News briefing Britain and Ireland

Bishop of Plymouth Nicholas Hudson has described the Christian martyr St Boniface as “a pastor who knew the risk he was taking and yet was prepared to lay down his life for the sheep”.

Celebrating the Feast Day of St Boniface, one of the patrons of the Diocese of Plymouth, Bishop Hudson said, “All of our diocesan patrons are martyrs. It reflects, I think, the very missionary nature of this territory.” Boniface, born Winfrid, was one of the most important figures in eighth-century European Christianity. A Benedictine, he founding the Abbey of Fulda, established many dioceses and crowned Pepin as King of the Franks at Soissons, helping shape the Christian character of early medieval Europe. He was martyred aged 73, in Utrecht, when attacked by armed robbers. “This diocese is rightly proud to have produced such a figure,” Bishop Hudson said. “In an age when we know the need for our own mission to be deepened, at a time when many shadows fall across our world, we should call on Boniface with increasing fervour, to bless our endeavours, to help us begin to be the diocese the Lord desires us to be.”

Hundreds of peole have signed a petition to save St Joseph’s College Reading, scheduled to close 10 July due to declining student numbers and rising costs. “The closure of St. Joseph’s College would not only disrupt the education of current students but also erode the educational landscape of Reading,” the petition says. “This institution has for generations equipped young minds with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in an ever-changing world. Moreover, the dedicated staff, whose livelihoods depend on this institution, will be left jobless. The loss goes beyond mere statistics – it involves the dismantling of a tight-knit community that fosters lifelong friendships and serves as a haven for intellectual and personal growth.”

Theos and the Fetzer Institute came together to hold a series of events exploring interfaith dialogue and the place of the sacred in a polarised world, from 2-5 June in London, Cambridge and Oxford in honour of the publication of Retelling Sacred Stories (Orbis). Imam Monawar Hussein related his experience of founding “United for Peace: Communities united against Extremism” to protect community relations in the UK: “Its purpose was to create mutual spaces where people of faith could share something meaningful from their tradition. Something moving happened: not sameness or uniformity, but an experience of harmony. Communities came together with integrity, bringing what is of value to them.” Theologian and secretary general emeritus of Religions for Peace International, William Vendley, told The Tablet, “The lesson we’ve learnt in 27 years working in some of the most painful and difficult circumstances on earth is that the fastest way to help different religious communities overcome their fear of each other is to find the easiest and simplest thing they’re willing to work together on. The very experience of standing shoulder-to-shoulder, collaborating on something that is a good in itself, establishes a degree of solidarity and mutuality in a non-threatening way. That begins a virtuous cycle.”

Working for peace must not be left to politicians, Fr Gerry McFlynn, prison chaplain and co-president of Pax Christi England and Wales, told Pax Christi’s annual meeting at Euston, London last Saturday. Urging Church leaders to take initiatives in peace, he reflected on Pope Leo’s Peace Sunday message, “Towards Unarming and Disarming Peace”. Those present had the opportunity to describe what they are already doing in working for peace as well as plans andvisions for the future. These comments will be useful in planning the future direction of Pax Christi. Martha Ines Romero, secretary general Pax Christi International, sent a message from her native Columbia describing the privilege of being leader of such a group of people worldwide, all working together for peace, justice and reconciliation .

The announcement that 14 Catholic bishops will attend this year’s March for Life UK has been welcomed as “a powerful sign of unity and hope”. Support from the bishops has doubled for the annual March for Life UK, which promotes a pro-life viewpoint and opposes the UK’s abortion laws, and which will take place this year on Saturday 5 September in London. Praising the support given by the bishops, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, director of March for Life UK, told The Tablet: “The support of 14 bishops at the annual March for Life is a powerful sign of unity and hope. Their participation highlights the growing importance of public witness in defending the dignity of every human life.” The announcement comes after record numbers of abortions in England and Wales were reported, with 278,740 taking place in 2023 and a total of nearly 300,000 across the UK. Vaughan-Spruce said: “The Church is standing firm on the issue of life.” Those planning to attend include Archbishop of Westminster Richard Moth, Archbishop of Birmingham Bernard Longley and Archbishop of Southwark John Wilson. They will be joined, amongst others, by Forces Bishop Paul Mason, Ordinariate Bishop David Waller and Scottish Bishop Frank Dougan of Galloway.

Bishop Paul McAleenan, lead bishop for migrants and refugees for the Catholic bishops’ conference of England and Wales, has welcomed a campaign urging the government to restore the right to asylum. The campaign, launched by the Jesuit Refugee Service, St Vincent de Paul Society and Caritas Social Action Network, highlights the barriers which refugees and asylum seekers face when seeking sanctuary in the United Kingdom and calls upon the government to restore dignity in the asylum system. “It is well known that many risk dangerous journeys in search of safety and a chance to rebuild their lives,” said Bishop McAleenan. “They do so because safe and accessible routes are unavailable to them. I encourage Catholics to engage with the campaign however they can and stand in solidarity with those forced to flee their homes.”

Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, will address the Religion Media Festival on 29 June on the theme, “How the media should challenge hate crime and promote social cohesion”. His keynote will be followed by an interview with Imam Qari Asim, exploring the same issues. As co-signatories of the Drumlanrig Accords, an agreement aimed at strengthening relations between Muslim and Jewish communities in the UK, both men will reflect on the role of the media at a time of heightened social tension.

Keith Leslie, chair at Samaritans in UK and Ireland, will deliver a Catholic Union pub talk on Monday 5 October titled “Mental Health – is it now becoming a fad?” and chaired by former Tablet editor Catherine Pepinster.

Irish women are having significantly fewer children than their mothers and grandmothers and Gen Z women are on course for an historically high level of childlessness according to a new report. “Choice or Circumstance? Rising Childlessness in Ireland” predicts that one in four Gen Z women in Ireland will never have any children. The study was commissioned by Iona Institute, a Christian advocacy and research body. It tracks a consistent trajectory of increasing childlessness as each passing generation of Irish women has entered their 30s and warns that there is no sign of a turnaround. The research examines trends in childlessness by generation starting with women born after 1955, the generation referred to as “baby boomers”.

Ireland’s oldest person is 108-year-old Sr Colette Hickey who founded Edel House in Cork city in 1972 as an emergency refuge for women, children and single mothers. Born in Co Waterford on 31st January 1918, she joined the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd in 1935 when she was 17. In 1993 she won the first-ever Cork Person of the Year award in recognition of her work with Edel House. The charity helps hundreds of women and children every year to escape homelessness and begin to rebuild their lives which may have been blighted by addiction or mental health issues.

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