Is Britain a Christian Country?
Head of Public Affairs, James Somerville-Meikle, writes: Is Britain a Christian country? If the results from the most recent census are anything to go by then the… Read More »Is Britain a Christian Country?
We support the 4.5 million Catholics in England, Wales and Scotland to live out their faith and help them participate fully in the life of the Church. We work closely with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and the Scottish Catholic Bishops’ Conference in this task. The Catholic Union acts as a link between lay Catholics and the hierarchy in this country and internationally.
Head of Public Affairs, James Somerville-Meikle, writes: Is Britain a Christian country? If the results from the most recent census are anything to go by then the… Read More »Is Britain a Christian Country?
The Catholic Union’s annual Craigmyle Lecture was delivered on Monday 28 November by Baroness Hollins. She spoke about her experience of dealing with issues of… Read More »Catholic Union Craigmyle Lecturer says “don’t be disheartened” by abuse report
As the Catholic Union looks to build on its work, we have launched a survey of our members and supporters. It is thanks to our… Read More »Catholic Union Survey
The Catholic Union has called on the Government to rule out the use of Covid passports for churches and other places of worship.
The Government has said it intends to make certification mandatory for access to certain “crowded” places later this year, but details of the proposals are yet to be confirmed.
Faiths Minister, Lord Greenhalgh, said on Twitter that the Government does not intend to make double vaccination a condition of entry to places of worship.
Read More »Catholic Union calls on Government to rule out Covid passports for churches
The Catholic Union has warned about disproportionate interference with people’s freedom of religion or belief during lockdowns imposed during the coronavirus pandemic.
In evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), the Catholic Union states that the Government was slow to reopen churches after the first national lockdown. It also highlights the lack of evidence for closing churches again in England last November.
The JCHR – which is made up of MPs and peers – is carrying out an inquiry into the impact of lockdown measures on human rights. As part of the inquiry, the JCHR called for evidence on the impact of lockdowns on freedom of religion and belief, and in particular on collective worship.
Read More »Catholic Union warns lockdowns risk fundamental rights
The Catholic Union has called on the Scottish Government to publish evidence for its decision to close places of worship again.
In a letter to Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, the Catholic Union said it was extremely concerned about the decision to close churches for private prayer and worship as part of new lockdown measures in Scotland.
In November last year, the Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, said there was no evidence of places of worship contributing to the spread of the virus.
Read More »Catholic Union calls for evidence on Scottish church closures UPDATED
On 23 November, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, confirmed that churches in England will be able to open for worship from 3 December.
The decision follows a joint call from over 70 MPs and peers to lift the ban on religious services.
Read More »Catholic Union responds to reopening of churches for worship
A cross party group of over 70 MPs and peers has called on the Prime Minister to guarantee that church services will go ahead this Christmas.
In a letter to Boris Johnson, they call for churches in England to be open for worship as soon as possible, and at least in time for Christmas.
The current lockdown restrictions in England, which are due to expire on 2 December, ban religious services from taking place.
Read More »MPs and peers call for Christmas church guarantee
The President of the Catholic Union, the Rt Hon Sir Edward Leigh MP has written to the Prime Minister today calling on the Government to… Read More »Sir Edward Leigh’s letter to the Prime Minister
Following the announcement from the Prime Minister on 31 October that church services will not be able to take place in England from 5 November – 2 December, the Catholic Union has issued the following statement.
Read More »Catholic Union responds to new national restrictions in England