In Our Time | Episode 26

In this episode of At the Foot of the Cross, Abbot Hugh Allan joins us again as we discuss the Gaza peace deal and the way forward for the Holy Land. Abbot Hugh also reflects on Pope Leo’s first Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te, and how we can best serve the poor, marginalised and vulnerable people in our communities.

The 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate will be marked at the end of October and we look at how this foundational document is still of great importance today.

Love in action in the Holy Land

In this Catholic News podcast we are joined by Anton Asfar, Secretary General of Caritas Jerusalem and Fr Elias Tabban, Parish Priest of Zababdeh Parish, near Jenin.

We learn about the happy, hopeful but also cautious mood on the ground among the people following the Gaza ceasefire agreement which marks the end of the war and the beginning of the first phase of the peace process in the Holy Land.

Patriarch Pizzaballa: A new language and new witnesses for a narrative of peace

The hopes of building lasting peace in the Holy Land, the difficulties in Gaza and the West Bank, and the sense of community expressed in public demonstrations that have brought people together in the name of human dignity were among the topics touched upon by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who was a guest on Wednesday, October 15, in the studios of Vatican Radio. The Cardinal spoke of a fragile truce, but also of the shared hope among Israelis and Palestinians that this is not just a “pause,” but rather that “life may resume with a new perspective — one that is not war and violence.”

Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem issue statement on ceasefire in Gaza

On Tuesday, 14 October, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem issued a statement recognising the collective goodwill internationally that they hope will bring a lasting peace to a suffering region.

Columbans in Britain launch 2026 Schools Competition “Becoming a refugee is never a choice. But how we respond is.”

The Columbans in Britain have launched their next Schools Competition 2025/26, which has the theme: “Becoming a refugee is never a choice. But how we respond is.” It is a quote from the United Nations Secretary General-Secretary, António Guterres, who is a Catholic.

Columban missionaries internationally have a mission priority of supporting Migrants and Refugees. This echoes Catholic Social Teaching which calls us to ‘welcome the stranger’. Pope Leo said in his recent Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi te: “The Church, like a mother, accompanies those who are walking. Where the world sees threats, she sees children; where walls are built, she builds bridges. She knows that her proclamation of the Gospel is credible only when it is translated into gestures of closeness and welcome. And she knows that in every rejected migrant, it is Christ himself who knocks at the door of the community” (#75).

The Bill Snelson Young Ecumenists Fund

The Bill Snelson Young Ecumenists Fund has been set up to give young ecumenists – between the ages of 18 and 35 – the opportunity to experience ecumenism outside England.

This experience can be study, pilgrimage, volunteering or any activity that promotes church unity.

“Churches Together in England is passionate about inspiring young adults to become the next generation of ecumenists in their churches, and empowering them to play an active part in CTE. We hope that young people from across our wide range of member churches will seize this opportunity to expand their experience of being Christians together in today’s challenging world.” Former Chair of CTE Trustees, Rowena Loverance.

Vatican message invites Hindus and Christians to nurture peace in our homes and communities

On 28 October 2025, we mark the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, ‘In Our Time’, the declaration of the Second Vatican Council that encouraged Catholics around the world to engage in dialogue and collaboration with people of other religious traditions. It is still considered a foundational text for this important dialogue.

Throughout the year, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue releases messages of fraternal greeting to the followers of the world’s major religions on their major feast days. The Hindu feast of Deepavali falls on 20 October this year – eight days before Nostra Aetate‘s diamond jubilee.

Cardinal calls faithful to prayer for peace in Gaza and the Holy Land during Eucharistic Festival

Catholics from around the world have taken up Pope Leo’s call to come together to pray the Rosary for peace in the world’s conflict zones with a particular focus on an end to the war in Gaza.

In the Church’s calendar, October is dedicated to the Rosary. In Rome, the weekend of 11-12 October marks the celebration of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality. Closer to home, Cardinal Vincent Nichols is leading a Eucharistic Festival in the Diocese of Westminster with Mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, talks, prayer and veneration of a relic of the newly Canonised London-born Saint Carlo Acutis.

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.

St John Henry Newman
Doctor of the Church

Pope Leo XIV will officially proclaim Saint John Henry Newman, the most recently canonised saint from England and Wales, the 38th Doctor of the Church during Mass on Saturday, 1 November.

We have a series of useful articles explaining what a ‘Doctor of the Church’ is and why Saint John Henry Newman’s teaching and wisdom not only resonated with his contemporaries, but still illuminates, instructs and inspires us today.

Survivor engagement: Call for information

The Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA), the independent auditor of the Church's safeguarding work, has issued a public call for information to learn from survivors engagement experiences.

CSSA is currently doing a thematic audit of survivor engagement across all dioceses and religious life groups in England and Wales. To do this as effectively as possible, it would welcome information from anybody who feels they have something to share with regard to survivor engagement.

World Mission Sunday

19 October

World Mission Sunday is observed annually on the second to last Sunday of October, and this year it falls on 19 October. It’s a day when Catholics around the world come together in prayer, solidarity, and support for the Church’s overseas mission work.

For World Mission Day in the Jubilee Year 2025, the central message of which is hope (cf. Bull Spes Non Confundit, 1), Pope Francis chose the motto: ‘Missionaries of Hope Among all Peoples’. It reminds individual Christians and the entire Church, the community of the baptised, of our fundamental vocation to be, in the footsteps of Christ, messengers and builders of hope. I trust that it will be for everyone a time of grace with the faithful God who has given us new birth in the risen Christ ‘to a living hope’ (cf. 1 Peter 1:3-4).

Pilgrims of Hope: Promoting Racial Justice in our Parishes

22 October

During the webinar, we will hear from Bishop Paul McAleenan and Canon Victor Darlington, Episcopal Vicar of the Commission for Promoting Racial and Cultural Inclusion in the Archdiocese of Southwark, on the promotion of the Racial and Cultural Inclusion toolkit for Catholic parishes. There will be time for personal testimonies to the experiences, challenges and opportunities of promoting racial justice in our parishes, followed by space for questions and answers to our speakers.

Value, Neurodiversity and Education With Edith Stein

Rome, 27 October - 1 November

The Kairos Forum is organising a pilgrimage and conference in Rome that will reflect on the writings and life of Edith Stein and explore her relevance for life and education today.

You can book a place to explore how we might celebrate the value of the human experience of disability, within the World of education. Enjoy the many events planned by the Dicastery for Culture and Education, as well as the catechesis of Pope Leo on the language of mind, heart, and body in education.

SURVEY

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.

Survey: Human Dignity and Moral Decision Making in the Life Sciences

The Diocese of East Anglia invites doctors, nurses, pharmacists, researchers, and other professionals to contribute to a new initiative exploring the Church’s recent teaching on human dignity and the challenges of living the Catholic faith in healthcare and life sciences.

Following successful workshops at the Catholic Chaplaincies of the Universities of Cambridge and East Anglia, participation is now open through a short online form.