News briefings Britain and Ireland

Up to four thousand people took part in Cork’s Eucharistic procession for Corpus Christi marking 99 years since the procession was first held in 1926.

In his address at the outdoor benediction, Bishop of Cork and Ross Fintan Gavin said the procession was “not simply a tradition or a spectacle” but “a living testimony of something the world needs to know more than ever: that God has not abandoned us and that Christ still walks in his people”.  He prayed for a war-torn world that needs peace and healing as well as for the elderly who feel forgotten and migrants who feel alone. (Pix in production by Brian Lougheed Photography/Diocese of Cork & Ross)

More than 100 pilgrims took to the streets of Birmingham for the annual Corpus Christi procession on Sunday 22 June. The Archdiocese of Birmingham described the procession as “an opportunity to witness to our faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist”. The procession began with Mass at St Michael’s Church on Moor Street, which was celebrated by Birmingham auxiliary Bishop Timothy Menezes, with Canon Brian McGinley delivering a homily on the Eucharist. Participants processed to St Chad’s Cathedral, singing hymns and praying, where there were prayers and a blessing before the Blessed Sacrament, followed by refreshments.

St George’s Catholic Primary school, Newcastle, has received the bronze school mental health award from the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools and the charity Minds Ahead. St George’s ethos was described as “following in the footsteps of Jesus, promoting …Gospel values of respect, forgiveness, truth, kindness and equality”. Mental health and wellbeing lead, Christine Lawson, highlighted five students chosen as “wellbeing champions” who “are in the process of developing exciting new wellbeing opportunities”. 

The Catholic Union is moving to Mount Street, London, to an address that is also the headquarters of the London Jesuit Centre. 

Allison Moise-Dixon, headteacher of St Bernard’s High School, a Catholic educational establishment in Southend, Essex was appointed MBE for services to Education in the King’s Birthday Honours. 

Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe OP delivered the Bishop Dunn Memorial Lecture on Monday, 23 June in the Galilee Chapel of Durham Cathedral. Radcliffe, a former Master of the Order of Preachers, spoke on the subject “hope in a time of darkness” at the event, where Professor Anna Rowlands, who is the St Hilda Professor of Catholic Social Thought and Practice at Durham University was the respondent.  

New research indicates that praying the rosary is as effective as meditation. A survey of 361 practising Catholics found those who prayed the rosary reported higher levels of well-being, increased empathy, and lower levels of spiritual anxiety. More than 62 per cents of participants in the study, published in the Journal of Religion and Health, held graduate or master’s degrees. Participants said the prayer provided “spiritual peace, calm and confidence”. One explained: “Praying the rosary saved my life. After my husband’s death, I couldn’t cope with the pain and emptiness. Every day, I reached for the rosary, and it gave me the strength to survive.” 

The Sandford St Martin Trust gave a special award to the programme Horrible Histories for helping children understand history including what people believed, who they were and why they did what they did. The trust, which promotes religious and ethical literacy and understanding in broadcasting, also gave a TV/Video prize in its 2025 awards to the documentary, Young, British and Anti-Abortion.

Vision – The Musical Story of Lourdes is to be performed at Holy Apostles Hall in Pimlico on July 11, 12 and 13. Written by Dom Hartley and Jonny Dixon-Smith, the musical takes place in a bar in central Lourdes, France. Two newcomers arrive in town to grab a pint and “as the froth settles on their beers, they are whisked back to Bernadette’s visions [of] the events of 1858 that rocked the town of Lourdes and the world beyond”. Visit www.visionthemusical.com/londontickets for tickets starting from £10.       

The chief executive of Cafod, Christine Allen issued a statement responding to a Vatican-backed report regarding the debt crisis on 20 June. Allen, who attended the launch led by 30 economists appointed by Pope Francis in Rome, said, “Cancelling debt is a longstanding tradition in a Jubilee year as we are called to reset relationships – with one another, with God and with our earth.” The report addressed concerns around debt levels, unfair mechanisms, and long-term financial issues. “This isn’t just a matter of economics, it’s a matter of justice and fairness, when billions of people are condemned to struggle by a system that could easily be changed,” said Allen. If the Church can identify how the current financial system must be amended, solutions can begin to be found. “For the sake of the 3.3 billion people who currently live in debt distress, and are held back from development and opportunity, we must have courage for the future – and our shared destiny with them. Finance must be at the service of people, of human dignity, not vice versa. It is vital that all of us play our part.” 

Archbishop Mark O’Toole of the Cardiff-Menevia Archdiocese issued a statement on the Jubilee of Governments, declaring, “Public service, when carried out with integrity and compassion, is a true vocation, one that reflects the dignity of every person. I am grateful to all those across Wales who take up this task with seriousness and care, often quietly, and always with great responsibility.” The Jubilee of Governments took place from 20 to 22 June, calling us to “consider how public life can be shaped by mercy, justice, and the hope that endures”. Archbishop O’Toole said, “May this Jubilee be a time of renewal and encouragement for all in public life.”  

Four of Scotland’s bishops celebrated Mass at Holyrood last week, attended by MSPs and the Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone, who read the bidding prayers. The Mass marked the feast of SS John Fisher and Thomas More; the latter is the patron saint of politicians. Fisher was canonised with More in 1935 by Pope Pius XI. Attending the Mass were Bishop Joseph Toal of Motherwell, Bishop Brian McGee of Argyll and the Isles, Bishop John Keenan of Paisley and Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews and Edinburgh. In his homily, Archbishop Cushley characterised the Catholic Church in Scotland as a “willing and open partner” in the public life of Scotland.

A spokesman for the Diocese of Dunkeld has provided an update on the condition of a Dundee priest who was seriously injured in a motor crash on the city’s Byron Street on June 13. Fr Malcolm Hutchison, who had to be cut from his vehicle following the collision, has been visited by fellow-priests, and has been able to receive Holy Communion, though still in a serious condition. Fr Hutchison, who is 35, has served as assistant priest at SS Peter and Paul’s in Dundee since 2022. It is understood that he will require further care and surgery before release from hospital is considered.

“The world needs the promise of hope that the Sacred Heart can bring,” the leader of the Irish Church Archbishop Eamon Martin said at a Mass to reconsecrate Ireland to the Sacred Heart.

He told a packed basilica at Knock Shrine that he hoped the act of renewal, which is marking the Jubilee Year of Hope, would “spark a renewal of faith and unleash a powerful rejuvenation of mission to proclaim the good news in our country and beyond”. In a message to the Irish Church, Pope Leo expressed the hope that the consecration would be “grace-filled” for all those participating.

Knock shrine has opened a state-of-the-art youth retreat facility as part of its long-term redevelopment of the Co Mayo International Eucharistic and Marian Shrine. The €1.5 million facility features eco-friendly self-catering sustainable accommodation pods set in a woodland setting. The youth village was officially opened by Archbishop of Tuam Francis Duffy as part of the “dare to hope” faith gathering of young adults organised by the Irish bishops with Knock last weekend. Fr Richard Gibbons, Rector of Knock, said the new village would serve as “a wonderful resource” for the Church in Ireland and provide groups “with a place to come together and grow in faith”.

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