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A private Requiem Mass was held at Buckfast Abbey, yesterday, Wednesday 12 August, for Ann Widdecombe. Around 100 family members, friends and colleagues, including former Tory ministers and broadcasters gathered to pay their last respects. Miss Widdecombe was a regular member of the congregation there. The homily was given by the Abbot of Buckfast, David Charlesworth OSB. He said: "In the midst ... Read More

More than one hundred people gathered at The Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick for the 48th National Justice and Peace Network (NJPN) Conference. The theme was deceptively simple: Just Talk. But over the course of the weekend, it became clear that these two words carried a challenge. At a time when public conversation can so easily become angry, polarised and unforgiving, how do we continue to t... Read More

The Catholic parish of St Gregory, Stratford-upon-Avon, has commissioned a Benedictine monk, Fr Alex Echeandia, from Lurin monastery in Lima, Peru to write two icons of St Benedict and St Gregory. On Thursday 3 September, the Feast of St Gregory, they will be blessed at a special service in the medieval Guild Chapel in Stratford together with an icon of Christ Pantocrator, which will be installed ... Read More

The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations is appealing for churches everywhere to join a Worldwide Prayer for Ukraine during the 30th anniversary commemoration of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations on 16 July 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine, attended by the ecumenical delegation from the World Council of Churches. Photo: Deacon Andrii Sydor/Orthodox Church of U... Read More

Nearly a thousand people gathered in Avila, the birthplace of Saint Teresa of Jesus, from 80 countries and participated in the first World Meeting of the Secular Order of the Discalced Carmelites. Though readers should note that it was felt that 'encuentro' or encounter was a better word than meeting or conference, because this really was a tangible experience of the Teresian family being together... Read More

Gospel of 13 August 2026 Matthew 18:21-19:1 At that time: Peter came up and said to Jesus, 'Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. 'Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one w... Read More

The summer can be a time of heightened stress for married couples. Pressures around work, family routines, finances, and expectations can quietly build, and if left unattended they often lead to emotional disconnection, resentment, and a noticeable rise in separation enquiries. When we face a physical emergency, we instinctively know where to turn for help. Yet when the hurt is within our relation... Read More

The last Christian town in the West Bank, Taybeh, has been declared a closed military zone by the Israeli army. The army, the IDF, says that this is to address ongoing attacks by illegal settlers on the town. Bishop James Curry, Lead Bishop for the Holy Land for the Bishops' Conference, has expressed his concern at the move. "I was deeply alarmed to hear that Taybeh has been declared a closed mili... Read More

Following the confirmation that more than 2,000 people have now died from Ebola in eastern DRC, Christian Aid's Head of Global Humanitarian Response Salome Ntububa, who is based in Goma, said: "This is a terrifying time for people in eastern DRC. The fact it took nearly three months for the first 1,000 people to die from Ebola but less than three weeks to reach the grim milestone of 2,000 deaths s... Read More

The Catholic Medical Association have issued the following statement on the re-introduction of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. The Catholic Medical Association (CMA) is dismayed by the re-introduction of the flawed Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and by the possibility of it being pushed through the Lords using the Parliament Acts. The House of Commons failed to amend and m... Read More

St Dominic's Rosary Shrine, in Southampton Road, NW5, have announced the launch of a new teenagers group: 'The Frassati Society,' named in honour of St Pier Giorgio Frassati, the lay Dominican saint. The group is open to teenagers below 18 years of age. Permission forms are a requirement before attending, so please contact the parish office to obtain a copy. email: london.secretary@english.op.org.... Read More

How Catholics Encounter the Bible by Michael Peppard. Publisher: New York, Oxford University Press, 2025 ISBN 9780190948696 Michael Peppard is the American son of an Evangelical Protestant mother, who read her Bible every day, and a practising Catholic father who never opened the book but was satisfied with being able to say, "I know the stories." Perhaps to his own surprise, the author, now a C... Read More

Gospel of 12 August 2026 Matthew 18:15-20 At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, 'If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to t... Read More

Emergency aid is to be sent to Colombia by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in response to the earthquake that has devastated parts of the country. Within 36 hours of the 7.4 quake that struck during the morning rush hour yesterday (Monday, 10th August), ACN agreed to provide funding to assist immediate needs. The charity has opened an appeal for funds and for prayer amid reports of widespread suff... Read More