England

The Latest

Christian leaders challenge mandatory church closures during England’s second lockdown 

Nov 18, 2020

A group of Christian leaders is challenging orders to shut down churches in England and Wales, saying the move violates... Read more

U.K. health secretary Matt Hancock.

UK health secretary: traveling abroad for assisted suicide permitted under lockdown

Nov 6, 2020

U.K. health secretary Matt Hancock said Thursday that people traveling abroad for assisted suicide would not be breaking strict new... Read more

Cardinal Vincent Nichols celebrates Mass at Westminster Cathedral, London, Oct. 1, 2020.

Catholic bishops fight for public Masses as England prepares for second lockdown

Nov 2, 2020

Bishops in England have urged the government to permit Catholics to attend public Masses during a second nationwide lockdown beginning... Read more

The flag of Cameroon.

English Catholic bishops lament attacks on civilians in Cameroon

Sep 29, 2020

Catholic bishops in England appealed Monday for an end to human rights abuses in Cameroon.   Read more

Msgr. John Armitage preaches at Westminster Cathedral, London, Sept. 12, before a statue of Our Lady of Walsingham. Photo

Catholic shrine rector: Mary’s joy is ‘antidote to fear’

Sep 17, 2020

Sharing in Mary’s joy is “the greatest antidote to fear and anxiety,” the outgoing rector of England’s national Marian shrine... Read more

Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth.

English bishop urges Catholics to come back to churches

Sep 14, 2020

Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth wrote Sunday to the people of his diocese encouraging them to return to churches for... Read more

Baby Feet.

Abortion rate in England and Wales soars amid pandemic

Sep 11, 2020

The number of abortions in England and Wales soared in the first half of 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, according... Read more

Workers build Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Joseph in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England. Courtesy of Fr. Stewart Foster.

How the Catholic Church helped unemployed laborers in the 1920s

Sep 7, 2020

The 1920s are known as the “Roaring Twenties” because they were years of economic growth and rising prosperity. But while... Read more

Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham.

Church leaders pray for peace following stabbings in Birmingham, England

Sep 7, 2020

Catholic and Anglican leaders in Birmingham, England, said they were praying for peace Monday after an attack that left one... Read more

Downside Abbey in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Somerset, England.

Abbot: monks are leaving historic Benedictine abbey in ‘very positive spirit’

Sep 1, 2020

An English Benedictine community’s decision to leave their home for the past two centuries will allow members to focus on... Read more

A priest prays at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Hendon, London, on June 14, 2020, as the church prepares to reopen following lockdown.

Coronavirus lockdown leaves Catholic priests struggling for funds

Aug 27, 2020

Catholic priests in England are struggling to make ends meet following a drop in income caused by the coronavirus crisis.  Read more

Ampleforth Abbey and College in North Yorkshire, England.

Vatican rules that Benedictine abbot should not return to his community

Aug 26, 2020

The Vatican has ruled that the abbot of Ampleforth Abbey in North Yorkshire, England, should not return to his community,... Read more

Catholic safe house helps secure jail sentences for sex traffickers

Aug 25, 2020

A Catholic safe house for women in London has helped to secure jail sentences for two sex traffickers.   Read more

The Pre-Construct Archaeology team works on the Great Sacristy site. Photo

Burial place of medieval Catholic monks uncovered at Westminster Abbey

Aug 25, 2020

Archaeologists excavating a lost medieval sacristy at Westminster Abbey in London have uncovered what they believe are the remains of... Read more

Curator Anna Forest examines a 15th-century illuminated manuscript discovered under the floorboards of Oxburgh Hall.

Rare discoveries shed light on secret Catholic life in Tudor house

Aug 20, 2020

A restoration project at a country house has uncovered items that shed new light on the steadfast faith of a... Read more

English Catholic bishops: Church backs vaccination to protect the most vulnerable

Jul 31, 2020

The Catholic Church supports vaccination because it helps to protect society’s most vulnerable people, bishops in England said Thursday.  Read more

How the Catholic Church is helping London's new homeless

Jul 28, 2020

People made homeless as a result of the coronavirus pandemic will “need a lot of help” to get their lives... Read more

 The first public Mass since March takes place at St George’s Cathedral, Southwark, England, July 5, 2020.

Why some Catholic churches in England are struggling to resume public Masses

Jul 11, 2020

When the government permitted churches in England to resume public Masses July 4, Fr. Rick McGrath faced a difficult dilemma.   Read more

Big Ben and Houses of Parliament.

Pro-life MP hails ‘clear victory’ over abortion amendments

Jul 7, 2020

A leading pro-life MP welcomed the defeat Monday of attempts to strip away protections for unborn children in the U.K.  Read more

Bishop Mark Davies reopens Shrewsbury Cathedral to the public after 86 days of lockdown June 15, 2020.

English Catholic bishop: parishes see 'dramatic fall' in income following lockdown

Jul 6, 2020

An English bishop has said that parishes have seen “dramatic fall” in income as a result of the coronavirus lockdown.  Read more