Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
At a packed and vibrant St George’s Cathedral, Archbishop John Wilson ordained Bishop Gerard Bradley as an Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark.
The ordination took place on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 2 February 2026, following the appointment by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in December 2025, who assigned Bishop Bradley the Titular See of Beverley.
Preaching at the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Gerard Bradley in St George’s Cathedral, Southwark, on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 2 February, Archbishop John Wilson highlighted the primary duty of a bishop in his homily.
The Archbishop of Southwark said: “Christ alone is our light and our help. With the authority of the first apostles who met him on earth, you are to preach and teach Christ as the light of new and eternal life, the light of forgiveness and healing, and the light of holiness and joy. With special care bring his light to people who are wounded and despondent, who are doubtful and disregarded, and who experience spiritual and material poverty.”
Bishop Bosco MacDonald, Bishop of Clifton and Lead Bishop for Marriage and Family Life for the Bishops’ Conference, has praised the “ordinary heroism of married love, and the strength of family life” in a message to mark Marriage Week that runs from 7-14 February 2026.
“Love has a purpose,” says Bishop MacDonald. “Love is sustained by choice as well as by affection. It is a promise lived again each day, sometimes at a cost, often in quiet, hidden ways. Mercy keeps love alive when people are disappointed in one another. Discernment helps couples face the realities in front of them without bitterness. Mission reminds every family that their home is meant to become a place where others can glimpse the kindness of God.”
Pope Leo XIV has issued his message for the 34th World Day of the Sick, on the theme, “The compassion of the Samaritan: loving by bearing another’s pain”. The World Day of the Sick 2026 takes place on 11 February.
In his message, the Holy Father recalls the figure of the Good Samaritan and reminds us that mercy is shown through genuine encounter with the other: “The Lord did not intend to show us who that man’s neighbour was, but rather to whom he should become a neighbour. Indeed, no one is truly a neighbour until they freely draw near to another. Thus, the one who became a neighbour was the one who showed mercy.”
Bishop Paul Mason, Lead Bishop for Healthcare, has offered a reflection on this year’s theme for the World Day of the Sick, “The compassion of the Samaritan: loving by bearing another’s pain”.
The World Day of the Sick celebrated every year on 11 February. It was established by St. John Paul II in 1992, and is a privileged moment of prayer, spiritual closeness, and reflection for the entire Church and for civil society, who are all called to recognise the face of Christ in our sick and vulnerable brothers and sisters.
In today’s Catholic News podcast, we are joined by His Eminence Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The Cardinal has been visiting the UK this week with Missio, the Pope’s charity for world mission.
Cardinal Marengo has served as a missionary priest in Mongolia since 2003. He has been the Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, a missionary jurisdiction that covers the entire country of Mongolia, since 2 April 2020, and was created a Cardinal by Pope Francis on 27 August 2022 – making him the second youngest in the College of Cardinals.
In this episode, Cardinal Marengo tells us about the complexion of the Catholic Church in Mongolia, which has a population of just 1,500 Catholics. We also hear about Pope Francis’s visit to Mongolia in 2023 where he was given a warm welcome by the people of the country. Finally, Cardinal Marengo shares his reflections on what it means to be a missionary.
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Sneaking in on the penultimate day of January is the first At the Foot of the Cross podcast of 2026.
Plenty of Episcopal news since our last podcast with Installations and Ordinations on the horizon. Firstly, just before Christmas, Pope Leo XIV announced that Archbishop-elect Richard Moth, until then the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, would be the next Archbishop of Westminster succeeding Cardinal Vincent Nichols. Archbishop-elect Richard will be installed the twelfth Archbishop of Westminster in the Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood on Saturday, 14 February.
Monday, 2 February sees the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop-elect Gerard Bradley as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Southwark.
The third piece of diocesan news is to offer thanks to Bishop Terence Drainey who has retired after almost 18 years leading the Diocese of Middlesbrough. Bishop Marcus Stock has been appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese, whilst retaining his current office as Bishop of Leeds.
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.”
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.
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.
19 February 2026
An in-person and online event from 7pm - 9pm on Thursday, 19 February 2026 examining the challenges facing the Christians of the Middle East in these turbulent times.
International Lawyer and consultant on the Middle East, North Africa, and Gulf States, Dr Harry Hagopian, is joined by Dr Ruth Valerio from Embrace the Middle East, an ecumenical Christian charity working to help marginalised and vulnerable communities in the region.
St George's Roman Catholic Church