Catholic Bishops' Conference Podcasts

World Communications Day falls this year on Sunday, 1 June. The theme centres around the need to communicate responsibly to foster a culture of hope and peace. For this Catholic News podcast, we speak to our Media Bishop, the Rt Revd John Arnold, to discuss the final Communications Day message of Pope Francis's pontificate and […]

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Bishops’ Conference, gave a Sunday morning homily in the chapel of the Venerable English College in Rome, in which he spoke at length about the intense focus on prayer in the Sistine chapel that prevailed in the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV as Bishop […]

Three days after the death of Pope Francis, Cardinal Vincent Nichols speaks to us from Rome about his personal feelings and experiences ahead of the papal funeral. Subscribe You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts or Amazon/Audible.

Bishop William Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine, joins us for this Catholic News podcast. The Bishop was in the UK at the invitation of two charities helping Christians under intense pressure – Aid to the Church in Need and Friends of the Holy Land. During his visit, he met with Bishop Nicholas Hudson, […]

The National Director of the Pope’s charity for world mission in England and Wales, Father Anthony Chantry, joins us for this Catholic News podcast to bring us up to date on the work of Missio. After a recent visit to Cambodia, Fr Chantry spoke about the many challenges the Catholic Church faces in the country. […]

For this Catholic News podcast, Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues here at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, explains our objection to the proposed legislation passing through parliament seeking to legalise assisted suicide. Ahead of the Bill’s Third Reading and vote, likely to take place in late April or early […]

A special Catholic News podcast in which we speak to the charismatic Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Robert Rigby. When you picture a Lord Mayor you probably conjure up images of mayoral chains and hats, meeting important people, being the ‘first citizen’ of a city with all the trappings that accompany such an […]

Understanding the shock, pain, and anxiety that comes after a terminal diagnosis is often best articulated through first-person stories. Today we’re speaking to Matt Parkes about how he cared for his dad, Jeff, at the end of his life. Jeff became aware something was seriously wrong health-wise in 2011. Something had changed. Something felt different. […]

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, took some time out of his very busy schedule to be guest of honour in a joint Catholic News / Middle East Analysis podcast just before the First Sunday of Advent. You can listen to the full podcast here. This excerpt from the full episode offers […]

We have a special guest for this Catholic News podcast episode – Sister Helen Alford OP, the President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Sister Alford, a religious sister of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine of Siena, was born in London and graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in manufacturing engineering, […]

Our studio guest for this special 30-minute Catholic News podcast is the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Born in northern Italy, the Patriarch, a Franciscan, has spent 35 years of his ministry in the Holy Land. In this time he has seen many episodes of war and tension. The current cycle […]

For this Catholic News podcast, we take on a difficult subject – one that needs a carefully considered pastoral approach to those in acute need. Our topic today is domestic abuse and we’re speaking to Nikki Dhillon Keane from Safe in Faith, an organisation that fosters safe support for survivors of domestic abuse and gender-based […]

Canon Christopher Thomas, General Secretary here at the Bishops’ Conference secretariat, gives us an update on the new lectionary that will be used for the first time in parishes across England and Wales on the First Sunday of Advent. Speaking on our monthly At the Foot of the Cross podcast, Canon Thomas tells us that […]

At the Foot of the Cross returns with a new episode as we enter the autumn months, and October’s podcast takes on a subject that is literally life or death. On Wednesday, 16 October, the House of Commons heard the first reading of a new bill on assisted suicide tabled by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater. […]

On this Catholic News podcast, you can listen to the President of the Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, talking about why it’s so important to inform ourselves about assisted suicide and take action to oppose attempts to legalise it. In a pastoral letter to the priests and people of his diocese, the Cardinal refers to […]

If you've been a regular at Mass over these summer months you will have listened to the guidance of the prophets in our readings. Whether you’ve heard God's wisdom and warnings through Jeremiah, Isaiah, Amos, Micah or Hosea, it's that time of year when we are given the revelatory word that brings about change in […]

As things begin to quieten down for a month or so, it’s time for a Summer At the Foot of the Cross podcast. Canon Christopher Thomas, our General Secretary and regular studio guest, is in the chair to talk to us about what’s currently on the slate at the Secretariat of the Bishops’ Conference. Since […]

Ahead of the World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly, Bishop David Evans has spoken about the need for us to value the elderly and recognise the important contribution grandparents make to society. On this ‘Catholic News’ podcast we discuss how we can use this day, on Sunday 28 July, as one of […]

Ahead of Sea Sunday, the day we come together to pray for seafarers and fishers to thank them for the vital role they play in all of our lives, we spoke to Deacon Nick O’Neill, the Senior Area Port Chaplain for the South of England and Wales for Catholic charity Stella Maris. In this Catholic News […]

Hospices – places you go to die, right? Horizontal in a bed for the last months of your life? Decades ago, perhaps, but the modern hospice offers a wide variety of services – all designed to provide high quality, compassionate care for the dying person. In fact, around 50% of people that use the facilities […]

The only place to start with June’s At the Foot of the Cross podcast is to offer an apology. After two months of radio silence, we return with an episode that looks back over April and May and forward into June. At least it’s packed with audio clips to keep you engaged! The thread running […]

For this special Catholic News podcast, we take a look back on Bishop Declan Lang's twenty-three years as Bishop of Clifton. Let me set the scene for you… It was the evening before his successor’s episcopal ordination, and we were fortunate to side-step all the intense planning and preparation for the day to come, in […]

Father Gabriel Romanelli is the parish priest of the Holy Family Church in Gaza City. He had to watch from a distance as the horrors of the 7 October Hamas attack unfolded, before Israel’s bombardment of the Strip led to the humanitarian crisis and suffering we now see in this torn land. Father Romanelli spent a […]

This Catholic News podcast looks at AI and Pope Francis’ message for World Communications Day. Bishop John Arnold, Lead Bishop for Communications here at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, talks about how the technology can make information accessible and support the common good but we should make sure that it is carefully […]

March’s At the Foot of the Cross podcast focuses on Holy Week and our journey to the Cross at this profound moment in our Catholic life. Canon Christopher Thomas, our General Secretary, joins us to bring us up to speed with the workings of the Secretariat of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. We […]

We keep our firm focus on the Holy Land and whilst we continue to weep as we look on at the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and the suffering of all civilians caught up in this conflict, we’re joined by Fr Fadi Diab to discuss the lived realities of the Palestinian people in the West Bank […]

Bishop Declan Lang, Chair of our International Affairs department, recently joined former Middle East North Africa advisor to the Bishops’ Conference, Dr Harry Hagopian, on a special podcast to discuss the tragic events playing out in the Holy Land as the conflict continues to rage in Gaza. Five long, painful months after the Hamas terror […]

The focus of this Catholic News podcast is the Year of Jubilee in 2025, and the preparation year proceeding it that we’re currently living – the Year of Prayer. Pope Francis wants the Church to be prepared for the Jubilee Year with a particular focus on prayer, and what better prayer to use than the […]

It’s an early Lent this year and as such, the focus of February’s At the Foot of the Cross is very much on the three pillars of the season – prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Canon Christopher Thomas, our General Secretary, joins us to talk about what’s crossing his desk at the Secretariat of the Bishops’ […]

Deliver Us From Evil is a new booklet, published by the Catholic Truth Society (CTS), offering Catholics a useful set of prayers and supplications, humble requests for the Lord’s help, that can be used in times of fear, distress or temptation. The prayers are drawn from Holy Scripture and Sacred Tradition and are intended for […]

The first At the Foot of the Cross podcast of 2024 has a very ecumenical flavour to it. That is a word that can confuse rather than clarify so what we’re discussing today is dialogue and Christian unity. There are many reasons for this. Firstly we have the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, from […]

As the Church enters the season of Advent, on the first Sunday, 3 December, we also celebrate the International Day of Disabled Persons. It’s an occasion that reminds us, should we need reminding, that the Church needs to be a place of belonging for people with disabilities. For this Catholic News podcast we’re joined by […]

The November 2023 episode of At the Foot of the Cross has crept in on the very last day of the month. The task set for our General Secretary, Canon Chris Thomas, is to bridge the gap from the Feast of Christ the King to the wonderful season of Advent – that sacred time before […]

Bishop Peter Brignall, the Bishop of Wrexham, has warmly welcomed the news that the Shrine of St Winefride in Holywell, north Wales, has been elevated to the status of a National Shrine for England and Wales. The shrine, on Bishop Peter’s patch, has an unbroken 1,400-year tradition of pilgrimage and is part of the national […]

Canon Christopher Thomas, General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales speaks about the Bishops’ Autumn Plenary meeting held at Hinsley Hall in Leeds from 13-16 November 2023. He talks, in particular, about the resolutions from the meeting and is joined by Father Jan Nowotnik to discuss the longer resolution on the […]

Dominican friar Fr Samuel Burke OP is a chaplain in the Royal Navy currently serving on HMS Duncan in the Mediterranean. He gave a poignant reflection on remembrance and honouring our war dead on BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day. It was broadcast on 11 November, Armistice Day, known as Remembrance Day in the […]

November is a very important month in the Catholic calendar. It’s the month when we pause on many occasions to remember our friends and loved ones who have died – the Holy Souls. We also remember those killed in the world’s conflicts, especially on Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday. For this podcast, produced in partnership […]

Director of Policy and Research here at the Bishops’ Conference, Philip Booth, joins us to talk about our latest cost-of-living statement. Philip is an economist who is also Professor of Finance, Public Policy and Ethics at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, as well the university’s Director of Catholic Mission. The Bishops’ Conference statement, released by the […]

October’s At the Foot of the Cross comes out as we approach the end of the month so we felt it appropriate to look ahead to November and the month of the Holy Souls when we pray for and remember our loved ones and friends who have died. Canon Christopher Thomas, General Secretary of the […]

Father Anthony Chantry joins us for this Catholic News podcast to discuss World Mission Sunday. Celebrated on the penultimate Sunday of October, it’s a chance to support missionaries and the churches, hospitals and schools where they do the Lord’s work, in countries where the Church is new, young or poor. Fr Chantry is the National […]

Mission and good custodianship are the order of the day for this ‘At the Foot of the Cross’ – the first after the summer break. Canon Christopher Thomas, our General Secretary, rather skilfully threads the ‘mission’ topics of the day through this podcast. We talk about two forthcoming documents from Pope Francis. An Exhortation on […]

Phil McCarthy is the man behind Pilgrim Ways – a digital resource that provides walking routes to key pilgrimage sites in each of our dioceses. An author, and former CEO of the Caritas Social Action Network, he has created a ‘pilgrim way’ for each diocese – from the cathedral of that diocese to one or […]

Our summer ‘At the Foot of the Cross’ is very much a pilgrimage podcast. So whether you’re staying at home or travelling abroad, there’s always time to walk with the Lord and deepen your faith. Canon Chris Thomas, General Secretary here at the Bishops’ Conference, joins us to welcome a newly-installed Bishop for Hexham and […]

June’s At the Foot of the Cross podcast is just creeping in at the end of the month. It’s a ‘mea culpa’ from the presenter who has been away for a few weeks. This is very much a programme of accompaniment and encounter – very apt words for the synodal pathway we find ourselves treading. […]

In this Catholic News podcast, we’re joined by Bishop Peter Kihara Kariuki, Bishop of Marsabit, and Isacko Jirma, Director of Caritas Marsabit. Marsabit is a semi-arid location 500km north of the capital of Kenya, Nairobi. The local Catholic diocese spans almost 80,000 square kilometres without a single river passing through. The Horn and East Africa […]

Rachel’s Vineyard is a healing ministry for those who are suffering from the trauma of abortion, or have been closely connected to someone who is – whether they’re siblings, grandparents, aunts, cousins. Rachel’s Vineyard recognises that abortion impacts the wider family and community. The organisation also supports those that have worked in the abortion industry […]

Recently, Archbishop Bernard Longley was a keynote speaker at a unique interfaith event that examined how followers of the world’s major religions viewed eternity, and how a knowledge of eternity can help us to make the most of the life that we have now. Organised by The Centre for the Art of Dying Well and […]

The mission of the Church, how we share our faith with others and the need to communicate clearly and truthfully from the heart – these are the over-arching themes of our At the Foot of the Cross podcast. Know who you’re speaking to, be human, be relational – all aspects of good communication modelled by […]

To mark the 57th World Communications Day, this Catholic News podcast looks at Pope Francis’ message for the day and the challenges of emerging technologies with Bishop John Arnold. Bishop Arnold is the Lead Bishop for Communications for the Bishops' Conference. As well as discussing the theme for World Communications Day, Speaking with the heart. […]

Sunday 14 May, the Sixth Sunday of Easter, marks the International Day of Prayer for Eastern Christians. It’s an opportunity to come together to pray for peace in the world – especially in the Middle East. But with so many noble causes competing for our attention, why is it important for us to pray for […]

Speaking to us shortly after Sunday Mass the day after the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla, Cardinal Vincent Nichols looks back on a day of celebration that showcased plenty of elements familiar to Catholics. Six Catholic prelates attended the historic coronation, including the Cardinal Secretary of State and the Apostolic Nuncio […]