News briefings Britain and Ireland

The national statue of Our Lady of Fatima and relics of St Francisco and St Jacinta Marto, the Fatima seers, visited the Cathedral Church of St Mary’s Middlesbrough, on Saturday as part of a tour of English and Welsh Cathedrals  to mark the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Sr Lucia, the third Fatima visionary in Pontevedra, Spain in 1925. She asked the 18-year-old, then a postulant with the Sisters of St Dorothy, to urge Catholics to attend Mass, pray the Rosary and mediate for 15 minutes on the mysteries of the Rosary for the first five Saturdays of every month in reparation for sin. She also requested Russia be consecrated to her “immaculate heart.”  The tour concludes on October 31, 2026 in Westminster Cathedral.

The Coventry Deanery LGBTQ+ group and Parish Priest Fr George Bennett of St Patrick’s Church organised an LGBTQ+ Welcome Mass recently for members of the LGBTQ+ community and their families. The Group emerged from the Synodal process and a diocesan working group was formed at the request of Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham. He said: “It is so important that everyone should feel welcome in the family of the Church within our Archdiocese. I pray that this initiative will enable us to offer appropriate accompaniment and encouragement, so that the Church’s teaching on holiness of life may draw all Catholics closer to Christ.” Fr Bennett described the Mass as a joyful occasion, with 30 to 40 additional attendees joining the usual congregation. “We want everyone to feel welcome in our parish and in the church in general,” he said. 

Three seafarers, who are survivors of modern slavery in the UK, have been reunited with their families for the first time in four years, with the help of Catholic maritime charity Stella Maris (formerly known as Apostleship of the Sea). The men’s ordeal began in 2021, when they were recruited to work aboard a fishing vessel in UK waters. Forced to work long hours without rest, given insufficient food, and subjected to threats and physical abuse , they eventually fled their vessel and were later identified as victims of modern slavery. Now, with the support of Stella Maris, who covered the cost of their flights, the men have been able to travel home for some respite with their families. For one of them, the return is especially joyful, he will be married during the visit. “Stella Maris is absolutely thrilled that the seafarers have been reconnected with their families after such a long period of being apart. One of them will also get married making their return home more special,” said Tim Hill CEO of Stella Maris UK.

Andrew O’Neill of All Saints Catholic College in London has been appointed school leader adviser to the Department for Education, a 12-month secondment that began on 4 June. He will work closely with ministers and officials to help shape policy and strategy in an appointment that is regarded as an endorsement of the transformation he has led at All Saints, now one of the most sought-after comprehensives in the country

More than 350 organisations – including religious groups, migrant and refugee groups – have signed a pledge to work together to combat “the politics of division”. The statement, ‘An island of solidarity, not strangers’ was organised by Asylum Matters and signatories include Jesuits and Columbans. The groups challenge anti-migrant sentiment by celebrating the “meaningful and enduring contributions” of those who’ve migrated, and highlighting their “inherent right” to “peace, dignity and hope”. They condemn “the recent rhetoric of the Prime Minister, irresponsible politicians and that of the far-right” and commit to working together to “build a movement of solidarity and resistance that protects and defends the rights of all people.”

To mark the tenth anniversary of the publication of Laudato Si’, Caritas Nottingham and Green Christian have organised an online festival of economic justice on the evening of 18 June. The keynote talk will be delivered by Professor Luigino Bruni, vice-president of the Economy of Francesco Foundation, with a response by Henrique Sengès of the Foundation. Group sessions will include: Green Christian’s Sustainable Food Project; the Santa Marta Group’s work to eradicate human trafficking and modern slavery; CAFOD, calling for debt justice in this Jubilee Year; and Journey to 2030 which supports Catholic parishes to be hubs of transformational change.

Archbishop William Nolan of Glasgow will speak at a protest at Dungavel Migrant Detention Centre on 15 June. A banner will read, ‘Dignity Not Detention,’ with campaigners calling for an end to detention. The UK is the only country in Europe where people can be detained indefinitely for immigration purposes. Archbishop Nolan is President of organiser Scotland Justice and Peace, which highlights that the number of people detained in the UK for immigration purposes increased 10 percent last year to 20,919. “Dungavel is a symbol of that cruel and unjust practice, the only detention centre in Scotland, and the only one of seven across the UK where both men and women are housed,” it says. 

Cafod is inviting Catholic schools in England and Wales to make a Jubilee Pledge before the end of this academic year “to live out Catholic Social Teaching.” This means to commit to be a sign of hope and stand in solidarity with communities experiencing poverty. The Jubilee Pledge is “a whole school, long-term commitment to take concrete actions to build a fairer world, putting Catholic Social Teaching into action, just as Pope Francis and Pope Leo have asked us to do,” says Cafod. Jubilee pledge certificates will be awarded. Cafod resources include a pledge poster and a short film that celebrates school achievements so far during this Jubilee Year.

Fair Tax Week starts on 8 June with Tax Justice Sunday. The Just Money Movement has produced downloadable resources for parishes to reflect on tax “as a way of loving our neighbours, caring for creation and bringing about a fairer society.” It suggests that tax “can be a tool to help address inequalities in our communities and wider society and raise government revenue to pay for public services and invest in a flourishing economy.”  A Tax Justice webinar will be run on 10 June, looking at what tax policies we might advocate for today. This is in advance of Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcement of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review the following day.

Paul Raymond has been announced as the new chief executive of the Irish Chaplaincy.  He has been acting chief executive since last November and managed the chaplaincy’s seniors project for 15 years. The Irish Chaplaincy is a social action charity providing services and support to excluded, vulnerable and isolated Irish people in England and Wales. Raymond said he was “honoured and delighted” to take on the role, reflecting that the charity is “rooted in the values of Catholic Social Teaching, proclaiming the dignity and equality of all.” He is committed “to continuing and expanding this mission in new and innovative ways.” 

Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan has said he has “no doubt” that Pope Leo is praying for the work of vocations promotion. The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, who is chair of the Irish Bishops’ Council for Vocations, made his comment following his meeting with the new pontiff at an audience in St Peter’s Square.  He was accompanying eight vocations directors from Ireland who attended a workshop on the promotion of vocations to the priesthood by the Dicastery for Clergy. The workshop was conducted by Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for Clergy, and his secretary, Mgr Eamonn McLaughlin, who previously served in Raphoe Diocese.

The barriers that still divide Protestant from Catholic areas across North, West and East Belfast: On Monday 23 June 2025 a conversation will take place among community leaders, officials, residents, politicians and other stakeholders to explore what has changed, what is changing now, and what supports and obstructs further change at the interfaces? SMD

The Archdiocese of Dublin has commissioned its first Diocesan Pastoral Council. Speaking in Dublin’s Pro Cathedral, Bishop Donal Roche said members of the council were representative of the rural and urban profile of the diocese as well as the younger and older, and male and female population. Members of the new Diocesan Pastoral Council have been actively involved in various ministries around Dublin diocese.  Bishop Roche noted that those who assisted in the church in the past were often seen as ‘helping the priest’ rather than exercising a ministry by virtue of their baptism.

Bishop Fintan Gavin of Cork and Ross has paid tribute to Polish families who made their home in his diocese telling them, “we are greatly enriched by your presence and participation. Speaking at a Mass to mark the 20th anniversary of the Polish Chaplaincy in his diocese, Bishop Gavin said Polish families wanted to pass on to their children the values, traditions, and faith that they received from their parents and grandparents in Poland. He blessed an icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa — an image especially close to the heart of every Pole — which was donated to the church in Mahon by the Polish community.

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