With a heavy heart, I acknowledge the passage of the Assisted Dying Bill through Parliament. This moment marks a grave turning point for our nation’s understanding of life, dignity, and care.
Together with my deep disappointment at the vote earlier this week to decriminalise abortion, these decisions represent a profound failure to uphold the sanctity of human life at all stages. They reflect a troubling shift away from protecting the most vulnerable—unborn children, the terminally ill, the disabled, and the elderly—and toward a society that places subjective judgments of suffering above the intrinsic dignity of every human person.
It must be said plainly: without the right to life—the most basic, foundational human right—no other rights can stand. When society denies the right to life, it nullifies the very basis of justice and the entire framework of human rights protections. This is the true cost of these votes.
I stand in solidarity with the many medical professionals, disability advocates, faith leaders, and citizens who believed the bill was not fit for purpose, raising serious concerns about its safeguards, its ethical implications, and the risks it poses to vulnerable individuals.
While I hold deep compassion for those who suffer and face the profound challenges of terminal illness, I must reiterate that permitting the state’s involvement in ending life diminishes the inherent worth of each individual and risks pressuring the vulnerable to choose death over care.
True compassion calls us to accompany those who suffer, to provide better palliative care, and to uphold a culture of life.
In the days and years ahead, I pledge to continue advocating for those most at risk, to support families and carers, and to call our society back to a vision that cherishes every life as sacred and inviolable.
May God grant us wisdom and courage to walk together in charity and justice.
+In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Brichtelmestunensis S. Silverii Papæ et Martyris MMXXV A.D.
Deus Miserator, Qui vitam humanam in tuae imaginis dignitate creasti, da nobis gratiam ut sanctitatem vitae semper tueamur. Fortitudinem tribue iis qui infirmantur et iis qui curant, ut in tribulatione non deficiant in spe, nec deficit caritas. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Merciful God, Who created human life in the dignity of Your image, grant us the grace always to defend the sanctity of life. Give strength to the infirm and to their carers, that in suffering they may not fail in hope nor in love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Brighton, 19 June 2025 – On the eve of tomorrow’s decisive vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, the Most Reverend Dr Jerome Lloyd, Titular Archbishop of Selsey, has directly appealed to all Sussex Members of Parliament. His letter urges them to oppose the Bill, highlighting profound moral, medical, and legal concerns.
A Broader Moral Crisis
Archbishop Lloyd warns that this vote follows closely on the heels of Parliament’s decision to decriminalise abortion up to birth. He states, “The pattern is unmistakable: when the law ceases to defend the beginning and end of life, its commitment to human dignity is not merely weakened—it is shattered.”
In a memorable reference, he cites anthropologist Margaret Mead’s insight that the earliest sign of human civilisation was not a tool but a healed femur, evidence of compassion and communal care—a stark contrast to laws permitting legalised death.
Safeguards That Fail
Despite amendments for panel reviews and conscience protections (notably Clause 25), the Archbishop contends these are insufficient and may create pressure on healthcare providers and religious institutions. He cautions that Catholic hospitals, hospices, and charities may be forced to comply or risk losing funding—echoing concerns raised by Cardinal Vincent Nichols in describing Parliament’s approach as a “deeply irresponsible shambles” and accusing legislators of spending more time debating foxhunting than this life-and-death measure.
Medical Opposition Unanimous
Leading professional bodies including the BMA, Royal Colleges of Physicians, Psychiatrists, Pathologists, Disability Rights UK, and the Coalition of Frontline Care have united in opposition. They have criticised the Bill’s prognostic unreliability, inadequate capacity assessments, and the removal of coroner oversight—all of which threaten patient safety and ethical standards in medicine.
Slippery Slope to Compassion or Convenience?
Archbishop Lloyd emphasises the risks evidenced in countries like Canada, Belgium, and Oregon—where assisted-dying regimes have expanded beyond intended limits. He echoes Cardinal Nichols’ warning that what begins as a “right to die” quickly morphs into a “duty to die” under social and economic pressures.
A Defining Moment
In his powerful conclusion, the Archbishop frames the vote as an existential choice for the nation:
“Do we walk with the suffering, or do we wash our hands, legalise their death, and call it compassion?” “True civilisation is measured by how we treat the most vulnerable… The right to die soon becomes a duty to die.”
He urges all Sussex MPs to vote ‘No’, protecting not just individual lives, but the ethical integrity of society itself.
It is with profound grief and moral clarity that I respond to yesterday’s vote in the House of Commons approving Amendments NC1 and NC20 to the Criminal Justice Bill—amendments that effectively strip away all remaining protections for unborn children in the United Kingdom.
This is a watershed moment. Parliament has now declared, by law, that human life possesses no inherent dignity, no objective worth—only value when it is subjectively desired. A child in the womb may now be legally killed up to the very moment of birth. This is not progress. It is not compassion. It is the codification of cruelty.
By reducing life to a commodity, this legislation severs the foundation of all human rights. For if there is no right to life, then no other right—of speech, of conscience, of personhood—can stand. This is not a private moral issue. It is a public act of injustice. It is a declaration by the State that innocent human life is disposable.
In the name of women’s rights, Parliament has in fact turned back the clock on women’s safety. By removing legal safeguards and entrenching the unsupervised use of abortion pills at home, it has enabled a return to unsafe, unregulated, and often coercive abortions—in private settings, with no medical oversight, and no protection from pressure, abuse, or isolation. Women are left alone to suffer, sometimes haemorrhaging, sometimes traumatised, and sometimes misled about what these pills will do. This is not empowerment. It is abandonment. It is policy that protects institutions, not persons—and it fails women precisely when they are most in need of care and truth.
Far from defending womanhood, this law strips women of their own dignity—not by affirming their capacity to give life, but by reducing that capacity to a private license to destroy it. The feminine genius is not honoured, but hollowed out.
The Apathy of Apostasy
It must also be said, and said plainly: the vast majority of those who claim the name of Christ today—across denominations—are Christians in name only. Nominal. Superficial. Formed more by sentiment than by doctrine, shaped more by the culture than by the Cross. Their religion is subjective, their morality relativistic, their public witness nearly silent.
And the hierarchies? Too often, little better. Bureaucratic. Cautious. Politically attuned. Paralysed by the fear of controversy.
We are told abortion is “sensitive,” “divisive,” “too hot to handle.” But what are we speaking of, if not the deliberate killing of persons made in the image and likeness of God?
Every unborn child is willed into being by the Creator, imbued with eternal purpose, and destined for a life that could bring immeasurable good to others. To describe this reality as “complex,” while retreating from moral clarity, is not pastoral prudence—it is moral failure.
This is not a matter of ecclesial strategy. It is a matter of truth. And to tolerate the shedding of innocent blood in silence is not charity—it is apostasy by omission.
Let this statement serve not only as a condemnation of an evil act enshrined in law, but as a call to repentance for the silence that enabled it—and as a rallying cry for the faithful to reawaken, to speak boldly, and to defend life without compromise.
+In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Brichtelmestunensis SS. Marci et Marcelliani Martyrum MMXXV A.D.
Deus, vitae auctor et custos animarum, qui omnes homines ad imaginem tuam creasti, et in utero matris eos sanctificare dignatus es, intuere propitius ad parvulos nondum natos, quos leges humanae ab omni tutela solvere conantur. Infunde timorem tuum in corda legislatorum, ut legem tuam super omnem consilium humanum agnoscant, et innocentes a morte tueantur. Beatae Mariae Virgini, Matri Vitae, nos committimus, ut per eius intercessionem natio nostra a caecitate cordis liberetur, et iterum legem vitae eligat. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
O God, Author of life and Guardian of souls, who created all people in Thine image and didst sanctify them in their mother’s womb, look with mercy upon the unborn children whom human laws now seek to cast off from all protection. Pour Thy holy fear into the hearts of lawmakers, that they may recognize Thy law above all human counsel, and defend the innocent from death. To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Life, we commend ourselves, that through her intercession our nation may be delivered from the blindness of heart, and choose again the law of life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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On 17 June 2025, the British Parliament will vote on amendments that, if passed, would constitute the most radical expansion of abortion access in the nation’s history—legalising abortion up to birth for any reason, including the use of unsupervised abortion pills at home without medical oversight.
The principal amendment, tabled by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, seeks to remove all criminal penalties for women who procure abortions at any stage of pregnancy. Though marketed under the guise of “protecting women,” this measure would obliterate existing legal safeguards, including those which protect viable unborn children, deter sex-selective abortion, and prevent coerced terminations.
The Catholic Medical Association and hundreds of healthcare professionals have already warned Parliament that such changes would expose women to serious risks. Complication rates for late-term medical abortions are known to be over 160 times higher than those before 10 weeks’ gestation. Decriminalising abortion to birth opens the door to these dangerous procedures being conducted without medical supervision—and with no legal recourse for abuse, trafficking, or coercion¹.
Moreover, this amendment undermines the foundational principle of English law: that the unborn child possesses a modicum of legal recognition and protection. To remove all criminal sanction is to erase even this minimal acknowledgment of the unborn as a member of the human family.
Public Opinion Is Not With Them
Contrary to the claims of abortion lobbyists, polling conducted on behalf of SPUC in May 2025 indicates that:
Only 5% of Britons support legal abortion up to birth
46% favour reducing the current 24-week limit
62% support maintaining criminal law to protect the unborn
53% oppose abortion when the child is capable of surviving outside the womb
60% reject the idea of abortion on demand for any reason²
This is not a fringe view. It is a mainstream moral instinct—a desire to protect life and uphold medical responsibility, especially in the face of a culture that increasingly treats pregnancy as a liability and life as disposable.
A Call to Action
This is a defining moment for pro-life witness in the UK. I urge all Catholics and people of goodwill to do the following:
Pray and offer penance for the conversion of our nation and its lawmakers
This is not merely a legal battle—it is a spiritual one. St. John Paul II reminded us that “a nation that kills its own children has no future.” Let us not remain silent as Parliament considers removing the final protections from the smallest and most vulnerable among us.
Let your voice be heard. Let your witness be seen. Let your prayers be offered. For if we do not defend life now, we shall answer for our silence before God.
I.X.
Brichtelmestunensis Feria Sexta Quattuor Temporum Pentecostes MMXXV A.D.
¹ Open Letter from UK Healthcare Professionals to MPs opposing abortion decriminalisation, 2024. ² Polling conducted by Whitestone Insight on behalf of SPUC, May 2025.
Oremus
Deus, vitae auctor et custos animarum, qui omnes homines ad imaginem tuam creasti, et in utero matris eos sanctificare dignatus es, intuere propitius ad parvulos nondum natos, quos leges humanae ab omni tutela solvere conantur. Infunde timorem tuum in corda legislatorum, ut legem tuam super omnem consilium humanum agnoscant, et innocentes a morte tueantur. Beatae Mariae Virgini, Matri Vitae, nos committimus, ut per eius intercessionem natio nostra a caecitate cordis liberetur, et iterum legem vitae eligat. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
O God, Author of life and Guardian of souls, who created all people in Thine image and didst sanctify them in their mother’s womb, look with mercy upon the unborn children whom human laws now seek to cast off from all protection. Pour Thy holy fear into the hearts of lawmakers, that they may recognize Thy law above all human counsel, and defend the innocent from death. To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Life, we commend ourselves, that through her intercession our nation may be delivered from the blindness of heart, and choose again the law of life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Please note that all material on this website is the Intellectual Property (IP) of His Grace, the Titular Archbishop of Selsey and protected by Copyright and Intellectual Property laws of the United Kingdom, United States and International law. Reproduction and distribution without written authorisation of the owner is prohibited.
To the beloved faithful of the Old Roman Apostolate
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Statement of the Primus of the Old Roman Apostolate on the Election of Pope Leo XIV
“Habemus Papam!”—These ancient and joyful words, once more resounding from the heart of Christendom, proclaim to the world the election of a new Bishop of Rome, the servant of the servants of God.
The Old Roman Apostolate extends its respectful greetings and fervent prayers to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, O.S.A., upon his elevation to the Chair of Saint Peter. In this hour of grave responsibility and sacred trust, we pray that the Holy Father may be richly endowed with wisdom, courage, and apostolic zeal.
It is our sincere hope that the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV may be marked by a true restoration of Catholic unity through fidelity to the deposit of faith, the perennial magisterium, and the unbroken liturgical and moral tradition handed down from the Apostles. In a time of moral confusion and doctrinal eclipse, the world and the Church cry out for clarity, sanctity, and fatherhood.
Though the Old Roman Apostolate remains apart in discipline and governance due to the exigencies of the current ecclesial crisis, we do not cease to pray for reconciliation in truth, and for a Roman Pontiff who will confirm his brethren in the faith, as Christ commanded.
May Our Blessed Lady, Queen of the Apostles, protect and guide the new Pope. May Saint Peter intercede for his successor, that he may govern the Church with a heart conformed to the Heart of Christ, the Good Shepherd.
Ad multos annos, Sancte Pater Leo!
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
I.X.
Brichtelmestunensis In Apparitione S. Michaëlis Archangeli MMXXV A.D.
Deus, omnium fidelium Pastor et Rector, famulum tuum Leonem, quem pastorem Ecclesiae tuae praeesse voluisti, propitius respice: da ei, quaesumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus praeest, proficere; ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi credito, perveniat sempiternam. Per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
O God, the Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, mercifully look upon Thy servant Leo, whom Thou hast been pleased to set as pastor over Thy Church: grant him, we beseech Thee, to profit both by word and example those over whom he is set, so that together with the flock committed to his care, he may attain unto life everlasting. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
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To the beloved faithful of the Old Roman Apostolate
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As the College of Cardinals gathers in solemn Conclave, the eyes of the world turn once more toward Rome—toward the heart of Holy Church, where, behind closed doors, the successors of the Apostles now seek the will of the Holy Ghost.
This is not merely a moment of transition. It is a sacred pause—a time of pleading with Heaven, a time for every member of Christ’s Mystical Body to offer prayer, sacrifice, and supplication for the election of a true shepherd.
I exhort you: do not treat these days as political theatre or ecclesiastical spectacle. We are not waiting for a new administrator—we are begging God for a father. One who will speak the truth in love, defend the deposit of faith without compromise, and pour himself out for the salvation of souls.
In these times of grave confusion—when error is called compassion and fidelity is mocked as rigidity—the Church needs not a man of the world, but a man of God. We need a Pope who will strengthen what remains, call sinners to repentance, and restore what has been lost.
Therefore, I call on all our chapels and households throughout the Old Roman Apostolate, and all who love Christ and His Church: offer your rosaries, your fasts, your penances for this intention. Entrust the Conclave to Our Lady, Mater Ecclesiae, and ask the Holy Ghost to descend with light and fire.
And let us now pray together, using the words of our forebear, Archbishop Arnold Harris Mathew—praying not only for unity, but for the election of a faithful Vicar of Christ:
Prayer for the Election of a Good Shepherd
Almighty and everlasting God, Whose only begotten Son, Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd, hath said: “Other sheep I have that are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd”; look graciously upon Thy Church in this hour of expectation.
Let Thy rich and abundant blessing rest upon the whole household of faith, and especially upon those now assembled in Conclave, that they may be guided by Thy Holy Ghost to choose a shepherd after Thine own Heart—faithful, holy, and wise.
Enlighten, sanctify, and quicken Thy Church by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, that suspicions may be healed, prejudices overcome, and the scattered sheep brought to hear and follow the voice of their true Shepherd. May all be drawn at last into the unity of the one fold of Thy Holy Catholic Church, under the wise and loving governance of Thy chosen Vicar.
Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who with Thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
I.X.
Brichtelmestunensis S. Stanislai Episcopi et Martyris MMXXV A.D.
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To the beloved faithful of the Old Roman Apostolate
Carissimi
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, on this Feast of Pope St. Pius V, Confessor and Pontiff.
Today marks the thirteenth anniversary of my episcopal consecration, which took place, by Divine Providence, on this very feast in the year of our Lord 2012. It was no small consolation then, as it is now, to have been consecrated on the day the Church commemorates a shepherd of heroic sanctity and fortitude, one who bore the Petrine Office with unwavering fidelity during one of the most tumultuous eras in Christendom.
As I reflect upon these years of episcopal ministry, I do so not with a sense of personal achievement, but with profound gratitude—for the mercy of God, for the prayers of the faithful, and for the fellowship of my fellow clergy. The burden of the episcopate, if borne apart from grace, would be intolerable. But with Christ, “My yoke is sweet, and My burden light.”¹
A Shepherd After the Heart of the Good Shepherd The episcopacy came to me in these times of crisis, not chosen nor desired by me, but accepted out of necessity—to transmit and perpetuate the orthodox faith and the apostolic succession through tradition and sacramental fidelity, for the sake of the flock and the continuity of the Church amidst confusion, rupture, and decline. It is a ministry I have borne not for myself, but for Christ and His Church, and in union with those bishops who throughout history have stood firm when the walls of the sanctuary were breached.
As the Cardinals prepare to enter the Sacred Conclave on May 7th, I earnestly pray that they will be guided by the Holy Ghost to elect a successor to St. Peter—one to whom I may, in good conscience and with joyful fidelity, surrender my episcopacy, and with whom I might wholeheartedly cooperate in defending, restoring, and perpetuating the perennial doctrine, sacred liturgy, and apostolic discipline of our beloved Holy Church.
In the Footsteps of Pius V That my episcopacy began under the patronage of Pope St. Pius V is a charge I have never taken lightly. It was he who codified the Traditional Roman Rite, defended the truths of the Faith at Trent, reformed the clergy and religious orders, and roused Christendom to holy unity in the face of grave threats, both spiritual and temporal. He remains a model of the episcopal and apostolic vocation: courageous, uncompromising, and profoundly holy.
In our own day—marked not by Ottoman swords but by the subtler and more insidious weapons of heresy, apostasy, and cultural decay—we too must fight, with the same zeal for souls and the same fidelity to Tradition. The Old Roman Apostolate stands, like a beacon amidst the storm, not because of human strength, but because we cling to the same deposit of Faith guarded and transmitted by the saints.
“In Season and Out of Season” In these times, the bishop must not be silent. The shepherd must not retreat. Our society has grown indifferent to Truth, and even within the Church, confusion and disobedience abound. The temptation to compromise for the sake of relevance or respectability has never been greater. But the Gospel is not subject to revision. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”²
We must therefore, my beloved, remain steadfast—proclaiming the perennial magisterium, reverencing the sacred liturgy in its immemorial form, calling sinners to repentance, and forming souls in the life of grace.
The episcopal ministry is apostolic succession not merely in orders, but in mission: to teach what the Apostles taught, to guard what the Fathers guarded, and to transmit what the saints lived and died for.
A Word to My Sons in the Priesthood To my fellow clergy—brothers, sons—thank you. Your fidelity gives strength to your bishop. Your labor in the vineyard, often unseen and underappreciated, bears fruit that only eternity will reveal. Stay close to your breviary and your altar. Be fearless in preaching, tender in confession, and humble in governance. You are alter Christus not only in ritual, but in life. Take refuge often in the pierced Heart of our Lord, and there you will find refreshment.
A Word to the Faithful To all the laity entrusted to my care: I pray daily for your perseverance. The world would have you abandon Christ for the passing things of this age. But I urge you—cleave to the sacraments, educate your children in the truth, sanctify your homes with prayer, and offer your trials in union with our Crucified Lord. You are the leaven in a collapsing culture. Do not grow weary in well-doing.
A Final Plea: Pray for Your Bishop On this anniversary, I ask you, from the bottom of my heart, to pray for me. Pray that I may finish the race. Pray that I may be found faithful. Pray that, when I stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, I may present to Him the souls He has entrusted to me, not lost, but led home.
As we look to the years ahead, may Our Lady, Queen of Apostles, intercede for our Apostolate. May St. Joseph guard us. May St. Pius V, my heavenly patron, embolden us. And may Christ the High Priest purify, protect, and prosper His Church.
With paternal affection, I impart to you all my blessing:
† In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
I.X.
Brichtelmestunensis S. Pii V Papæ et Confessoris MMXXV A.D.
¹ cf. Matthew 11:30 ² Hebrews 13:8
Oremus
Deus, pastor ætérne, qui fámulum tuum Hierónymum Epíscopum tuo præésse voluísti gregi: præsta, quaésumus; ut verbo et exémplo sibi subditis profíciat; ut ad vitam una cum grege sibi crédito pervéniat sempitérnam. Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum: qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. R. Amen
O God, eternal Shepherd, who didst will that Thy servant Jerome should preside over Thy flock as bishop: grant, we beseech Thee, that by word and example he may benefit those over whom he has charge, and together with the flock entrusted to his care, may attain everlasting life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.
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A Pastoral Epistle for the feast of St George the Great Martyr, Patron of England
To the beloved faithful of the Old Roman Apostolate in England
Carissimi
Though the liturgical calendar this year defers the celebration of St George’s feast to April 28th, due to the solemnity of the Paschal Octave, it remains fitting on this traditional date — April 23rd — to reflect on the life, witness, and continuing spiritual significance of our national patron, especially for us who dwell in England.
We do not commemorate St George simply as a relic of the past or as a national mascot. We honour him because he bore witness to the truth when doing so came at the greatest cost. In an age increasingly unsure of truth itself, let alone our identity as a Christian people, St George calls England back to courage, to fidelity, and to Christ.
St George the Martyr — Not a Myth, but a Man of God
St George was a historical man, born in Cappadocia and martyred in Palestine — lands that today lie within the very region where millions of Christians still suffer persecution for their faith. In the Middle East — from Syria to Iraq, from Egypt to Gaza — our brothers and sisters are harassed, displaced, and even martyred for confessing the name of Jesus. In some of the same places where St George stood for Christ against Diocletian, Christians today stand against hatred, terror, and oppression.
We in England are not persecuted with sword or flame. But we do face a subtler martyrdom: the erosion of faith through ridicule, the pressure to conform to secular dogmas, and the silencing of Christian witness in the public square. In such times, we must recover the clarity and courage of St George.
He is immortalised in Christian iconography as the one who slays the dragon, defending a maiden — representing the Church, the Bride of Christ — from destruction. The dragon is not just Diocletian, but any power, ideology, or fear that seeks to devour truth and virtue. And the Church is still under threat — sometimes overtly, sometimes through the slow decay of indifference and apostasy.
There Is Nothing to Be Ashamed Of
If England is to be renewed, she must again venerate and honour her saints — especially her patron. His legend exalts his virtues, even as it preserves truths that are timeless: chivalry, charity, chastity, courage. And if medieval or Victorian romanticism sometimes wrapped him in embellishment, let it only serve to rekindle in our hearts a longing for the nobility he embodied.
We must speak truth to ignorance, dispel myth with history, and defend our spiritual heritage with love.
England Today — A Nation in Need of a Patron
Ours is a nation uncertain of its purpose and divided in its identity. Public institutions too often seem ashamed of the very values they once upheld — values rooted in the Christian Gospel: reverence, sacrifice, fidelity, justice, mercy. St George is not a symbol of empire or conquest, but a witness to the moral clarity that faith gives. He stood for truth when truth was dangerous. He gave his life for the Church — she who had first given him the light of faith, the same light we still carry. Shall we not, at the very least, live for her?
The Victory of the Resurrection
Throughout this Paschal Octave, Holy Church calls us to rejoice in the victory of Christ over death — a victory into which all the saints, including the martyrs, are drawn. As we celebrate the Risen Lord, we are reminded that the call to holiness is a call to share in His Resurrection through lives of sacrificial love. The blood of the martyrs, like that of St George, bears witness to this triumph: not merely as the seed of the Church, but as a mirror of our own baptismal vocation — to be living branches of the Vine of Christ, bearing fruit that endures.
The Power to Transform
Let no one say the Gospel has no power to change the world. It is the only thing that ever has. If England is to recover her soul, it will not come through policy, protest, or power, but through the quiet and heroic witness of those who live in grace. As Christ said, “Remain in me, and I in you.”
If we remain in Him, we will bring others to Him — our families, our communities, even this nation. The power to forgive, to sacrifice, to love truly — this is what will make England Christian again. And that is how we truly honour St George.
Let England Return to Christ
So I ask you: are you striving to remain in Christ? Are you bearing the fruit that will last? Are you actively living the eternal life that began for you at baptism?
Do you love God enough to bring His love to others? Do you love your nation enough to fight for her soul — not with weapons, but with virtue? Do you love the Church enough to defend her honour in a hostile age?
St George did. And so can you.
May St George intercede for us. May England again be a land of saints. May she once more rise — not in empire, but in holiness.
With my apostolic blessing,
I.X.
Brichtelmestunensis Dominica de Passione MMXXV A.D.
Oremus
Deus, qui beátum Geórgium Mártyrem tuum virtútis constántia roborásti, da nobis, quǽsumus, ut, qui eius imitatiónis exémpla sectámur, inter adversitátis ǽstus invicti permaneámus. Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.
O God, who strengthened your martyr Saint George with constancy in virtue, grant us, we pray, that following his example of imitation, we may remain unshaken amid the storms of adversity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.
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To the beloved faithful of the Old Roman Apostolate
Carissimi
As we cross the threshold into Passiontide, the Church, in her maternal wisdom, begins to draw the veil over the face of her suffering Spouse. With the gravity of one who knows the hour is near, she prepares us not merely to recall the Passion of the Lord, but to enter it, to dwell within its mystery, to participate anew in the great drama of redemption. The sacred liturgy, especially in its traditional Roman form, offers not abstract theology but enfleshed truth — truth that speaks in signs and silences, gestures and omissions, in what is said and in what is no longer said.
Among these signs, subtle yet profound, is the shifting place of Psalm 42, Judica me, Deus, a psalm that forms the threshold prayer of the priest in the Mass throughout the year, but which is now deliberately silenced — and then made to reappear, not as the priest’s own private preparation, but as the public proclamation of Christ’s own entry into His Passion. I offer the following meditation to illuminate this sacred gesture and to draw out the spiritual significance it holds for our own participation in the liturgy of these most holy days. May it assist both clergy and faithful to enter more deeply into the mind of the Church, and through her, into the Sacred Heart of the Redeemer.
In the traditional Roman Rite, Passion Sunday inaugurates a profound shift in the spiritual landscape of Lent — a shift not merely seasonal or devotional, but sacrificial and sacerdotal. With the veiling of sacred images, the Church signals her entry into the hidden mystery of the Passion: the Bridegroom begins to withdraw from view, even as He prepares to ascend the mount of offering. This moment is marked with quiet solemnity by a liturgical detail easily overlooked, yet theologically luminous: the relocation of Psalm 42, Judica me, Deus.
Until Passion Sunday, this psalm — “Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy” — forms the heart of the priest’s private preparation at the foot of the altar, as part of the Preparatio ad Missam. From Septuagesima through the Fifth Sunday of Lent, it remains in place. Only on Passion Sunday is it conspicuously omitted — not as a Lenten gesture of penance, but as a Passiontide gesture of mystery. From this Sunday forward, the Judica me disappears from the priest’s prayers and is instead elevated to the public proclamation of the Introit of the Mass1.
This is no mere rubrical curiosity, but a liturgical transfiguration. The voice of the individual priest is quieted, so that the voice of the Eternal High Priest might resound. As the Church sings Judica me at the beginning of the Holy Sacrifice, it is no longer the voice of the minister preparing for Mass; it is the voice of Christ Himself, standing at the threshold of His Passion. “Why hast Thou cast Me off? And why do I go sorrowful, whilst the enemy afflicteth Me?” Here is Gethsemane, prefigured; here is the Cross, foreshadowed. “I will go to the altar of God”: here is the obedience of the Son unto death2.
The traditional liturgy is here doing something profoundly theological: it marks not merely the continuation of Lent, but a new and deeper phase — Passiontide — in which the High Priest begins His liturgical entry into the Holy of Holies. This is emphasized by the Epistle of the day, taken from Hebrews: “Christ being come, an High Priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle… entered once into the holies, having obtained eternal redemption”3. The High Priest is Christ, and the altar is no longer merely the table of offering, but the wood of the Cross. The Mass of Passion Sunday stands at the threshold of this sacrificial ascent.
The relocation of the Judica me from the priest’s lips to the voice of the Church is the liturgical moment in which Christ takes full possession of the rite. The veiled crosses, the hushed tones, the intensification of the readings — all signify that the divine action is now taking centre stage. The priest no longer prays in anticipation of Christ’s action; now, Christ Himself prays in and through the liturgy. Ipse Christus agere incipit — Christ Himself begins to act.
Dom Guéranger notes that Passiontide marks “the solemn opening of the mysteries of the Passion,” in which the liturgy now becomes a direct participation in the redemptive work of the Savior4. The silence of the psalm at the foot of the altar becomes its proclamation at the head of the Church: the Lamb is stepping forward, and He does not go unwillingly. “I will go to the altar of God” — not the golden altar of the Temple, but the rough wood of Golgotha.
That the modern rites have suppressed this liturgical choreography altogether — omitting Psalm 42 from the New Mass entirely — is emblematic of a broader loss. The faithful are no longer mystagogically led into the mystery; they are instead given plain speech and procedural efficiency. But the traditional Roman Rite, in its very structure, teaches us how to perceive the hidden Christ — veiled, suffering, yet sovereign.
The Judica me is no longer the priest’s threshold prayer, because the liturgy itself has now become the threshold of the Passion. The Eternal High Priest goes to the altar, and we go with Him.
Let us, then, beloved in Christ, heed the wisdom of the Church, who veils her sanctuaries not out of despair, but out of reverence; who silences certain prayers not to impoverish the liturgy, but to make room for the voice of the High Priest Himself. In a time when so much of the sacred has been obscured not by veils but by neglect, not by reverent silence but by liturgical reductionism, we must redouble our fidelity to the tradition that nourished the saints and formed the martyrs. The sacred liturgy in its ancient form is not a relic of the past, but the living voice of Christ, speaking now as ever, in signs that are clear to the eyes of faith.
As we accompany our Lord toward His altar — which is His Cross, and through it, the heavenly sanctuary — may we learn to make our own the words of the Psalm: Introibo ad altare Dei, ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam. And may we never forget that in the Mass, above all in this solemn season, Christ Himself is the One who ascends — and we, if we are united to Him, ascend with Him, through suffering, into glory.
May the sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, who stood at the foot of the true altar, obtain for us the grace to remain faithful unto the end.
In Christo sacerdote et hostia,
I.X.
Brichtelmestunensis Dominica de Passione MMXXV A.D.
Oremus
Quǽsumus, omnípotens Deus, famíliam tuam propítius réspice: ut, te largiénte, regátur in córpore; et, te servánte, custodiátur in mente. Per Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum, Fílium tuum: qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. R. Amen
Look graciously upon Your household, almighty God, we beseech You, that by Your grace we may be governed in body, and by Your protection safeguarded in mind. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.
Missale Romanum (1962), Ordo Missae and Dominica de Passione, Introitus. See also Rubricae Generales, Tit. IV, §1: “A Dominica Passionis usque ad Sabbatum Sanctum inclusive, in principio Missae non dicitur Psalmus Judica me Deus.” ↩︎
Psalm 42:4: Et introibo ad altare Dei: ad Deum qui lætificat juventutem meam. In patristic tradition, this verse is interpreted Christologically, especially by Cassiodorus and the Fathers of Gaul. ↩︎
Hebrews 9:11–12, Epistle of Passion Sunday in the traditional Roman Missal. Cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q. 22, a. 2: “Christus fuit sacerdos secundum quod humanam naturam assumpsit.” ↩︎
Dom Prosper Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Vol. 6: Passiontide and Holy Week (tr. Dom Laurence Shepherd), p. 87: “The holy Church begins, today, a new period, in her liturgical year. It is called Passiontide. This morning, the badge of mourning appeared on all the sacred images in her temples.” ↩︎
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A Pastoral Epistle on the Sanctity of Life in the Face of the End of Life Bill
To the Faithful of Christ, dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Grace, mercy, and peace be with you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
In these critical times, we address you with pastoral concern and apostolic conviction. On April 25, 2025, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is scheduled for further debate and voting in the House of Commons. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the bill, has confirmed this date and emphasized the importance of proceeding without delay.
As shepherds of souls and witnesses to the Gospel of life, we cannot remain silent in the face of legislation that seeks to legalize the deliberate ending of innocent human life. The implications of this bill—however framed in terms of compassion and autonomy—are profound and call for clear teaching, faithful resistance, and fervent prayer.
Life Is Not Ours to End The proposed bill seeks to permit adults with mental capacity, diagnosed with a terminal illness and a prognosis of six months or less, to request medical assistance to die. Such an act, regardless of intention, constitutes the moral equivalent of suicide, and the cooperation of others in that act is euthanasia. The Church has consistently condemned both.
From the earliest centuries, the Christian tradition has held that life is a gift entrusted to us by God, not a possession to be disposed of at will. “You are not your own; you were bought at a price” (1 Cor 6:19–20). St. Augustine taught with clarity: “He who knows it is unlawful to kill himself may nevertheless do so if he is ordered by Him whose commands we may not neglect.”¹ His words underscore that life and death are under divine sovereignty.
The Cross Is Not a Curse The suffering of terminal illness is real. It can be frightening, painful, and isolating. But Christ has gone before us. The Cross was not a failure; it was the place of redemption. Those who endure suffering in union with Christ participate in His saving Passion.
The Roman Catechism, issued by the Council of Trent, teaches us that suffering borne patiently is pleasing to God and a source of grace: “The other part of this Commandment is mandatory, commanding us to cherish sentiments of charity, concord, and friendship towards our enemies, to have peace with all men, and finally, to endure with patience every inconvenience which the unjust aggression of others may inflict.”² To propose death as a solution to suffering is not only a false mercy; it is a rejection of the redemptive value of suffering, which has always been part of Christian witness.
The Role of the Physician and the Meaning of Care This bill also distorts the very vocation of the physician. Traditionally, doctors have sworn the Hippocratic Oath, promising never to administer poison, even when requested. The Church has consistently upheld this moral boundary. Pope Pius XII taught that while one may accept palliative means to alleviate pain, “It is not right to deprive the dying person of consciousness in order to eliminate suffering if this renders impossible a final act of love for God.”³
In his 1954 address to the World Medical Association, Pius XII emphasized the natural moral law, affirming that euthanasia has been officially condemned.⁴
The Slippery Slope and the Silence of Society Advocates of assisted suicide often claim strict limitations. But once society concedes that it is lawful to end life to alleviate suffering, the logic inevitably widens. We have seen this in nations where euthanasia was introduced with similar promises—only to expand later to include psychological distress, non-terminal illness, and even minors. St. Thomas Aquinas warned that the toleration of lesser evils often paves the way for greater ones: “Human law is framed for a number of human beings, the majority of whom are not perfect in virtue. Wherefore human laws do not forbid all vices.”⁵
Moreover, such laws erode the fabric of society. They suggest to the aged and the vulnerable that their lives are a burden. But as Pope Pius XI taught in Casti Connubii, life is sacred “not only in its beginning and development but also in its natural termination.”⁶ We must build a civilization of charity where no one is abandoned, and where each soul is cherished until God Himself calls them home.
Our Christian Witness and Duty Dear faithful, this is not merely a civil matter. It is a spiritual trial. In times like these, we are called to be salt and light, to give public testimony to the Gospel of life.
We urge you:
Pray earnestly for our legislators, doctors, and those approaching death.
Write respectfully to your Members of Parliament, urging them to reject this bill and protect the most vulnerable.
Visit the sick and elderly, accompany the dying, and support Catholic hospice initiatives.
Instruct the young in the sacredness of life, and the nobility of offering suffering to God.
St. John Chrysostom wrote: “The one who honors the sick honors Christ Himself.” Let this be our response to a culture that tempts the suffering to despair: to meet them not with poison, but with prayer; not with death, but with love.
Conclusion: Choose Life We must remind our fellow citizens and lawmakers of the ancient words of Moses: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deut 30:19). Let no Christian be found among those who choose otherwise.
May Our Lady, Health of the Sick, and St. Joseph, Patron of the Dying, intercede for us all. And may Christ our King, who conquered death by His own death, fill you with courage, fidelity, and peace.
May Our Lady, Comfort of the Afflicted, intercede for us.
Yours in Christ,
S. Isidori Episcopi Confessoris et Ecclesiæ Doctoris Brichtelmestunensis MMXXV
Footnotes ¹ St. Augustine, City of God, Book I, Chapter 26. ² Catechism of the Council of Trent, Part III, The Fifth Commandment. ³ Pius XII, Address to Catholic Physicians and Anesthesiologists, November 24, 1957. ⁴ Pius XII, Address to the World Medical Association, September 30, 1954. ⁵ St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, I–II, q.96, a.2. ⁶ Pius XI, Casti Connubii, §64.
How to Contact Your MP Before the Assisted Dying Vote
Practical Guidance for Faithful Citizens
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is due for parliamentary debate and vote on April 25, 2025. Now is the time for faithful Catholics to speak out—clearly, charitably, and urgently. Here’s how to contact your MP effectively:
Email is fastest. Most MPs can be reached at: firstname.lastname.mp@parliament.uk (e.g., jane.doe.mp@parliament.uk)
Write a Letter if you prefer a physical approach. Address it to: [MP’s Name] House of Commons London SW1A 0AA
Call the Constituency Office or attend a local surgery (drop-in meeting). Times are usually listed on the MP’s official site.
3. Keep It Short and Personal
Start by stating you’re a constituent (i.e., you live in their area). MPs prioritize messages from their own voters.
Use your own words—this carries more weight than a form letter.
Share why you personally oppose assisted suicide. You might mention:
The sanctity of life and Christian teaching.
Concerns about the pressure this may place on the elderly, disabled, or those with mental health struggles.
The role of true palliative care as a compassionate alternative.
Fears of “mission creep” from other countries where similar laws have expanded.
4. Be Respectful and Clear
You don’t need to be a policy expert. Speak sincerely, and end by asking them to vote against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on April 25.
5. Follow Up
A short thank-you or reply if they respond can build trust—even if they disagree. If they express support for the bill, clarify your concerns respectfully and encourage them to reconsider.
Your voice matters. MPs often cite messages from constituents when making their decisions. As faithful citizens, let us not be silent when the vulnerable are at risk. As St. Paul reminds us, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
For further moral guidance and resources, see the Anscombe Bioethics Centre at bioethics.org.uk.
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