Abbot John of Wheathampstead, one of the most influential Benedictine Abbots of the 15th century, has been laid to rest at St Albans Cathedral, alongside his royal compatriot, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. His burial site was unknown for 480 years until it was discovered unexpectedly during excavation work in 2017. He was found alongside three papal bulls that Pope Martin V had given him forty years before he died. At evensong last weekend, his remains were placed in a zinc ossuary, draped in a purple pall and taken on their final journey via the original 14th century Abbot’s Door that he would have used daily to enter the abbey. Dean of St Albans Jo Kelly-Moore said: “It was an extraordinary privilege to lay to rest Abbot John of Wheathampstead here in the abbey that he worked to build and within which he called people to pray, learn and serve. His legacy is enormous and this moment of history making a very special one for our Cathedral community. Beyond his achievements, in placing his bones in the ossuary we have been inspired afresh by the life of John Bostock, born and educated locally, called by God in his day, as we each are today, to be part of living God’s love for the world.”
The Catholic Union has received a reply to a previous letter sent to the Government over the cost of living crisis. Reiterating the measures the current government has taken over rising utility bills and a soaring cost of living, the Treasury rejected the letter's proposal of a united household tax, arguing that a system of individual taxation "provides everyone with absolute confidentiality for their personal tax affairs". In the Union's original statement, issued in response to the government's 'Spring Statement', the group argued"many people won’t feel the benefits" of government policies "on account of inflation.”
Sr Aelred Timmins RSM received an honorary doctorate from Edinburgh University in July for her work supporting the city’s homeless and vulnerable over the past fifty years. Born in Kilkenny, Sr Timmins has worked in Edinburgh since the 1970s and in 1993 founded the Homeless Project at St Catherine’s Mercy Centre, which assists 200 people every day with provision of meals, toilet facilities and advice. Professor Enda Delaney, who nominated Sr Timmins for the degree of Doctor honoris causa, described her as “a beacon of hope and the embodiment of faith in practice”.
Pax Christi England and Wales has organised vigils at Westminster Cathedral to mark the first use of nuclear weapons on two Japanese cities in 1945. Saturday 6 August is the anniversary of dropping the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima and then Tuesday 9 August marks the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki. Pax Christi England and Wales has organised a stall outside Westminster Cathedral from 11am to 1.00pm on both days. There will prayers, readings and distribution of literature on how to foster peace and disarmament for the future. Commemorative events will be held too in Birmingham, Coventry, Liverpool and other places. On the evening of 9 August, Pax Christi will also mark the anniversary of the execution of conscientious objector Blessed Franz Jägerstätter for refusing to fight for the Nazis. This year's service will be in the cathedral crypt at 6.30pm. After the service, there will be an interfaith walk to the London Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park, for the Nagasaki Day memorial.
This summer, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) UK is facing a shortage of volunteer hosts, as many hosting placements come to an end. At the same time, its warns, many more refugees will be at risk of street homelessness once again, as local authority accommodation introduced during Covid-19 draws to a close. So, a call has gone out for new hosts with a spare room in London to provide a welcoming environment for a three-month period. The scheme coordinator will provide full induction and support throughout the process. As part of the Diocesan Community of Support in Westminster Archdiocese, JRS, Caritas Westminster and others have arranged an information session on 14 September 2022 for anyone who is hosting, would like to host, or explore further ways of providing support to those who are seeking sanctuary. The session will be facilitated by the JRS, who run the ‘At Home’ hosting scheme. The Refugee Council has raised concerns around the negative impact of prolonged hotel stays on the health and wellbeing of thousands of refugees, including depression. The Refugee Council’s investigation suggests that many of those living in asylum accommodation have limited access to the vital legal and health services they desperately need while claiming asylum and are cut off from the rest of society and support networks.
Representatives from Justice and Peace Scotland and The Church of Scotland’s Faith Action Team took part in a protest outside the Scottish Parliament on 28 July, following the publication of a report on drug deaths. “Too few are able to access the help they need to recover from addiction” said Justice and Peace Scotland, which has joined Scotland’s initiative on drug-related deaths and supports the call for the Scottish government to do more to tackle addiction. 1,330 people lost their lives to drug misuse in Scotland in 2021, according to figures published by National Records of Scotland. The number is 1 per cent lower than 2020 which makes it the first year since 2013 in which drug misuse deaths have not increased. However, it is still the second highest annual total on record. Also, people in the most deprived areas were more than 15 times as likely to have a drug misuse death as those in the least deprived areas. In 2020 (the most recent year available for the rest of the UK) Scotland’s drug misuse rate was 3.7 times that for the UK as a whole, and higher than that of any European country.
The Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh has launched “free2pray”, a campaign against proposed abortion clinic buffer zones in Scotland, focussing on the restrictions such legislation would place on public prayer. The proposed Abortion Services Safe Access Zones Bill would ban behaviour “seeking to influence or persuade a person concerning their access to abortion services” within 150 metres of abortion providers, including prayer. Those who broke the law would incur a prison sentence of up to six months for a first offence and up to two years imprisonment for subsequent offences. Tabled in the Scottish parliament by Green Party MSP Gillian Mackay, the proposed bill is open for online consultation until 11 August.
The parents of Archie Battersbee on Monday this week lost an against the withdrawal of the boy’s life-support treatment in hospital. Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee had applied to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities after losing their battle with Barts Health NHS Trust. After considering the case on Monday, the Court of Appeal ruled that Archie's ventilator could be switched off but granted a delay of one day until Tuesday.
Bishop of Killaloe Fintan Monahan has urged Irish road users to “act responsibly” and to see road safety as a moral issue following a spike in fatalities. Lamenting “a serious surge in road traffic accidents” which has seen 95 people killed on roads so far this year as well as 673 people seriously injured, the Bishop of Killaloe described himself as “shocked and saddened”. Referring to the parable of the Good Samaritan, he said it encourages people to act responsibly and care for the stranger. Speaking to The Tablet, Bishop Monahan said that during holiday time “people are out of their normal routines and let down their guard a bit” which “means a greater degree of danger when on the road”. He said: “In our job, dealing with so many funerals, you see the effects of, not only the immediate deaths, but also of the people who are seriously injured. You see the effects of the bereavement and the fallout that this carnage leaves in terms of the sadness.”
Some of the families of the nine people who were killed in three bomb attacks in the Co Derry village of Claudy in July 1972 are pursuing legal action against the Catholic Church. The car bombs devastated the village with no warning. Although the IRA has never admitted responsibility, the republican paramilitaries are widely believed to have been behind the atrocity. In 2013, relatives of William Watson Temple (16), David Miller (60) and James McClelland (64) began a legal action against the PSNI, the Northern Ireland Office and the Catholic Church. It followed a 2010 report by the Police Ombudsman which found that the late Fr James Chesney was a suspect in the bombings. The report said police in Northern Ireland, the State and the Catholic Church covered up his suspected role in the atrocity. Last week, Kevin Winters of the law firm KRW Law, which is representing the families, told the Irish Times that the case against the Catholic Church is continuing. “This part of the case has been and will continue to be fully contested as the Church doesn’t accept it has any civil liability for the activities of deceased priest Fr Chesney,” Winters said.
Loading ...
