NEWS

Rt Reverend Nicholas Hudson installed as the new Bishop of Plymouth

The Right Reverend Nicholas Hudson was installed as the Bishop of Plymouth at the Cathedral Church of St Mary & St Boniface, Plymouth on the Patronal Feast Day of St Cuthbert Mayne, Saturday 29 November 2025.

Senior Catholic clergy, including His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Most Reverend John Wilson, Metropolitan Archbishop of Southwark, and archbishops and bishops from England and Wales attended the Installation Mass.

Bishop Moth welcomes scrapping of two-child benefits cap

Bishop Richard Moth, Chair of the Department for Social Justice for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has welcomed the government’s decision to scrap the two-child cap on Universal Credit payments.

He said:

“I warmly welcome the government’s decision to scrap the policy that imposed a two-child cap on claims for Universal Credit. Since 2017, this policy has directly pushed many families into poverty and created anxiety for working families who often have no choice but to claim Universal Credit as a result of common, but unpredictable, life events, such as job loss or the onset of disability.

“Repealing this policy, although overdue, comes at a significant cost to the government and we applaud that decision.”

Pope Leo XIV begins his first Apostolic Journey bound for Türkiye

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops’ Conference and a President of Churches Together in England (CTE), has welcomed Pope Leo’s Apostolic Letter In unitate fidei on the 1,700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea – a letter that helps shape our ecumenical journey together.

It was released just days before his visit to Turkey, the first overseas visit of his pontificate.

Pope Leo XIV begins his first Apostolic Journey bound for Türkiye

Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Journey to Türkiye and Lebanon begins in Ankara, where his first stop will be at the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the father of the Republic of Türkiye.

The Pope will then be welcomed to the Presidential Palace to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and deliver an address to the civil authorities and diplomatic corps.

He will then reboard the papal plane and travel to Istanbul, where he will reside at the Apostolic Nunciature for the remainder of his visit to Türkiye.

Requiescat in pace: Bishop Emeritus Thomas McMahon

The Right Reverend Thomas McMahon, Bishop Emeritus of Brentwood Diocese, died peacefully at his home in Stock, Essex, at 10am on Monday, 24 November 2025. May he rest in peace.

Bishop Thomas McMahon, the sixth and to date the longest-serving Bishop of Brentwood, was born at Dorking, Surrey, on 17 June 1936. An identical twin, he was born of Irish parents who had emigrated to England and had three older siblings. His father was a building surveyor and owing to employment in various parts of the country, his twin sons were educated as boarders at St Bede’s College, Manchester. Meanwhile, the future bishop’s parents moved to Old Harlow, thus beginning his association with the Diocese of Brentwood. In 1954 Thomas McMahon was accepted as a student for the priesthood by Bishop Beck and entered the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice, Paris. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Wall at St John’s Seminary, Wonersh, on 28 November 1959.

Bishop Arnold: Statement on the closing of COP30

Bishop John Arnold, Bishop of Salford and Lead Bishop for the Environment for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has issued the following statement following the conclusion of the COP30 UN climate change conference, which took place in Belém, Brazil, from 10-21 November 2025.

“At the COP30 summit in Belém, Brazil we were reminded once again of the pressing need to transition away from fossil fuels and recommit to keeping the global temperature rise below 1.5C degrees.

“I was pleased to see that so many countries, including the UK, expressed support for building a roadmap to end fossil fuel use globally and pledged to strengthen efforts to tackle climate change in line with the global 1.5C goal."

16 Days of Activism 2025: Act for a society where every woman can be safe

On 25 November, we mark the Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG.) Each year, this day begins a 16-day period of global action to raise awareness and work towards ending violence against women and girls. As Catholics, we are encouraged to raise awareness of this issue, take part in events and activities, social media and educational campaigns, and support organisations that work to end these kinds of violence.

Plenary Revisited | Episode 27

There’s a slightly different feel to November’s At the Foot of the Cross podcast. As well as being a month of remembrance and prayer for those who have died, both on the November lists in our parishes and in the World Wars and other conflicts, it’s also a time when the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales gather at Hinsley Hall in the Diocese of Leeds for their autumn plenary meeting. This podcast consists of four episcopal audio interventions giving a flavour of the Bishops’ meeting. We also catch up with Fleur Dorrell, our Biblical Apostolate Manager, to look at what Scripture says about death and dying.

Oppose Assisted Suicide in Wales

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.

Contact a Peer to oppose Assisted Suicide

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.

Opposing the Decriminalisation of Abortion

Stop the 'Up to Birth Clause (191)' in the Crime and Policing Bill that seeks to fundamentally change our laws on abortion. Please take action and make your voice heard. In June 2025, pro-abortion MPs, led by Tonia Antoniazzi MP, hijacked the Crime and Policing Bill to rush through the abortion up to birth clause (191) after just 46 minutes of backbench debate – there was no prior consultation with the public, no Committee Stage scrutiny and no evidence sessions.

The Antoniazzi clause would make it more likely that healthy babies are aborted at home for any reason, up to birth. The clause would change the law so it would no longer be illegal for women to perform their own abortions for any reason, and at any point up to and during birth.

If this amendment becomes law, it would likely lead to a significant increase in the number of women performing late-term abortions at home, endangering the lives of many more women.

Advent

Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. It marks the start of the Church’s liturgical year. In 2025, we enter Cycle A.

Advent comes from the Latin adventus, meaning ‘arrival’ or ‘coming’. It’s a key time in which we prepare ourselves to celebrate the Lord coming into the world as the incarnate God of love.

The liturgical vestments priests wear during the season are purple, matching the candles lit on each Sunday of Advent. Purple is a colour typically associated with penance. The exception is the third Sunday – Gaudete Sunday – when priests wear pink vestments – the colour of rejoicing.

Wave of Hope

Starting on the First Sunday of Advent, 'Wave of Hope' offers 25 short multimedia reflections for the season - one a day - as our contributors share a moment in 2025 that has led them to a place of hope.

Gaudium et Spes at 60: Social Justice and Catholic Education

Wednesday 3 December – Friday 5 December

St Mary’s University, in association with Caritas Social Action Network, is holding a special conference dedicated to exploring the ongoing relevance of Gaudium et Spes.

On 7 December 1965, Vatican II promulgated the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World. It was the last and longest document to come from the Second Vatican Council. It remains central to the Church’s Magisterium and has guided so many aspects of the Church’s life.

Catholic Christians must be committed to social justice and to the common good of humanity and our common home. This conference will consider the ongoing relevance of Gaudium et Spes, with specific reference to the Church’s commitment to Catholic education and social justice.

Neurodiversity and the Catholic Faith

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, through its Biblical Apostolate, and Birmingham Newman University are conducting research into neurodiversity and our faith. If you're an adult neurodivergent Catholic or a caregiver of a neurodivergent Catholic, we want to hear from you. Your experiences will help us to become more aware of and responsive to your needs. Please complete our short surveys.