Persecuted Christians

Calculating the cost: 2026 begins with massacres of Christians in Nigeria. The figures behind a growing global crisis of persecution

In the first 220 days of 2025 alone, more than 7,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria. Hundreds more were kidnapped, tortured or forced from their homes. The charity says that throughout 2025, persecution intensified particularly in northern Nigeria

Jan 06, 2026 09:54

Elizabeth Owens

Cardinals and Bishops•Local Church

Muslim radicals call for the execution of a cardinal in Iraq

Language is never neutral. The word “normalization” has become politically radioactive, often used as shorthand for normalizing relations with Israel, an issue that can ignite immediate outrage

Jan 05, 2026 11:59

Elizabeth Owens

Local Church•Vocations

Priestly vocations in England and Wales: data pointing to either stabilization or decline

In 2024, the Catholic dioceses of England and Wales, together with the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, recorded 22 priestly ordinations, two more than the previous year

Dec 24, 2025 19:40

Elizabeth Owens

Cardinals and Bishops•Local Church•Pope Leo XIV

This is the new Catholic bishop appointed by Pope Leo XIV for London: he is from Africa, enjoys horse riding, and was a soldier

Born in 1958 in Chingola, in what was then Northern Rhodesia and is now Zambia, Richard Moth grew up in Kent after his family returned to England. His vocation emerged early, influenced by parish life and a priest whose personal holiness left a lasting impression

Dec 22, 2025 15:12

Elizabeth Owens

Protection of vulnerable people

First woman to lead Anglican church could resign before taking office over mishandling of abuse cases

Taken together, the cases in England and North America point to a troubling continuity across Anglican structures that differ theologically and culturally but appear similarly vulnerable to failures of accountability

Dec 16, 2025 11:25

Elizabeth Owens

Local Church

One in four clergy members feels isolated, according to a study that also reveals their emotional state

The survey followed more than a thousand clergy ordained in different cohorts or admitted to training in 2016, revisiting them year after year

Dec 06, 2025 15:43

Elizabeth Owens

Local Church

After the Supreme Court’s Landmark Ruling, Northern Ireland Faces a New Conversation on Faith in Schools

The Supreme Court’s decision closes one legal chapter but opens a much larger social conversation. Whether that conversation becomes a source of conflict or a bridge toward a more confident and inclusive future will depend on how schools, churches, parents and policymakers choose to respond

Nov 27, 2025 17:55

Elizabeth Owens

Local Church•Marriage and Family

The Catholic Church becomes the second most popular religion for weddings in the United Kingdom

Religious weddings accounted for just 32,473 ceremonies, with Anglican churches hosting approximately 70 percent of them.

Nov 24, 2025 18:28

Elizabeth Owens

Local Church

After 500 years, Dublin officially has a cathedral approved by Pope Leo XIV

Archbishop Farrell told worshippers that the Pope had responded “with great joy” to his request, submitted as part of the bicentenary celebrations. By removing the “Pro” designation, León XIV not only stabilized the cathedral’s canonical identity but also placed a symbolic cornerstone at the center of a city undergoing rapid change

Nov 17, 2025 17:28

Elizabeth Owens

Liturgy and Divine Worship•Local Church

Pope Leo XIV would grant dispensations to return to celebrating Mass in Latin, according to the Papal Nuncio in the United Kingdom

According to information shared privately with bishops in England and Wales, León XIV appears inclined neither to undo the liturgical reforms advanced by Francis nor to enforce them with the same rigor. What is taking shape instead is a policy of pragmatic leniency.

Nov 16, 2025 21:02

Elizabeth Owens

Local Church

Graffiti inside Canterbury Anglican Cathedral (with permission from the gay rector) divides public opinion

Conceived by poet Alex Vellis and curator Jacquiline Creswell, the installation transforms the cathedral’s interior with large pasted graphics posing unsettling questions to God: “Are you there?”, “Why did you create hate when love is so much stronger?”, “Does everything have a soul?”, “Does our struggle mean anything?”

Oct 15, 2025 11:50

Elizabeth Owens

Local Church

Bishops in Kenya launch brand of wine for Mass: the existing brand lost its sacred character

The directive, unveiled on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, marks the end of a troubling chapter in which the same wine consecrated at Mass was being casually poured in bars, hotels, and supermarkets across the country

Oct 13, 2025 11:06

Elizabeth Owens