Tag: bishop-nicholas-hudson

Holy Family Church Gaza: Solidarity messages from Pax Christi

Fr Romanelli (centre) on a visit to London last year with Bishop Nicholas Hudson (l). Photo: ICN

Pax Christi England and Wales

Pax Christi England and Wales and Pax Christi International have issued the following statements in response to the deadly attack on the Holy Family Church in Gaza yesterday.

This morning’s horrific news that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) struck the Holy Family Church in Gaza is both shocking and shameful. We know that at least six people are injured, including Fr Romanelli, and that two people have been killed. Lord have mercy.

If we are ever to overcome the myth of redemptive violence, then our response is never revenge.

Our response is never apathy. Our response is never neutrality. Instead, we dare to proclaim the revolutionary power of Jesus’ way of nonviolence. The way of the cross, the way of redemptive suffering, that ultimately leads to joy, hope, peace and resurrection.

Today it might seem that we are in the darkness of the tomb. Yet even inside the tomb something is happening. Young people in Tel Aviv are burning their draft cards and refusing to fight for the IDF. Across the world people are non-violently resisting the sale of arms to Israel. Acts of solidarity, prayer and fasting are the tools by which we bring about a revolution of the heart – one person at a time.

Let us never forget the power we each have to make a difference. The works of war destroy lives, land, and futures. The works of mercy support life and bring hope. Let’s commit ourselves afresh to pray and act in every way possible to make real our solidarity with the suffering people of Gaza and bring an end to this genocide in which the UK government is complicit.

Pax Christi International

Pax Christi International supports the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem and strongly condemns today’s Israeli military strike on Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, a place of sanctuary for displaced civilians.

We stand in solidarity and prayer with all those Christians and Muslims sheltering in the parish compound.

We mourn those who have died, Mr Saad Salameh, Mrs Fumayya Ayaad and Najwa Abu Daoud. We pray that they will rest in peace and send our deepest condolences to their families and friends. We hope for a good recovery for Fr Gabriel and all those injured in the attack.

We echo Pope Leo XIV and the Latin Patriarchate in calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

As the Patriarch has said, ‘The time has come for leaders to raise their voices and to do all that is necessary in order to stop this tragedy, which is humanly and morally unjustified.’

Pax Christi calls on the international community, political and religious, to raise their voices and take urgent action to protect all civilians and humanitarian spaces to enable:

– An immediate and permanent ceasefire and immediate access to humanitarian aid for everyone in Gaza, to be distributed through UNWRA and other experienced NGOs;
-The release of all hostages, Israeli and Palestinian;
-A complete arms embargo on Israel;
-An end to all trade with illegal Israeli settlements;
-An end to the Israeli siege on Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank.

Join Christians for Palestine at the National Rally on 19th July 2025

Join Westminster Justice & Peace and others for a Gaza Memorial Vigil 28th July 2025

Bishop Nicholas Hudson Condemns Settler Attacks on West Bank Town of Taybeh

Bishop Nicholas Hudson

Source: CBCEW

Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Auxiliary Bishop in Westminster with responsibility for Justice and Peace, Chair of the International Affairs Department of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and Moderator of the Holy Land Coordination, has condemned the alarming escalation in settler violence taking place in the West Bank town of Taybeh.

On Tuesday, 8 July, priests representing the town’s three Christian churches issued a joint statement about the repeated attacks on their land, holy sites, and property. They reported an account of arson that threatened the 5th century church of Saint George (Al-Khadr), one of the oldest religious sites in Palestine, and highlighted an on-going campaign of violence and intimidation that impacts on the security and stability of Taybeh.

Bishop Nicholas Hudson learned about the challenges facing the town and the local community when he visited the Catholic Church of Christ the Redeemer in January as part of an international delegation of bishops meeting in the Holy Land.

He said: “Just six months ago, I was in Taybeh visiting what is now the last remaining entirely Christian town in the West Bank, as part of the annual Holy Land Co-ordination meeting.

“We were able to hear firsthand from Fr Bashar Fawadleh, parish priest of the Church of Christ the Redeemer, about the extreme pressure being placed on the local community by Israeli settlers acting with impunity.

“In recent days we have learned of an alarming escalation in settler violence and intimidation that is going unchecked by the authorities. The local churches have appealed to the international community for help and solidarity, and we wish them to know that we have heard their cry. We strongly condemn these attacks and all acts of intimidation perpetrated against civilians in Taybeh and across the West Bank, and we urge the relevant authorities to take decisive action to prevent such incidents from happening again.

“Taybeh, or ‘Ephraim’ as it is known in the Bible, holds deep significance to Christians. These deliberate and repeated attacks are a violation of human dignity and international law in a place that once offered shelter to Christ himself.

“The Palestinian Christians we encountered in January stressed to us that all they want to do is live and work in peace in their own lands, without the paralysing restriction of movement placed upon them, so they can provide for their families and live side-by-side with their neighbours.

“We encourage the Catholic faithful in England and Wales to pray for the suffering Christians and all those affected by this violence in the West Bank. Equally, we invite all people of goodwill to raise their voices in the face of oppression and injustice, urging our leaders to use their influence to bring an end to this persecution.

“It is important to echo the cry of the Taybeh church leaders when they say that the Holy Land cannot remain alive without its indigenous people. As they say, ‘Forcibly removing farmers from their land, threatening their churches, and encircling their towns is a wound to the living heart of this nation’. We stand in solidarity with the Christians of Taybeh and the wider Holy Land, who have a right to live in safety and security. With them, we have faith that truth with justice will prevail.”

Read the full statement by the priests of the churches of Taybeh: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/52772

Bishop Hudson says peacebuilding is a vital aspect of international security

Source: CBCEW

Bishop Nicholas has responsibility for Justice & Peace in the Diocese of Westminster

In response to the government’s recently announced Strategic Defence Review, Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Chair of the International Affairs Department at CBCEW, expressed the strong hope that the government will not neglect international peacebuilding efforts.  

Bishop Hudson said: “I understand that the government has a very difficult decision to make given the current fiscal position and international environment.” 

“However, if defence spending is to increase, it should not be at the expense of other ways of promoting peace and justice. Peacebuilding is a vital aspect of international security that must not be sacrificed to an increased emphasis on defence.” 

Earlier this month the government announced the review, with wide-ranging measures, including building 12 attack submarines and a commitment to raise defence spending to 2.5% by 2027-28 with the aim of 3% by the next parliament. 

Bishop Hudson added: “It is important to ensure that the expansion of military funding does not result in the diversion of resources away from foreign aid and support for the world’s poorest people. Without a balanced investment in diplomacy, multilateralism, and assistance to the poor as vital means of securing peace, we risk deepening the very crises we seek to prevent. 

“I also hope that the UK approaches the development of autonomous weapon systems with great caution, always upholding the principle that machines must never replace human moral judgment or responsibility in matters of life and death.

“I urge our government leaders to remember that true security comes not only from strength, but also from compassion and active peacebuilding.” 

Read the Catholic Bishops’ document on disarmament and the ethical use of weapons:

 ‘Called to Be Peacemakers’

Bishop Nicholas Hudson Reflects on the Ongoing Conflict in the Holy Land

Image: Mazur/cbcew.org.uk

Source: CBCEW

Ahead of the Sacred Triduum, when we contemplate Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Chair of the International Affairs department of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, offers this reflection on the Holy Land.

Reflection

In this holiest of weeks, our hearts turn naturally to the Holy Land, the land in which Christ died and rose for the redemption of humankind. Our hearts are deeply saddened to witness the immense suffering borne still by so many of its inhabitants.

Of the 251 Israelis taken hostage in the 7 October Hamas attack, 59 remain unaccounted for. Of these, just 24 are believed to be alive. We hold firmly in our prayers their relatives and all who mourn these dead hostages. We hold just as firmly in our prayers the families of the tens of thousands of Palestinians – countless women and children among them – killed by the ensuing disproportionate bombardment. It is with profound distress that we witness the continuing suffering of countless innocent civilians. We pray the Spirit released by Christ on the evening that he rose from the dead (cf. John 20, 22) might be released anew in these lands to bestow on them the just peace for which so many of its inhabitants yearn.

We are profoundly concerned that, despite extensive multilateral efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire and bring an end to hostilities, there remains no sign of peace. Pope Francis constantly reminds us: “War is a human defeat. War does not solve problems; war is evil; war destroys.” (Pope Francis, General Audience, 4 December 2024) Peace benefits all; it is a sign of God’s kingdom on earth and enables us all to flourish.

We call on the international community to recognise that all the people of these lands have the right to live in safety and peace. These are not mere aspirations – they are inalienable rights grounded in the dignity of every person; rights that must be upheld. We particularly pray for the West Bank Christians and their neighbours, where many are deeply fearful for their future, as they see their homes encircled by new and rapidly expanding settlements and their freedom of movement drastically restricted.

In his Lenten message, Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, reminds us that hope is the daughter of faith. It is with hope in our hearts that we sing at our Easter Vigil, “at night there are tears but joy comes with dawn” (Psalm 30): as Christ’s body is laid in the earth, we await with hope his Resurrection from the dead. Our heartfelt prayer this Holy Week is that there rise up in these lands a renewed desire and yearning on all sides for the cessation of hostilities and the finding of ways to a just peace which honours the humanity redeemed by Christ.

20 November 2024 – Red Wednesday Mass and Events at Brompton Oratory, London

Source: ACN

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.
  • 9:30pm: Close

All are welcome. For more details and to book see  www.acnuk/redwednesday