Monday 27th January 2025 marked 80 years since the liberation of Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Bishop John Sherrington, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, and James Holland, Coordinator of Westminster Interfaith, were among the guests invited to a Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration in Lambeth Palace, organised by the Council of Christians and Jews.
After an introduction from the Lord Archbishop of York, those gathered listened to the survivor testimony of Martin Stern MBE, who was just two years old when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands. Having been successfully hidden for a few years, by a Christian family, Martin eventually found himself in Theresienstadt, a concentration camp north of Prague.
Here, he and his sister, aged just one-year-old, was cared for by a Catholic prisoner, who was transported to the camp for being married to a Jewish man. In 1945, the camp was liberated by the Soviet army and Martin is counted among a small group of people who survived the Holocaust. He has dedicated his life to sharing his story and, for all those gathered, it was an honour to listen to his testimony.
There was also the testimony of a second-generation Roma survivor, whose story was a reminder that the Nazis sought to exterminate not just Jewish people, but Sinti and Roma people too, amongst many others. Daniela Abraham, founder of the Sinti Roma Holocaust Memorial Trust, spoke about the trauma her family members endured during Nazi occupation.
Throughout the commemoration, scripture was shared in both Hebrew and English, recognising the role sacred scripture played, and continues to play, in the lives of Christians and Jews. Alongside Rabbi Josh Levy, Co-Lead of Progressive Judaism, Bishop John Sherrington read Psalm 23, The Lord is My Shepherd.
James Holland, Coordinator of Westminster Interfaith, said:
‘It was a great honour to be present at this commemoration, and yet, listening to the stories of survivors is harrowing. It is a hideous reminder of the evil humankind is capable of. For all participating in Holocaust Memorial Day, it reinforces what we all know – that the future is far from certain. Each of us must recommit ourselves to building a better future together and working for a peaceful world for all.’
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, has co-signed a multi-faith letter ahead of the assisted suicide vote in parliament on Friday:
As leaders of faith communities we wish to express our concern at the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) bill, which will be debated by MPs on 29th November. We are aware of how complex and weighty this topic is. There are many dimensions to the bill, all of them of great ethical and practical importance. We hold in prayer all those across our country who may be personally affected, and our representatives in Parliament with profound decisions before them.
Part of the role of faith leaders in communities is to provide spiritual and pastoral care for the sick and for the dying. We hold the hands of loved ones in their final days, we pray with families both before and after death. It is to this vocation that we have been called, and it is from this vocation that we write.
Our pastoral roles make us deeply concerned about the impact the bill would have on the most vulnerable, opening up the possibility of life-threating abuse and coercion. This is a concern we know is shared by many people, with and without faith.
In the UK, it is estimated that 2.7 million older people have been subjected to abuse; many of these may also be vulnerable to pressure to end their lives prematurely. Disability campaigners and those working with women in abusive relationships have also highlighted the danger of unintended consequences should the law be changed. The experience of jurisdictions which have introduced similar legislation, such as Oregon and Canada, demonstrate how tragic these unintended consequences can be. Promised safeguards have not always protected the vulnerable and marginalised.
Even when surrounded by loving family and friends, people towards the end of their life can still feel like a burden. This is especially the case while adult social care remains underfunded. In this environment, it is easy to see how a ‘right to die’ could all too easily end in feeling you have a duty to die.
We are convinced that the current law provides much greater security for those who are vulnerable than the bill before Parliament. A bill which MPs will have had only three weeks to scrutinise before they vote on it. The most effective safeguard against life-threatening coercion or abuse is to keep the law as it is.
In supporting the state of the current law, we do not deny that some people experience a painful death, though we welcome the fact that these deaths are far less common than they used to be due to advances in palliative care.
Over decades we have witnessed how compassionate care, along with the natural processes of dying, allow those at the end of their life to experience important moments. We have seen relationships repair and families reconcile. We have seen lives end in love. Much can be lost by cutting these processes short.
We believe that a truly compassionate response to the end of life lies in the provision of high-quality palliative care services to all who need them. While there are many examples of excellent palliative care in this country, it remains worryingly underfunded. Investment in palliative care is the policy of a truly compassionate nation. It is the way to ensure that everyone in society, including the most vulnerable, receive the care they deserve at the end of life.
Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London and former Chief Nursing Officer; Cardinal Vincent Nichols Archbishop of Westminster; Ephraim Mirvis, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. Sayed Abdul Saheb Al-Khoei, Secretary General of Al-Khoei Foundation; Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Church; Imam Qari Asim, Chair of MINAB (Mosques and Imams Advisory Board); Glyn Barrett, National Leader Assemblies of God; Anil Bhanot, Managing Trustee of the Hindu Council UK; Gavin Calver, CEO of Evangelical Alliance; Malcolm Deboo, President, Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe; Joseph Dweck, Senior Rabbi of the Spanish & Portuguese Sephardi Community; Pinchas Hackenbroch, Chair of the Rabbinical Council; Ross Hendry, CEO of CARE (Christian Action, Research and Education); Trevor Howard, Executive Vice-Chair of the Board, Churches in Communities International; Andrew John, Archbishop of Church in Wales; Nikitas Lulias, Archbishop of Great Britain, Greek Orthodox Church; Paul Main and Jenine Main, Territorial Leaders of The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom and Ireland; Patrick McKinney, Bishop of Nottingham, Roman Catholic Church; Zara Mohammed, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain; Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia, Spiritual Leader & Chair, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha; Trupti Patel, President of the Hindu Forum of Britain; Mark Pugh, General Superintendent of Elim Pentecostal Churches; Mehool Sanghrajka, Chair of the Institute of Jainology; Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala, President of Sri Lankan Sangha Sabha of GB; Lord Singh of Wimbledon, Director of the Network of Sikh Organisations UK; Jonathan Wittenberg, Senior Rabbi of Masorti Judaism; Mar Awraham Youkhanis, Bishop of London, Assyrian Church of the East.
The president of the Catholic Medical Association, Dr Mike Delany has appealed to Members of Parliament to oppose legislation to bring in assisted suicide when the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is given its second reading on 29 November.
Dr Delany commented that assisting a person to end their own life is contrary to the Christian understanding of the sanctity of life and the role of medical practitioners and that it is also contrary to our understanding of the meaning of compassion. Compassion means to “suffer with” another person. It involves accompanying people, especially during sickness, disability and old age when we know that people are frail and vulnerable. Such accompaniment is the responsibility of all those who care for those who are suffering, including medical practitioners.
We believe it is wrong for doctors to help somebody to deliberately kill themselves and that such actions have no place in a compassionate society.
In common with many others, we see the dangers of the legalisation of assisted suicide for the future of palliative care and we also fear the progressive relaxation of the proposed safeguards. However, there are particular concerns for the medical profession.
This legislation has the potential to fundamentally change the relationship between doctor and patient. Doctors will be allowed to initiate a conversation about assisting patients to commit suicide if they meet the criteria. No doctor should be allowed to initiate a conversation that leads to him or her offering to help a patient kill themselves.
We reject entirely the language of the proponents of the bill who have suggested that assisted dying “does not shorten life, it shortens death.” This changes fundamentally how we think about people in the later stages of life who are very much alive and have a right to the care they need to live in dignity.
The conscientious objection clause proposed in the bill is very weak. Any doctor who refuses to participate in discussions about assisted suicide will be required to refer the patient to another doctor who will. This means that any doctor, upon qualification, will be required by law to co-operate in the deliberate taking of the life of another human being: if not in person, by referral to another doctor. No Catholic doctor could do that in good conscience.
We are concerned too for the Catholic hospices and care homes in which we work. It would seem likely that, if the bill becomes law, they will be required to co-operate with assisted suicide. This would create major problems for our Catholic care sector, which has genuine compassion at its heart, and it would undermine further the provision of palliative care in this country.
On these grounds, and on many others, I ask all Catholic healthcare workers to write to their MPs to oppose this bill.
Contact your MP
There is a simple online mechanism to contact your MP. It takes little more than a few minutes to input your postcode, make sure the suggested text suits your viewpoint and submit your message to ask your MP to stop assisted suicide being rushed into law.
Click here to contact your MP via the Right to Life UK website.
Is the Assisted Suicide Bill about Compassion, Giving Choice and Dignity?
Calling All People of Faith and those of None. The Catholic Union and Farm Street Church have organised an important event on Sunday 24 November, 3-5pm at Farm Street Church, 114 Mount Street, London W1K 3AH.
Come and hear from experts in the field who have serious concerns about a possible change in the law. Our panel includes:
– Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE DL, multi gold medal winning paralympic athlete and advocate for disability rights
– Dr Matthew Doré, Consultant Palliative Care Physician
– Professor Julian Hughes, Former Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist
– Professor David Albert Jones, Professor of Bioethics.
A special evening of prayer and music with guests and an Aid to the Church in Need award ceremony will take place on Wednesday, 20 November at the Brompton Oratory, Brompton Rd, London, SW7 2RP.
The chief celebrant will be Bishop Nicholas Hudson.
The Oratory will be illuminated in red to shine a light on Christian persecution, giving hope to those suffering around the world.
#RedWednesday Programme – The Oratory, London
6:30pm: Gathering below Church steps
Be part of the #RW show reel filming. Ahead of group photograph at 6:45pm.
7:00pm: Holy Mass at The Oratory Please join us for sung Holy Mass to remember our persecuted brothers and sisters in prayer. Celebrated by Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster. Concelebrating will be Archbishop Linus Neli of Imphal, India and Monsignor Michael Nazir-Ali.
8:10pm: #RW Award Presentation Presentation of ACN’s #RedWednesday Courage to be Christian Award. Followed by a short update on ACN’s ‘Persecuted & Forgotten?’ report and how you can help.
8:30pm: Reception Enjoy refreshments and conversation with ACN staff and benefactors.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols and the other bishops of England and Wales are encouraging all to join them as they pause for an hour in the middle of their autumn plenary meeting, at 5.30pm on Wednesday, 13 November, to kneel in front of the Blessed Sacrament to pray for the dignity of human life and to uphold a culture of life in our countries.
They will gather in the Chapel of the Holy Family at Hinsley Hall, Leeds, to unite in compassionate action in light of the bill passing through parliament that seeks to legalise assisted suicide. The holy hour will end with Evening Prayer before a concluding Benediction.
Cardinal Vincent said: “We offer our prayers this holy hour for the dignity of human life. In particular our focus is on the end of life and praying together in front of the Blessed Sacrament that assisted suicide will not become law in our lands. This would greatly diminish the importance and innate value of every human person, akin to saying that our life is not a gift of God. Instead we would be asserting that life is our own possession to do with as we choose. But we are far more important than that. We are a gift of God – a gift that is freely given. Then, when God is ready, we are called back to him.
“During this holy hour, we pray that many minds and hearts will be open to this beautiful and great truth about the value, importance, and beauty of every human person. We pray passionately that we will not take a step in legislation that promotes a so-called ‘right to die’, that will quite likely become a duty to die and place pressure on doctors and medical staff to help take life rather than to care, protect, and heal.
“When you are praying, please remember those who offer such care and accompaniment to people facing their last days and hours. Especially pray for those who work in palliative care – nurses, doctors, people who are home visitors. They do a wonderful job with care and compassion, but they need more resources. That is what we should be investing in, not a piece of legislation that leaves us vulnerable and under pressure to seek an end to our life.
“This is an important moment in our history. Please write to your MP and express your view to that member of Parliament. Many have not yet made up their minds how to vote.
“May God bless us all, bless our countries, and bless those who make our laws with courage to embrace and uphold a culture of life.”
On Friday, 29 November, the House of Commons will hear the Second Reading of a new bill on assisted suicide tabled by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater. This is another attempt to legalise assisted suicide and we need you to contact your MP to voice your opposition.
Please visit the Bishops’ Conference resources on assisted suicide. Here you will find content that explains why we oppose assisted suicide, provides answers to FAQs, helps Catholics to quickly and easily contact their MP, provides further information on hospice care, and more.
Here you can download a simple two-page A4 PDF with suggested readings, intercessions and reflections to accompany your time of prayer, whether this is in church in front of the Blessed Sacrament, or in your own home.
There will be a Holy Hour at Farm Street Church, on Wednesday 13 November 2024, 5.00-6.00pm, with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and prayers for the dignity of human life at 5.30pm.
Members of the Westminster Justice and Peace network are particularly welcome to join us for this time of prayer, either in person or on the parish livestream.
Fr Hugh Mackenzie shares a couple of angles upon why the Church opposes legalising assisted suicide or euthanasia, inspired by some philosophy and some deathbed ministry at St John’s Hospice.
Human beings are good beings. This is true even if they do bad actions, but especially if they have bad suffering. To be alive is to have an importance. This basic value is not earnt but received along with life itself. Love of someone affirms that importance. Denying the importance of someone’s life is not true love.
The basic concepts of good and bad, right and wrong, compassion and trust, emerge from this intrinsic value of the human. Goodness is ultimately about fostering the human person. To set criteria by which the importance of someone staying alive can be evaluated, undermines their basic value and the very basis of morality and civilisation.
You don’t need to believe in God to understand this, but it does complete the picture. In the light of faith, we believe that life is a gift of God and that every human being has an eternal dignity. The basic value and vocation of human life is not earnt but given, by God.
This all means that St Paul was right, the way we live and die affects everyone else (Rom 14:7). No one is an island. It is wrong to argue as some do that euthanasia is a matter of personal choice.
Legalising euthanasia would profoundly change the relationship between medical professionals and patients in hospitals and care homes. It would also damage trust within families. The sick and elderly often worry that they are a burden on others and could easily feel pressurised into asking for help to end their lives. In countries where euthanasia is legal, resources for hospices and funding for research into better end-of-life treatments have been tragically reduced.
Far from life becoming pointless in the face of terminal illness, such moments can be occasions of amazing grace, as I and many hospital chaplains can attest. Loving when carrying a cross saves the world.
The end of life’s journey can present serious physical and mental challenges, yet pain is always easier to bear when we are at peace. Research shows that persistent requests for assisted suicide are rare when people’s spiritual needs are adequately met. Our ‘quality of life’ is not just about physical health and autonomy, but about our spiritual well-being. Human dignity is sustained by the love we receive and the love we give and ultimately, real peace comes from living, and dying, in the love of God.
This is why we should surround the dying not just with the best physical care but with constant prayer, like Our Lady at the foot of the cross. This is the true meaning of ‘assisted dying’.
A special Mass and prayer vigil to mark the one-year anniversary of the hijacking of the Galaxy Leader will take place in London on Tuesday, 19th November.
On this day last year, Houthi rebels seized the car carrier in the Red Sea, taking its 25 crew members hostage. Their whereabouts is not publicly known.
Stella Maris will be holding this service to stand in solidarity with the seafarers from the Galaxy Leader and their families, offering comfort and support as they continue to endure captivity. We will also pray for all seafarers who have faced threats and attacks while carrying out their vital work, as well as for peace and stability in the region.
This is an opportunity for the community to come together in reflection and prayer, remembering those who remain in danger and praying for their safe release.
The Mass and prayer vigil will take place on 19 November, 7pm in the Church of St Anselm and St Cecilia, Kingsway, London WC2A 3JA
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop of Westminster, has issued a pastoral letter on assisted suicide that will be read in the churches of his diocese on the weekend of 12-13 October.
Referring to a private members’ bill on assisted suicide that will be introduced to the House of Commons on Wednesday, 16 October 2024, the Cardinal offers three key points for Catholics to be aware of, and calls on the faithful to be fully engaged in the debate and to write to their MP to oppose assisted suicide being rushed into law.
Slippery slope
‘The evidence from every single country in which such a law has been passed is clear,’ says Cardinal Vincent. ‘That the circumstances in which the taking of a life is permitted are widened and widened, making assisted suicide and medical killing, or euthanasia, more and more available and accepted.’
Be careful what you wish for, he says: ‘This proposed change in the law may be a source of relief to some. But it will bring great fear and trepidation to many, especially those who have vulnerabilities and those living with disabilities. What is now proposed will not be the end of the story. It is a story better not begun.’
A right to die can become a duty to die
The Cardinal’s second key point examines how removing legislation that prohibits an action in favour of introducing a law that permits, changes societal attitudes – that which is permitted is often and easily encouraged.
‘Once assisted suicide is approved by the law, a key protection of human life falls away. Pressure mounts on those who are nearing death, from others or even from themselves, to end their life in order to take away a perceived burden of care from their family, for the avoidance of pain, or for the sake of an inheritance,’ says Cardinal Vincent. ‘I know that, for many people, there is profound fear at the prospect of prolonged suffering and loss of dignity. Yet such suffering itself can be eased. Part of this debate, then, must be the need and duty to enhance palliative care and hospice provision, so that there can genuinely be, for all of us, the prospect of living our last days in the company of loved ones and caring medical professionals. This is truly dying with dignity.
‘The radical change in the law now being proposed risks bringing about for all medical professionals a slow change from a duty to care to a duty to kill.’
Being forgetful of God belittles our humanity
His third point is that being forgetful of God belittles our humanity. For people of faith, our life flows from God and is a gift of the Creator. Cardinal Vincent emphasises that suffering is an intrinsic part of our human journey:
‘The questions raised by this bill go to the very heart of how we understand ourselves, our lives, our humanity,’ he says. ‘Every human being is made in the image and likeness of God. That is the source of our dignity and it is unique to the human person. The suffering of a human being is not meaningless. It does not destroy that dignity.’
One of the fundamental concerns surrounding this bill is that it will give a person of sound will and mind the right to end their life:
‘We know, only too well, that suffering can bring people to a most dreadful state of mind, even driving them to take their own lives, in circumstances most often when they lack true freedom of mind and will, and so bear no culpability. But this proposed legislation is quite different. It seeks to give a person of sound will and mind the right to act in a way that is clearly contrary to a fundamental truth: our life is not our own possession, to dispose of as we feel fit. This is not a freedom of choice we can take for ourselves without undermining the foundations of trust and shared dignity on which a stable society rests.’
This is not a debate that starts and ends next week. Cardinal Vincent concludes by asking Catholics to play an active part in the conversation in the coming months. ‘Have discussions with family, friends and colleagues. And pray,’ he says. ‘Please remember: be careful what you wish for; the right to die can become a duty to die; being forgetful of God belittles our humanity.’
Prisoners’ Sunday falls this year on 13 October. With the support of Liaison Bishop for Prisons Richard Moth, Pact invites parishes across England and Wales to bring people in prison, and their children and families, before the Lord in prayer.
Pact is the national Catholic charity supporting prisoners, people with convictions, and their families. This year marks 125 years since the charity’s formation as the Catholic Prisoners’ Aid Society. Today Pact supports people of all faiths and none, working in more than 60 prisons, in courts, and in communities across England and Wales. The support of Catholic parishes has been and continues to be invaluable.
Our prisons are in crisis. There are record numbers of people behind bars. Inspectors regularly report instances of vermin, violence, self-harm and people languishing in cells with nothing to do. At the same time, too many people are released with no home, no job, no family and no hope.
The ripple effects of this crisis are felt well beyond the prison walls. The lives of hundreds of thousands of families and children are affected as they too serve a hidden sentence.
Having a mother, father, husband or wife in prison can have a devastating impact – more than half of families tell us they are struggling to afford the basics for them and their children.
In September, every Catholic parish will receive a Prisoners’ Sunday pack with a poster, bidding prayers, and a message from Pact President Cardinal Vincent Nichols. The charity encourages all parishes across England and Wales to mark the day on 13 October – or another nearby Sunday – respectfully requesting a second collection for those who choose and are able to donate. The money raised will help Pact to do more in the year ahead to support women and men in prison and their children and families.
Pact CEO Andy Keen-Downs shares: “Every day, I hear how our prisons are in crisis…” Read more
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 