Bishops' Conference of England and Wales

In the twelve months since our last visit, the Land of Promise is being diminished and challenged. Gaza remains a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. The people of the West Bank we encountered are demoralised and fearful. The courageous Israeli voices which speak out for human and civil rights are increasingly threatened; advocating for marginalised voices is a costly solidarity. We fear that soon, they too will be silenced.

Read moreIt’s time to come back to the Holy Land, says Latin Patriarch of JerusalemBishop Hudson: “We see you and we won’t forget you”West Bank priest: “We still believe that hope never fails, despite attacks”Archbishop Nolan: Peace depends on recognising the humanity of the other sideBishop Curry: "The Holy Land is a place of hope and potential yet to be realised"Comboni Sisters walking in hope with a Bedouin tribe in the West BankBedouin's message to people in the UK

The Church of England, The Church in Wales and The Catholic Church in England and Wales are pleased to confirm ongoing support for victims and survivors of church-related abuse, through Safe Spaces, the independent support service.

Safe Spaces is a free national support service which offers a confidential, personal, and safe space for anyone who has been abused through their relationship with either the Church of England, The Church in Wales or The Catholic Church in England and Wales, regardless of age, gender, or sexual orientation.

First Light, the charity empowering victims and survivors, will continue to provide the service as an extension of their current contract, for a further 15 months.

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Given on 17 January 2026 at Methodist Central Hall for a Service of Thanksgiving on the 80th Anniversary of the Inaugural Meeting of the United Nations.

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On Monday 19 January, Bishop Nicholas Hudson preached a homily at the Vicariate of St James at a Mass for Hebrew-speaking Catholics in Jerusalem. Reflecting on the Gospel message, Bishop Hudson said:

“It is our faith – that is to say, we believe – that the wine of God’s love has been poured into our hearts. He has made His home in us. We believe this of the sacraments too, most especially the Eucharist – that His love is literally poured into us as we take the cup and drink of it.  But we know too that we need to be changed by it; transfigured by love.”

Bishop Hudson shared the powerful experience of meeting with the Comboni Sisters on the first day of the Holy Land Co-ordination pilgrimage.

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The Holy Land Co-ordination of Episcopal Conferences in support of the Church of the Holy Land, the Holy Land Co-ordination, will take place in and around Jerusalem from Saturday, 17 January to Wednesday, 21 January 2026.

The theme for the visit, inspired by the Church’s recent Jubilee Year, is: A Land of Promise: Encounter and Dialogue with People of Hope.

The Holy Land Co-ordination is a pastoral and ecclesial gathering, rooted in prayer, reflection, and attentive listening to the Christian communities and peoples of the Holy Land. The celebration of Mass is central to each day and shapes the rhythm of the meeting.

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Archbishop Mark O’Toole, Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia, and Bishop Peter Brignall, Bishop of Wrexham, have issued a joint statement ahead of a Senedd debate and vote on assisted suicide legislation.

The Bishops express their deep concern for the proposal which would “represent a profound change in how society responds to those who are terminally ill”, and propose instead to “strengthen palliative and end-of-life care so that every person can live their final days with dignity, comfort, and peace.”

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Members of the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament, will be asked to decide whether Wales should give its consent to Westminster’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill — a law that would legalise assisted suicide. This would be a profound change for Wales and would mean that, for the first time, doctors could be asked to assist a patient in ending their life intentionally.

If enacted, this bill would put the most vulnerable in our society at risk of coercion. The conscientious objection clause for doctors is inadequate. Furthermore, parliament has explicitly rejected an amendment whereby care homes and hospices could opt out of facilitating assisted suicide on their premises and yet many care homes and hospices will want no involvement. Even with stricter rules, experience from other countries shows that once assisted suicide is introduced, the safeguards soon loosen and those who are elderly, disabled, or feel they are a burden begin to feel subtle pressure to choose death.

Write to a Member of the Senedd

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has passed through the House of Commons and is now with the House of Lords. Our clear principled objection to the Bill remains. The House of Lords has a responsibility to scrutinise the Bill in depth and reject it if necessary.

Unlike MPs, Members of the House of Lords do not have constituents, meaning there is not a Peer whose job it is to represent you based on the area of the country in which you live. For this reason you should take some time to think about which Peer you will write to and why, such as whether you have a personal or professional connection with them, or you have professional expertise in medicine or healthcare.

Please visit this link for full guidance to help you write to a Peer.

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18 January - 25 January 2026

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026 extends an invitation to draw upon this shared Christian heritage and to delve more deeply into our fellowship in Christ, which unites Christians worldwide.

This year it takes Ephesians 4 v 1-13 as its central text which includes the words, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling.” (Ephesians 4:4). Paul’s epistles stress the importance of unity within the Church, urging us to live lives worthy of our calling with humility, gentleness, patience and love (Ephesians 4:1-3). Ephesians 4:4 summarises the teachings of Paul about unity, emphasising here, too, that the followers of Christ represent “one body and one Spirit”, united in a single hope. This metaphor signifies the Church as a unified entity transcending barriers of geography, nationality, ethnicity and tradition. Paul uses the metaphor of the Church being the Body of Christ to describe its unity within the diversity of its members.

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27 January 2026

When a loved one suffers from dementia, you see the person you love slowly disappear. Why? Because we are our memories. One of the greatest gifts God has given human beings is the ability to remember. When fail to remember, we lose sight of who we are. The person we become in life is shaped by what has happened in the past and how we remember those moments, good or bad.

On Holocaust Memorial Day, we remember. We remember the horrific events that destroyed countless lives. We remember the unimaginable suffering and heartache. We remember so that we may truly be formed by what has happened. The other side of this is that if we fail to remember then not only do we lose who we are, but humanity loses sight of the reality of being alive.

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1 February 2026

Ahead of Racial Justice Sunday 2026, Bishop Paul McAleenan, as Lead Bishop for Racial Justice, welcomes this years theme - Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:21): Promoting Racial Justice in our Parishes.

Bishop McAleenan said: “Where racial justice is concerned, we must never tire of repeating what has been said before, though we always seek new ways to convey our message.  Racial Justice Sunday 2026 is devoted to the promotion of racial justice in our Catholic parishes across England and Wales and society and an encouragement to be conscious of the need for justice in all its forms.

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7 - 14 February 2026

On the Feast of St Joseph, 19 March 2026, will be the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’ Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia – “On Love in the Family.” To prepare for this anniversary, we invite you from the beginning of National Marriage Week, 7-14 February until 19 March 2026, to reflect on the central role that marriage and family life play in our Church and in wider society.