murder and to planning a terrorist attack.
CatholicDirectory.org has altered its logo to include a dove of peace in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, in an expression of solidarity with the beleaguered country. The website, set up in 1997, was the first online gazetteer of Catholic churches, organisations, and Mass times, but this is the first alteration to its logo in that time.
Kevin Hollinrake, Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton, has defended Ampleforth College in the face of a critical report from Ofsted. He says on his website: “In recent weeks I have been working closely with Ampleforth College relating to Ofsted’s assessment of the school after its inspection. I want to make clear that I am supportive of the school in this situation, and I feel that there is a fundamental dispute of the facts behind the assessment, that needs to be resolved.”
Nine Catholic bishops and the Jesuit provincial were among the 500 signatories of a letter to the prime minister from Church leaders and clergy, demanding “global leadership on the climate crisis”. They call on the government “to provide financial and fiscal support for renewable energy and energy efficiency”. They also demand support for vulnerable households affected by price rises “through measures including a windfall tax on oil and gas companies”.
Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin has paid tribute to the late James Moriarty, who retired as Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin in 2009 and who died on 26 March aged 85. “A pastor of deep faith, he encouraged everyone to make the most of their God-given gifts,” he said. “His honest, humble and courteous nature, along with his ready-smile and ability to engage comfortably with people of all backgrounds, were hallmarks of his warm personality. As chair of the Irish bishops’ commission for worship, pastoral renewal and faith development, Bishop Moriarty placed great emphasis on evangelising young people and encouraged active Irish participation in the global World Youth Day gatherings.”
The Diocese of Derry’s Diocesan Vocations Council is promoting a Year of Prayer for Vocations, from 17 March 2022 until 17 March 2023. At present, the diocese has five men in seminary formation, and a number of men have expressed interest in beginning studying for the priesthood.
The new Archbishop of Glasgow’s call for a windfall tax on oil companies has been ignored by the Westminster government. Archbishop William Nolan, who acts as president of Justice and Peace Scotland and leads on the environment in the Scottish Bishops’ Conference, had called on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to include in his spring statement a new windfall tax proportionate to profits made by gas and oil companies, generating a revenue that would ease the plight of struggling families. In an open letter, Archbishop Nolan and other church leaders called on the Chancellor to introduce measures that would protect families from soaring fuel bills. The letter ended by calling for an end to dependence on fossil fuels and means of funding “a fair and fast transition which will secure our future economic prosperity and protect the livelihoods of vulnerable communities”.
The chair of the Catholic Church’s safeguarding agency has hit back at critics who said there seemed “little urgency about supporting victims of abuse” amongst Catholic organisations. Nazir Afzal, a former Crown prosecutor and chair of the Catholic Standards Safeguarding Agency (CSSA) since May last year, said he was “deeply disappointed” by the comments from Danny Sullivan, previously chair of the CSSA’s predecessor. Sullivan had welcomed Afzal’s public call for survivors of clerical abuse to come forwards, but criticised what he saw as the Church’s intention to “self-police” regarding abuse. Speaking to The Tablet, Afzal described Sullivan’s comments as “unfounded” and “deeply disappointing,” stating that his priority remained “making sure that no one in the Catholic Church is ever harmed again by those in positions of trust”.
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