Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
The Most Reverend Richard Moth was today installed as the Twelfth Archbishop of Westminster during a Mass of Installation at Westminster Cathedral at 12 noon on Saturday, 14 February 2026.
The Mass of Installation followed a Service of Solemn Vespers held in the Cathedral on Friday evening, attended by clergy, religious, and representatives of schools, parishes and Catholic organisations from across the Diocese of Westminster. To the sound of a fanfare specially composed by Simon Johnson, Master of Music, Archbishop Moth entered the Cathedral through the Great West Door and was greeted by the Provost, Canon Shaun Lennard.
On his Installation as the twelfth Archbishop of Westminster, Archbishop Richard Moth gave this homily at his Mass of Installation at Westminster Cathedral.
On the eve of his installation as the twelfth Archbishop of Westminster, Archbishop-elect Richard Moth gave the homily at Vespers, held in Westminster Cathedral.
High resolution images available from the installation of Archbishop Richard Moth as twelfth archbishop of Westminster and the Solemn vespers.
Installation of Richard Moth as Twelfth Archbishop of WestminsterSolemn Vespers - Most Reverend Richard Moth
Faith leaders in Wales have issued a statement expressing their opposition to the Government’s proposed assisted suicide legislation and urging the Senedd to withhold legislative consent to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
The proposed bill is scheduled to be debated, and ‘consent’ voted upon, in the Senedd on 24th February 2026.
The Holy Father Pope Leo XIV has issued his message for Lent 2026 on the theme: “Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion”.
Bishop Nicholas Hudson, the Lead Bishop for Conflict and Peacebuilding and the Chair of International Affairs Department at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has commented on the recent expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the last remaining major nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia, expired on 6 February 2026. Its lapse marks a significant setback for global efforts to limit nuclear arsenals and maintain strategic stability.
Cardinal Giorgio Marengo has served for 23 years as a missionary priest in Mongolia.
Arriving in the country shortly after his ordination as a priest, he was appointed as the Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, a missionary jurisdiction that covers the entire country of Mongolia on 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.
During a recent visit to the UK at the invitation of Missio, the Pope’s charity for world mission, Cardinal Marengo joined us for the Catholic News Podcast.
Pope Leo XIV has chosen “I will never forget you” (Is 49:15) as the theme for the Sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, said the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life in a statement.
The World Day, instituted by the late Pope Francis in 2021, is celebrated every fourth Sunday of July and is presented as an opportunity to bring the closeness of the Church to the elderly and to enhance their contribution within families and communities. This year, the date coincides with the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, Sunday, July 26, and the Holy Father invites everyone to celebrate the Day with a Eucharistic liturgy in the cathedral church of each individual diocese.
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.
It’s the end of the world as we know it. Wasn’t that what REM once sang? Ironically when the famous Seattle rock band committed those lyrics to popular music folklore, the world made more sense.
Today, after 17 years and many laughs, smiles, tears (and the odd exasperated outburst), Dr Harry Hagopian brings the curtain down on a remarkable podcasting run with this, the final Middle East Analysis.
The epitaph reads: Here lies Middle East Analysis, 2009 to 2026, it lived hard, loved dearly and asks for your prayers as it returns to its maker. Something like that.
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.
Lenten Resource
Our 2026 Lenten resource seeks to encourage an appreciation of what is given in Christian Baptism. God desires what is best for each of us while respecting our freedom to choose. To express our acceptance of the wonderful gift that God offers us, with open hearts and a willingness to change for the better, all we need to do is ask.
18 February 2026
Ash Wednesday is the doorway into our Lenten season of renewal – a day rich in associations and symbolism. It marks the beginning of Lent – a time for turning again to the practice of our faith, in prayer, self-denial (fasting) and practical generosity (almsgiving).
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.
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.
St George's Roman Catholic Church