News briefings Britain and Ireland

Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England, has been awarded an honorary doctorate in education from St Mary’s University, London in recognition of her lifelong commitment to advocating for children and her contribution to the field of education

As a teacher, headteacher and chief executive of a multi-academy trust, for which she received her damehood in 2014, Dame Rachel has been at the forefront of improving educational outcomes for young people, St Mary’s said. In her current role as Children’s Commissioner, she has led initiatives such as The Big Ask, the biggest survey of its kind, asking children what was most important to them in the post-pandemic world, and The Big Ambition, on the rights and aspirations of children throughout the country.

Catholic bishops are promoting Pilgrimage of Hope: a national walking pilgrimage with four main ways converging at the Cathedral of St Barnabas, Nottingham, on Saturday 13 September 2025, for shared prayer and celebration. The pilgrimage will culminate with Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross at 11:15 am on Sunday, 14 September 2025 at St Barnabas’ Cathedral and is intended to l embody the values of compassion, faith, prayer and community.

Catholics must “stand firm” against forces trying to undermine the gospel, the Bishop of Northamption David Oakley said in a homily. Referring to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in a homily at the rededication of Northampton cathedral afetr extensive renovations, he said: “When the rains and floods – the winds of those forces which are against the Gospel – come banging on the doors of our souls, we must stand firm.” He added. “Two hundred years after the first chapel was dedicated here in Northampton, those winds are still blowing strong, and the floodwaters rise.” Referencing abortion as well as assisted dying, he said, “We truly are in an era of utilitarian ethics.” He urged the congregation, “Now is the time to act in the name of Jesus.”  

Aid to the Church in Need pilgrimage titled “York and the North: Heartland of faith and hope” has run from 21 July to 26 July. Father Dominic Robison SJ led pilgrims in reflection and prayer for the Yorkshire men and women who were willing to die for their faith, St Margaret Clitheroe and St John Fisher among them. Along with the ACN pilgrimage team and historian Suze Matthews, pilgrims explored the cities of York, Ripon, and Beverly.

The Diocese of Brentwood has recognized three students from St Bonaventure’s School for their efforts towards outstanding citizenship. At the 2025 Brentwood Catholic Schools Good Citizenship Awards, Zariel (Year 7), Quincy (Year 10), and Ajay (Year 12) were honoured for their “strong sense of kindness, resilience and care for those around them”. Bishop Alan Williams SM presented the awards at St. Helen’s Cathedral in Brentwood. St. Bonaventure’s headteacher Chris McCormack said of the three pupils: “Each of them shows what it means to be a true Bon’s boy, kind, brave, and always thinking of others. They set a positive example for their fellow students, and remind us all of the lasting impact that kindness, resilience, and service can have on those around us.”

Cardinal Stephen Chow SJ, Bishop of Hong Kong, has made a pastoral visit to Manchester to support and encourage the city’s growing Chinese-speaking Catholic community the Hong Kong Examiner reports, where he met people from across Northwest England and other parts of the UK. Cardinal Chow celebrated a thanksgiving Mass at St Patrick’s Church in Collyhurst along with Bishop of Salford John Arnold, who had previously visited Hong Kong in 2023 to explore pastoral collaboration for the growing number of Hong Kong migrants. 

A Catholic People’s Week being held at Whithaugh Park at the Scottish Borders 9-16 August will focus on the climate crisis with speakers from Kielder Observatory, Scottish Forestry, A Rocha and Eco-congregation. The event is celebrating its 80th year running week-long holidays and events intended “to revitalise the heart, mind and spirit of Catholic people today”. Details here.

A service of thanksgiving and remembrance for the late Dr Fortune Gomo was held in St Andrew’s Cathedral, Dundee. Dr Gomo, a recently graduated scientist, was found seriously injured on South Road in the city and died despite the efforts of paramedics. Following a post-mortem, police determined that her death was unlawful, and a 20 year old man is being detained on suspicion of murder. Dr Gomo was originally from Zimbabwe. She had served as a postdoctoral research assistant in geography at the University of Dundee, and had recently been employed by Scottish Water in the department of water resource planning. Dr Gomo’s husband paid tribute to his “incredible” wife at the service, while the local community has engaged in fundraising to help support her grieving family.

Bishop John Keenan of Paisley has formally opened the studios of SPUC TV, the broadcast arm of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children. Bishop Keenan paid tribute to the work of SPUC, and the broadcast of talks and interviews addressing the welfare of unborn children, their mothers, fathers and wider families, and spoke of the organisation’s role in “presenting to an often sceptical and distracted world the immutable truth,, that we are all crated in the image and likeness of Almighty God and are owed every dignity and protection from the moment of conception to our natural death”.

The Scottish Government is in discussions with the Orange Order over claims that First Minister John Swinney had failed to speak out against an apparent airgun attack on an Orange parade earlier in the month. The executive officer of the Orange Lodge of Scotland said that Mr Swinney’s apparent reluctance to condemn the alleged attacks, in which four people were said to have been struck by pellets on Sauchiehall Street in the city centre, compared strangely with his haste to visit a Catholic school in East Renfrewshire that had suffered a graffiti attack. The Grand Master of the Orange Lodge Andrew Murray denied that the Order’s marches were sectarian in intent and said that “the silence from the First Minister itself almost gives a green light to attack our parades”.

Bishop of Cork and Ross Fintan Gavin has described the “remarkable unity” in the feedback given at meetings held by the office for mission and ministry. The meetings took place as part of a year of prayer, listening and discernment and involved parishes, new faith communities and communities of Religious. Some of the major themes that emerged were the need to welcome and prepare parents and godparents presenting their child for baptism; the centrality of the Sunday Eucharist; concern for young people and the declining number of priests.

Synodality is not a quick solution but “a call to live differently” according to Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy. Speaking at a workshop in Co Kildare, he said it is not just a method but a spiritual way of being Church together. “We need to slow down, listen deeply, and let the spirit guide us together,” he said. Separately, Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell of Dublin has said synodality expresses how the spirit shapes the Church. Speaking in Whitefriar Street Church, he said that when the Holy Spirit is present, “there is movement, a journey to be made. We are a people on the move”.

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