The Pope has written an Apostolic Letter to the people of God on the liturgy, to recall the profound meaning of Eucharistic celebrations as it emerged from the Council and to encourage liturgical formation.
This Apostolic Letter reaffirms the importance of ecclesial communion around the rite that emerged from the post-conciliar liturgical reform. It is not a new instruction or a directive with specific norms, but rather a meditation on understanding the beauty of liturgical celebration and its role in evangelization. It concludes with an in appeal: “Let us abandon our polemics to listen together to what the Spirit is saying to the Church. Let us safeguard our communion. Let us continue to be astonished at the beauty of the Liturgy”.
The National Synthesis – reflects on Synod reports received by the national synthesis team, discerning the main themes that have emerged from the listening conversations, and collating them together to give a picture of the synodal process in England and Wales. The Catholic Church in England and Wales has been following the Synodal Process called by Pope Francis, reflecting on the theme “For a Synodal Church: communion, participation, mission” and has now reached an important moment
At this time, as bishops, we are trying prayerfully to absorb and discern the presence of the Holy Spirit in all the voices we have been listening to on this Synodal Pathway to which Pope Francis has called us. We will shortly complete our own reflections on all we have received. There are many different voices, and many different gifts of the Holy Spirit.
As the Church gears up to celebrate the 2nd World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on 24 July, Pope Francis is calling on Catholics to pray throughout the month for the elderly.
His July prayer request comes on the heels of last month’s intention for families, and was accompanied by The Pope Video.
“We cannot speak about family without talking about the importance of the elderly among us,” said the Pope in the video, tying the two prayer intentions together.
The Vatican has published its second, updated version of the “Vademecum on Certain Points of Procedure in Treating Cases of Sexual Abuse of Minors Committed by Clerics.”
The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith announced in a statement on Monday that the new version will build upon the 2020 Vademecum developed by the Dicastery to assist bishops, or any person in authority, with guidelines explaining what they need to know and what they need to do in various situations in which a cleric is accused of sexual crimes against minors.
The recent decision of the US Supreme Court to overturn the Roe v Wade judgement and so affirm that the constitution does not confer a right to abortion is momentous and of huge significance. It reflects the prayers, dedicated work and commitment of those who seek to protect women who are pregnant and the unborn child.
Pope Francis reminds us of how abortion laws have trivialised the gift of human life, “It is troubling to see how simple and convenient it has become for some to deny the existence of a human life as a solution to problems that can and must be solved for both the mother and her unborn child.”
10 July 2022
Every year churches around the world celebrate Sea Sunday. It is a day for people to come together to pray for seafarers and fishers, and thank them for the vital role they play in all of our lives.
In September and October this year, the relics of St Bernadette will journey on pilgrimage to England, Scotland, and Wales for the very first time. This very special once in a lifetime event will provide an opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the special gifts and charisms of Lourdes, in a church or cathedral near them.
St George Protector of England Catholic Chu
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