The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales met for their Spring Plenary Assembly at Buckfast Abbey in Devon from 5-8 May, as the Cardinal-electors gathered in Rome for the conclave that saw Cardinal Robert Prevost elected Pope Leo XIV. Being an elector at the conclave, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, was not able to be present.
Following the retirement of Archbishop Malcolm McMahon as Archbishop of Liverpool, the Bishops’ first decision was to appoint a new Vice President for the Bishops’ Conference. Archbishop Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham and Chair of the Department for Dialogue and Unity was duly elected Vice President.
RESOLUTIONS
Adoremus
Following the Adoremus gathering at Oscott College in 2024, it is proposed that the next Adoremus celebration take place in London in 2026, involving celebrations at both Westminster Cathedral and St. George’s Cathedral, Southwark, with a Blessed Sacrament Procession taking place from one to the other.
Tenth Anniversary of Laudato si’
This month marks the tenth anniversary of the publication of Pope Francis’s landmark encyclical, Laudato si’, which continued and developed the Church’s social teaching on ecological issues. The Bishops of England and Wales note with great pleasure the substantial impact of the encyclical. Laudato si’ has nourished the spiritual life of the faithful as well as encouraged political and practical action. Individuals, businesses, parishes, schools and voluntary groups throughout the country are responding to the encyclical in practical ways and working to help avert the ecological crises. We particularly commend the Guardians of Creation project and CAFOD’s Live Simply programme.
We note the positive reception of Laudato si’, which was addressed to “all people of goodwill”, amongst other Christians and people of other faiths and none, which gives great cause for hope.
As Pope Francis went on to say in Laudate Deum (2023), the ecological crises are, if anything, more serious and more urgent than ten years ago. It is important that they are not over-shadowed by the many other crises in the world today. We ask Catholics in England and Wales to continue to study and be inspired by Laudato si’ and to deepen their relationship with Christ and, through doing so, take practical action to protect and nurture God’s creation.
World Apostolate of Fatima: Cathedral Tour
The Bishops of England and Wales are grateful to the World Apostolate of Fatima (WAF) Team for organising the visitation of the two National Pilgrim Statues and the Relics of Saints Jacinta and Francisco to all Cathedrals and Catholic shrines in England and Wales between May 2025 and October 2026.
In this Jubilee Year of Hope, the bishops recognise the profound invitations to peace, prayer and penance contained in the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima. They encourage all Catholics to a renewal of faith, especially in their love for the Eucharist and the sacraments and commend the Five First Saturdays devotion as a fruitful means to enter into this renewal.
NOTES
Adoremus is the name given to the National Eucharistic Congresses that periodically take place in England and Wales. In 2024, Adoremus took place at Oscott College. In 2018, Adoremus took place in Liverpool.
The exact dates for Adoremus 2026 will be released in due course, as will further details relating to the organisation of the congress.
With regard to the tour of the statues and relics of Saints Jacinta and Francisco, dates for 2025 are confirmed and will be made available on our website cbcew.org.uk in due course. Dates for 2026 are provisional.
Francisco and Jacinta Marto are the brother and sister saints who were ‘seers’ at Fatima in Portugal. Born in Aljustrel, a village just over half-a-mile from the town of Fatima, the siblings, with their cousin Lucia dos Santos tended sheep in the nearby fields. From May to October 1917, on the thirteenth day of each month, a lady appeared to the three children. The lady was the Blessed Virgin Mary. She asked them to pray the Rosary and to make sacrifices, offering them for the salvation of sinners.
The Five First Saturdays devotion is a devotion to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart. More information can be found using these links:
The Five First Saturdays devotion explained