Speaking about the launch of a new faith-sharing Lenten booklet entitled, ‘Sparks of Light,’ Archbishop Vincent Nichols said: “My desire is that this faith-sharing resource will help you to see that ‘saintly’ living is as much for you as it has been for anyone.
Members of Parliament have set up a new group to safeguard the teaching of religious education to pupils in England. The new group of MPs believe it is essential children are taught about different cultures and religions. The all party parliamentary group on Religious Education wants the subject to be treated as a priority.
Speaking after an official state visit to the Holy See, Archbishop Vincent Nichols said that secularists, “with a kind of stubbornness, with a dogmatism, want to isolate faith and privatise it”, adding: “It is often that kind of intolerance of the reality of faith which is holding back some of the best contributions that can be made to the common good.”
When I met the Holy Father in 2010 he told me that he had heard what I had been saying and urged me to carry on making my case robustly. I will be arguing that to create a more just society, people need to feel stronger in their religious identities and more confident in their creeds. In practice this means individuals not diluting their faiths and nations not denying their religious heritages.
Moves by two Catholic cash-strapped religious communities to sell off valuable collections of ancient artefacts, some of them unique, in their care have led to growing concern among conservationists about the protection of the Church’s sacred history.
The World Day of the Sick serves to refocus everyone's attention on a single fact: illness exists. Unfortunately Western society has such confused ideas on this that the real definition of the word “health” is still being argued about.
Father Antoine Rafic Greiche, official spokesman for the Catholic Church in Egypt, warned that the success of the Salafists was a grave concern for Christians. "We were expecting the Muslim Brothers to do well but we did not expect at all the success of the Salafists," he said.
In March the British government will start an in depth consultation on gay marriage and PM David Cameron has already declared he wants it to be an important part of his mandate. But now it is not just the Catholic Church protesting to the English government against gay marriage. The Anglican Archbishop of York John Sentamu also warned David Cameron: “Do not legalize gay marriage.”
Results of a £12-million research project on the place of religious belief in public life will be aired in a series of groundbreaking debates as well as in The Tablet beginning next month. One of the main aims, argues the project’s head, is to help correct the secular bias at universities.
Pope Benedict XVI has urged bishops in the United States to mobilise Catholics against “powerful new cultural currents” in American society that are “increasingly hostile to Christianity” and endanger church freedoms.
Made public today was the Pope's Message for World Mission Day, which falls this year on Sunday 21 October. The theme of the document is: "Called to radiate the word of truth". Extracts of the message are given below.
Facebook, the most popular social network in the world, has several tools to maintain and enrich mutual friendship: this is well-known. However, in general, no one asks themselves how come the dynamics of relationships are exclusively based on positive feedback (thumbs up, sharing) and there are no instant options for disapproval
Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark has highlighted his concern for the ‘thousands of families’ who would be adversely affected by proposed changes to benefits and Legal Aid. In a letter to the Times, the archbishop commented on the Welfare Reform Bill and the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill being debated in the House of Lords
Today we feel the urgent need to give a fresh impetus and new approaches to the work of evangelization in a world in which the breaking down of frontiers and the new processes of globalization are bringing individuals and peoples even closer.
The 400th anniversary of the English translation of the Bible, named after King James, was recently celebrated in the Cathedral of Canterbury. The following is a speech given by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to mark the occasion.
In a statement released to coincide with the World Day for Migrants and Refugees celebrated on Sunday January 15, Bishop Patrick Lynch said that parishes have been greatly enriched by “the strong sense of community and commitment to family life within many of our migrant communities, by their love for the Scriptures, by their devotion to Our Lady and especially by their joyful participation in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Though praying as a family normally involves at least one parent and the children, and sometimes with elderly relatives such as grandparents joining in, some little ones can easily carry out the practice even in the absence of the senior family members as long as the habit has been instilled in them.
Speaking in his annual BBC New Year message, the Archbishop of Canterbury reflects on the importance that Christianity bestows on young people and challenges us to actively support our local youth facilities and opportunities which, he argues, play a crucial part in a healthy society.
New Year Pastoral Letter from the Bishop of Lancaster. "At the beginning of this New Year I would ask you to join me in grappling with the two-fold task of planning how our diocese’s parishes and schools adapt to these new circumstances and secondly to make ourselves ready to launch into the challenge of the New Evangelisation."
Cardinal Peter Turkson and Bishop Mario Toso, from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace have released Pope Benedict XVI's Message for the World Day of Peace 2012, which will be celebrated om 1 January. The theme of this year's message is: 'Educating Young People in Justice and Peace'. Extracts from the message are given here.
