Bishop John Sherrington, the lead on life issues for the bishops’ conference of England and Wales, has warned against the introduction of “buffer zones” around abortion facilities under clause ten of the government’s Public Order Bill.
He said the measure “raises serious questions about the state’s powers in relation to the individual in a free society” by “restricting the freedom of thought, conscience and religion”.
In a statement issued last week, Bishop Sherrington said that the bill could criminalise “things that should never be criminalised such as prayer, thought, peaceful presence, consensual communication and practical support”. He criticised parliamentarians for voting down an amendment which would have protected silent prayer and consensual communication.
The Archbishop of Armagh celebrated St Patrick as a patron for human trafficking victims and migrants in a statement issued on 17 March.
“Patrick’s captivity transformed his whole life and his relationships with God and others,” said Archbishop Eamon Martin. “In his slavery and isolation, he discovered through prayer a warm and personal friendship with God which he instinctively wanted to communicate to everyone he met.”
The Archbishop of Dublin, Dermot Farrell, delivered a homily on St Patrick’s Day emphasising the experience of the saint – and of Irish emigrants throughout history – as a stranger in a foreign land. “The Christian community is called to encourage those better reflexes that reflect the Irish tradition of welcome to the stranger,” he said.
The Diocese of East Anglia is offering a free will-writing service for 20 parishioners, under a scheme with the National Free Wills Network which allows people to make a simple will free of charge.
Following an announcement last month of a partnership with the network and Your Catholic Legacy “to shine a spotlight on legacy giving”, the diocese said it would encourage parishioners to use the service by offering free will-writing or updates to the first 20 people to contact its finance department by the end of May.
The popular nine-day Solemn Novena returned to Galway Cathedral for the first time since the Covid pandemic put the annual event on hold for two years.
Thousands turned out for the devotions and to hear a number of high-profile speakers talk about faith. They included the Louth Gaelic football coach Mickey Harte, who spoke about “sharing faith with those who grieve”. Harte often cites faith as helping him cope with the tragic loss of his daughter Michaela, who was murdered on her honeymoon.
Other speakers included former soccer international, Keith Fahey, who spoke about how he came to faith “through a process of struggle and surrender”. Bishop Michael Duignan of Clonfert and Galway spoke about “sharing faith as church”.
The Irish bishops have asked parishes, through their parish pastoral councils and diocesan trusts, to identify and set aside 30 per cent of parish grounds as havens for pollinators and biodiversity. The bishops said returning parish land to nature by 2030 would ensure it could be “enjoyed in perpetuity by the whole community”.
The initiative has been welcomed by author and chair of the Laudato Sì Movement, Dr Lorna Gold, who described the bishops’ recommendation as “huge”. Jane Mellet, Laudator Sì officer with Trócaire, said it was “great to see this leadership in response to the COP15 agreement and the biodiversity crisis”.
Caritas Westminster has joined the “Say Yes to School Food For All” campaign, calling for universal free school meals from nursery to sixth form. It asks, “if we expect all children to be provided with chairs, books and toilets, without means-testing, why shouldn’t food be provided for all school children too?”
The House of Commons will debate a bill on 24 March, which proposes that meals should be made available for free to every primary school child in England. Caritas Westminster has signed an open letter to the Prime Minister in support of this as a first step towards free meals for every student in primary and secondary schools.
Currently universal school meal provision is only available to children up to age seven, and then for children in families on universal credit. Caritas reports that “staff members from schools who have received our supermarket vouchers have reported a huge increase in children receiving free school meals, and still many are coming to school hungry and yet are not eligible for free meals”.
Catholic Concern for Animals has welcomed the passing in the House of Commons last week of the remaining stages of the Trophy Ban (Import Prohibition) Bill. On 18 March chief executive Chris Fegan posted photos of its supporters celebrating in Westminster Hall with “now off to the Lords!”
The bill aims to prevent British big-game hunters from bringing back to the UK body parts of animal species, including lions, rhinos, elephants and polar bears. Famous names supporting it include Gary Lineker, Dame Joanna Lumley, and conservationist Dr Jane Goodall. More than 35,000 people signed a petition backing it.
Cafod director Christine Allen will be keynote speaker at July’s conference of the National Justice and Peace Network of England and Wales. Scheduled for 21-23 July in Derbyshire it will focus on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Ms Allen told The Tablet she was “delighted to be speaking at the conference which is an inspiring reminder of how people up and down the country are working tirelessly to secure a better future for our common home”.
She criticised the UK government’s “pitiful response to the ongoing hunger crisis in East Africa”, saying “It’s hard to square their reluctance to do anything meaningful to help tackle the crisis with the phrase of ‘leaving no one behind’ in the Sustainable Development Goals.”
The parish of the Divine Saviour, Runcorn, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury, was among the many parishes nationwide that marked the tenth anniversary of the pontificate of Pope Francis. Parish priest Fr Ravi Bosco invited Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald M.Afr. to celebrate Mass last weekend and preach for the three communities that make up the parish.
The funeral took place 17 March at St Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church, Northfields, of Fr Aylward Shorter M.Afr. His confrère Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald gave the homily.
Cardinal Fitzgerald said: “Aylward was a missionary. Just as Jesus was sent, so he also was sent in the name of Jesus. Just as Jesus was obedient to the will of the Father, so Aylward was obedient to the will of his superiors; this upheld him, strengthened him; it was a source of life for him.”
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