The needs of the homeless

On October 10, commemorated in some places as World Homeless Day, Pope Francis tweeted: “So many people spend their lives accumulating possessions, concerned only about their own well-being and not the good they can do. Yet, our life is empty when it is centred on our own needs and we blind ourselves to the needs of others!”

Duty to die

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and Archbishop of Westminster, said in a statement that if assisted suicide is legalised in Britain the right to die “can become a duty to die”. He added: “No doubt the bill put before parliament will be carefully framed, providing clear and very limited circumstances in which it would become lawful to assist, directly and deliberately, in the ending of a person’s life,” he said. “But please remember, the evidence from every single country in which such a law has been passed is clear: 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.”

Mental health in the workplace

Bishop Paul Mason, Lead Bishop for Mental Health for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said in a statement: “For many of us, our workplace is a central hub of our daily life. It can provide a sense of purpose, belonging and connection, strengthening our mental health in the face of life’s challenges… In practice, however, workplaces can also be sources of stress, depression and anxiety, which can harm our mental health. Given these challenges, it is vital that workplaces are equipped to recognise and respond to the mental health needs of their workers, from fostering healthy and supportive relationships to ensuring employees are paid justly and supported to spend time with their loved ones and at rest.”

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)