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If you find it difficult to imagine what it might be like to live in a war zone, I recommend this deeply moving book. In fact, I recommend it to anyone and everyone, with no ifs and no buts. It is inspirational. The heroes of this story are the ordinary people of Gaza, and particularly the members of the tiny Christian community (now shrunken to around a thousand people in the Catholic and larger... Read More

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time The Cosmic Christ It isn't often that I look at the three Sunday readings and discover them as a unified whole, there is always the problem of our second reading seeming slightly difficult to weave into the pairing that is the OT first reading and the gospel, there is of course a link through our second reading, more in the continual opening out for us of the te... Read More

Gospel of 8 August 2026 Luke 9:57-62 At that time: As Jesus and his disciples were going along the road, someone said to him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.' And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.' To another he said, 'Follow me.' But he said, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' And Jesus said to him, ... Read More

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was in Assisi this week, for the inauguration of the Global House of Friendship and Hope, a new international project promoted by the Elijah Interfaith Institute. During his visit he spoke with journalists about his concerns over the situation in the Holy Land.. Asked about the upcoming Israeli elections on 27 October, he said: ... Read More

This year's service to commemorate the life and witness of Bl Franz Jagerstatter will take place at the Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer, Cheyne Row, London SW3 5HS at 4pm on Sunday, 9 August It has been organised by members of Pax Christi England and Wales. Bl Franz Jägerstätter, was an Austrian farmer and conscientious objector during World War II who refused to fight for Nazi Germany because ... Read More

The final stages of a sponsored walk marking 125 years since the Catholic Association (CA) first made its pilgrimage to Lourdes will conclude in the Diocese of East Anglia this weekend. The CA Lourdes 125 Sponsored Walk is raising funds to celebrate the milestone anniversary, with organisers aiming to raise £1,250. Having reached the halfway point towards the fundraising target, supporters are be... Read More

Bishop Paul Mason, Lead Bishop for Healthcare for the Bishops' Conference, has once again raised his voice in opposition to the controversial puberty blockers trial after a High Court judge ruled that children as young as 11 can be recruited to take part. "It is particularly alarming to see that the clinical trial prescribing puberty blockers to children, run by King's College London, is going ahe... Read More

Talented youngsters at a Coventry primary school received a standing ovation after their dance talents brought plenty of smiles to people living with dementia and their families. Pupils at SS Peter & Paul Catholic Primary School, part of the Romero Catholic Academy, visited the Dementia Partnership Hub in Holbrooks during the last week of term, impressing the audience with a series of energeti... Read More

Haiti's gangs are trying to silence the Church as it remains the last institution challenging their stranglehold, a bishop has warned as worsening violence pushes back elections. Bishop Joseph Gontrand Décoste of Jérémie told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN): "We are the last remaining bulkhead - moral, ethical, spiritual and prophetic… That is why they want to eliminate us." Legislative and p... Read More

An extraordinary Catholic church in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, considered one of the finest early-20th century churches in England, has been upgraded from Grade II to Grade II* listed status by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), on the advice of Historic England. The upgrade is in recognition of its remarkable architectural and historic significance. The Roman Catholic ... Read More

Gospel of 7 August 2026 Matthew 16:24-28 At that time: Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? ... Read More

Thousands of young people from across Europe gathered in Assisi this morning for the 2026 Franciscan Youth Meeting. With temperatures over 37C it was one of the hottest days of the year. During Mass in the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, the Pope encouraged his young listeners to go "to the margins" of society, "where the injustice and arrogance of a few deny the dignity and dreams of many."... Read More

Archbishop Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham, has reflected on the reintroduction of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, calling it "a matter of grave concern for all of us." Archbishop Longley said: "The dignity of human life and the precious gift of human life is very important, and indeed the preservation of life is something which is at the heart of what we share in common as... Read More

Erin Tsutsui is a 16-year-old student at Henry M Gunn High School in California. She visited the World Council of Churches on 5 August with a group from the League of Creative Minds. She shared her grandfather's story of surviving the nuclear bomb in Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. You've been growing up listening to your grandfather's stories. Could you tell me a little more? Tsutsui: My grandfather ... Read More