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Pope renews appeal for end to violence against Palestinians in West Bank

Separation Wall around Bethlehem. Image ICN/JS

Following the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV once again called for an end "to the repeated acts of violence against the Palestinian population of the West Bank." The Holy Father added an urgent appeal to the international community "to ensure that progress is made toward a two-state solution, for a just and lasting peace." The Holy See has consistently affirmed its position that the Two-State So... Read More


Poland: Thousands of pilgrims visit Marian Shrine

Thousands of people in Poland walked hundreds of kilometres to the Marian Shrine of Jasna Góra this weekend, for the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady. The Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, is a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary and one of the country's main places of pilgrimage. The image of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, also known as Our Lady of Częstochowa, to which miraculous p... Read More


USA: Retired Catholic priest detained by ICE

Father Edward Nalwamba

A 78-year-old Colorado priest has been in ICE detention for almost a year. He is now malnourished, in a wheelchair, has a persistent cough, and with chest pain. The only treatment he gets is cough medicine. Father Edward Nalwamba came to the US from Uganda in 2002 and worked about 15 years as a priest at a church in Greenwood Village before retiring. ICE agents arrested him in Lakewood in Septembe... Read More


Ballintubber Abbey enters new chapter with major heritage project

Ballintubber Abbey with Croagh Patrick on horizon

For more than 800 years, Ballintubber Abbey has stood in the County Mayo countryside in the west of Ireland as a place of worship, pilgrimage and community life. Now, the historic site is entering another significant chapter as major works begin on a new cultural and heritage visitor centre. The development marks one of the most ambitious projects in the Abbey's modern history, combining the conse... Read More

'The Answers Are There' by Libby Hoffman

'The Answers Are There' by Libby Hoffman, Publisher: Blue Chair Press. This could have been written for a divided Britain in the 21st century. But it is the story of how people in Sierra Leone repaired their communities following the civil war (1991-2002, 50,000 dead) and Ebola (4,000 dead). The success rests in the belief that local inhabitants, and not national politicians, academics, NGO expert... Read More


Gospel in Art: Solemnity of The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Assumption of the Virgin,  by Nicolas Poussin,  1630/1632  © National Gallery of Art, Washington

Gospel of 16 August 2026 Luke 1:39-56 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit... Read More


URC pays tribute to Professor Jason Arday

Professor Arday with his  Honorary Doctorate awarded by St Mary's University in 2024

The United Reformed Church has issued the following statement today: The United Reformed Church is deeply saddened by the death of Professor Jason Arday, who was found unresponsive at an address in London on Friday (14 August). Professor Arday, 41, became the University of Cambridge's youngest Black professor in 2023 before resigning from his position as Professor of Sociology of Education last we... Read More


After visit to West Bank village besieged by settlers, Israeli peace activist warns: 'a major inferno is coming'

Ofer Caffis

In the occupied West Bank village of Qusra, a tense and dangerous standoff has unfolded over the past week as illegal Israeli settlers have placed several Palestinian families under a siege inside their own homes without food or water. Israeli politician and peace activist Ofer Caffis warns that unless the world intervenes, there could be 'catastrophic bloodshed.' The crisis began last Sunday, Aug... Read More


In Taybeh - the only remaining Christian village in the West Bank - children live in fear

Photo> WCC

Taybeh, the only remaining Christian village in the West Bank, includes Christian archaeology dating back to the Roman era and early Christianity. Located in the Ramallah area of the West Bank, the village's population has dwindled to 1,200 people, all of them Christians. During the 1980s, the population was around 3,000 people. Today, Taybeh is surrounded by four illegal Israeli settlements: Ofr... Read More


Sunday Reflection with Canon Robin Gibbons - August 16th 2026

Master of the Cini Madonna - Dormition of the Virgin

In England and Wales this year, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1. Mary in our Christian journey. Where did you first discover a love and devotion to Our Lady, Saint Mary the mother of our Saviour? In our Catholic tradition it is not difficult to discover her either in image or devotion because she is so deeply rooted in our faith, particularly in forms of popular expres... Read More


Online talk with Parish Priest from last Christian town in West Bank

A special online discussion will take place today, Saturday, August 15 at 7pm UK time, 2pm EST, with Father Bashar Fawadleh, Parish Priest of Taybeh at Christ the Redeemer, in Taybeh, the last remaining fully Christian village in the West Bank. Taybeh and its people have fallen victim to repeated violent incursions by extremist Israeli settlers, threatening residents and their property. Israel rec... Read More


Gospel in Art: Children were brought to Jesus

The Baptistery of Bekalta, 6th-7th century,  Discovered  1993, near Bekalta, Monastir Governorate, Tunisia,  Mosaic tesserae  © Sousse Archaeological Museum, Tunisia and with thanks to Tourism Tunisia for use of the image

Gospel of 15 August 2026 Matthew 19:13-15 At that time: Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.' And he laid his hands on them and went away. Reflection on the Baptistery This year in England and Wales, the Sol... Read More


Pope Leo calls on priests to 'respect' post-Vatican II liturgies

Mount Angel Abbey, Oregon

Pope Leo XIV has encouraged priests to respect the liturgical norms for the celebration of Mass, in a message to participants in a Vatican-organized meeting in the US state of Oregon. As Cardinals, Bishops, and lay people gathered at the Benedictine Abbey of Mount Angel, Pope Leo XIV sent a message on Friday to emphasise the importance of properly celebrating the liturgical rites. The event which ... Read More


Artwork honouring children killed in Gaza wins major award

Diane Williams with her artwork

A powerful artwork honouring hundreds of children killed in Gaza has won the public vote at this year's National Eisteddfod art exhibition. The Josef Herman Award - The People's Choice was awarded to Diane Williams from Ynys Môn for the emotional work - a child's nightdress embroidered with the names of 300 children who did not attain the age of one in Gaza - displayed at Y Lle Celf, the National... Read More

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