Commemorating the life and witness of Blessed Franz Jägerstätter
Updates August 2026)
Forty people gathered in London on 9 August for this annual commemoration.
Always a moving ceremony, those present heard Colin Kerr of Pax Christi reflecting on the theme of conscience, relating the decision of Franz to that of St Paul’s writing in the Acts of the Apostles.
Prayers were offered for Conscientious Objectors, past and present.
A similar event was held in St Radegund, Austria, Franz’s home village.
Pax Christi members host Hiroshima Anniversary Commemorations
Hundreds of people participated in vigils, prayer services, exhibitions and lantern floating on 6 August, Hiroshima Anniversary. These took place in London, Birmingham, Coventry, Abingdon, Liverpool and Leeds. Several joined the international PC International campaign Lanterns for Peace and a nuclear free world.
This image shows lanterns being gathered at St Helen’s Wharf Abingdon – to prevent damage or pollution in the river.
Strong Pax Christi E&W presence at National J&P Gathering , July
A large number of Pax Christi members took part in the 48th Annual Conference of the National Justice and Peace Network at the Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick.
We contributed by creating a Prayer Room, a range of stalls including campaign opportunities and Palestine goods. We also organised the Conference Action, which was an RC launch of the ‘Time to Act’ Campaign
You can read Joan Sharples report here
Pax Christi workshop of AI and future wars at The Tablet Festival
Over the weekend of 10-11 July a Pax Christi participated in a discussion panel, led a conversation on active nonviolence and ran a workshop on Ai and future wars. This was led by members, Aaron Humphriss, Emmanuel Fissehsa, with Fausta Valentine from the office team.
Our stall and the petition to stop conscription from being introduced were well supported.
The Feast day of Bl. Franz Jägerstätter
The 21st of May is the Feast Day of Bl. Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian Catholic executed in 1943 for refusing to fight for the Nazis and for whom Pax Christi has a particular devotion.
You can read more about this remarkable man and hero of faith here
Nuclear Abolition Day Appeal presented to NPT Review Conference
In September 2025, Pax Christi was one of more than 670 organisations and 1400 individuals from 101 countries to endorse an appeal marking Nuclear Abolition Day (the UN International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons)
The appeal set out five clear calls to States to take action and on the 1st May it was presented to the NPT Review Conference currently underway at the UN in New York. Read more ….
Pax Christi Merseyside join Liverpool May Day Rally
Members of Pax Christi in Merseyside joined the May Day rally in Liverpool, walking in support of the Liverpool Friends of Palestine group.
Holy See warns that nuclear deterrence risks ‘catastrophic miscalculation’
The eleventh review conference of the parties to the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons) is taking place at the UN in New York. During the first week of the conference, Msgr. Robert D. Murphy presented a statement from the Holy See warning of the extreme dangers of a security based on nuclear deterrence. You can read the full statement here
Catholic Bishops urge ‘redoubling’ of prayers for peace and justice
During their meeting at the English College’s Convento Palazzola near Rome last week, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales issued a statement asking Catholics to ‘redouble’ their prayers and advocacy for peace:
“We stand in solidarity with the Holy Father in his sustained witness and unshakeable commitment to the Gospel of Peace.
We embrace our responsibility to act as bridge-builders and peacemakers and call upon the faithful, whom we serve in the dioceses of England and Wales, to join us in redoubling our prayers and advocacy for peace and justice.
We pray that the leaders of all peoples at war open their minds and hearts to the dialogue and encounter necessary to attain a peace which disarms and endures.
Hope is central to our Christian faith. In Eastertide, we are reminded that we are called to build a future sustained by the Risen Christ. As Pope Leo said in Equatorial Guinea: ‘There is hunger for a future imbued with hope that is capable of engendering a new sense of justice and producing fruits of peace and fraternity. This is not an unknown future that we must passively await, but rather one that we ourselves are called to build with God’s grace’.”
You can find resources to help you pray for peace in our online shop here:
paxchristi.org.uk/product-category/prayer-cards/
Global Days of Action on Military Spending 2026
This year’s Global Days of Action on Military Spending took place from the 10th April to the 9th May.
signed the international GDAMS 2026 appeal and you can read more about both that appeal and the UK counterpart here
Bamenda’s Witness: Nonviolence in an Upside-Down World
On his visit to Cameroon in April, Pope Leo challenged those who “manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain,” the “masters of war” who allocate billions to death and destruction.
You can read Sr Katrina Alton’s comments on all he said here:
‘No more idols! No more war!’ – A prophetic intervention from Pope Leo
Pope Leo delivered a powerful and prophetic homily at his prayer vigil for peace in April.
If you missed the livestream of the vigil and the praying of the rosary for peace, you can watch a recording on the Vatican News YouTube channel here: tinyurl.com/5b64tb4z
We’ve uploaded a full copy of the text of Pope Leo’s homily which you can read here
And our National Chaplain, Sr Katrina Alton has written her own reflection on Pope Leo’s words which you can read here
Pope Leo and and the Nonviolent power of Easter
During Holy Week and Easter, Pope Leo made repeated appeals for peace and for a commitment to nonviolence inspired by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
He called us to ‘allow ourselves to be transformed by the peace of Christ!’ to ‘make heard the cry for peace that springs from our hearts!‘ and to ‘abandon every desire for conflict, domination, and power, and implore the Lord to
grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars and marked by a hatred and indifference that make us feel powerless in the face of evil.‘
To read more on Pope Leo’s appeals for peace over Holy Week and Easter, see this article in Vatican News:
The “non-violent” power of Easter in Pope Leo’s appeals for peace
Stations of the Cross with a Difference
On the first Saturday in April, we joined London Catholic Worker, Christians for Palestine UK and Christian Climate Action on Holy Saturday for a Stations of the Cross with a difference.
You can read Read Fr Joe Ryan’s reflection on the event here
Pope Leo – Jesus does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war
In his homily at Mass on Palm Sunday, Pope Leo issued a powerful rebuke to leaders invoking the name of God in their wars and praying for his blessing on their violence.
He reminds us that Jesus is the King of Peace and that he cries out again from his cross:
‘God is love! Have mercy! Lay down your weapons! Remember that you are brothers and sisters!‘
You can read Pope Leo’s full homily here
‘She Has Done a Beautiful Thing’: Holy Week and the Power of Nonviolent Love
At the start of Holy Week, Sr Katrina Alton led us in an online reflection on the Anointing at Bethany. If you missed it, you can watch a recording on our You Tube channel here
Bishop John Arnold – War is destroying the environment as well as human life
In response to a recent report from the World Meteorological Organization, our President, Bishop John Arnold (who is also the England and Wales Bishops’ Conference lead Bishop for Environmental Issues) has urged us to pray for peace. He asks that we pray for leaders to turn their efforts towards promoting both peace and action on the care of creation.
You can read Bishop John’s full statement here
Nonviolence: A Radical Alternative
We had a great weekend in March with Nicholas Paz from the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative meeting with a number of Bishops and then speaking at events in London, Leeds and Liverpool. Thank you to everyone who joined us and to Nicholas for your input and inspiration.
Disarming the Abyss – Nonviolence and the military strikes on Iran
Following a declaration from Pax Christi International’s condemning the military strikes in Iran (read here) our National Chaplain, Sr Katrina Alton reflected on how we must respond if we are to follow the Nonviolent Jesus
Marking International Women’s Day 2026
More than 80 participants joined a Pax Christi Zoom gathering on International Women’s Day (8 March) to reflect on the theme “Towards an ‘unarmed’ and ‘disarming’ peace,” inspired by the 2026 World Peace Day message of Pope Leo.
Pope Leo: Praying for Disarmament and Peace
From the moment he was elected, Pope Leo has urged us to join him in praying for peace and an end to the wars around the world that are bringing such terrible suffering, destruction and damage to creation.
For March 2026, Pope Leo’s prayer intention was ‘disarmament and peace’. We can join him in prayer at any time of the year using this short video and prayer:
Ash Wednesday in Leeds, Liverpool and London
A few photos from the Ash Wednesday vigils in Leeds, Liverpool and London. Thank you to everyone who took part.
If you would like to read a full report of the vigil in London, please see the articles in Independent Catholic News and The Tablet:
www.indcatholicnews.com/news/54390
In Leeds, people travelled from Skipton, Bingley, Wetherby, Pudsey, Harrogate, Birstall and Garforth as well as suburbs closer to Leeds city centre to join the vigil and repent and pray for an end to our reliance on nuclear weapons.
In Liverpool, members of Pax Christi Merseyside were joined by CND, Quaker Friends, Religious Sisters and parishioners from St Michael and Sacred Heart, All Saints , St Vincent De Paul and SMA fathers . St Ann and St Bernard, St Teresa of the Child Jesus and clergy to renounce the increase in nuclear weapons expenditure and to call for real commitment to nuclear disarmament.
For more great photos from Liverpool, take a look at the Pax Christi Merseyside page:
Pax Christi Merseyside – Facebook
You can listen below to some of our members who were interviewed about our witnesses for peace and nuclear disarmament for English Catholic News on Radio Maria.
Pat Gaffney on Premier Radio
Pat Gaffney, our former General Secretary and now one of our Vice Presidents, appeared on Big Sunday Breakfast on Premier Radio recently. Pat spoke about the effectiveness of protests, whether Jesus would get confrontational, and what it’s like getting arrested on a march.
You can listen to the full interview here: Pat Gaffney – Premier Radio
Campaigning against the SDSC UK Arms Fair, NEC, Birmingham
Pax Christi member Ann Farr explaining why she and other members joined protests against the Specialist Defence and Security Convention (SDSC-UK) Arms Fair at the NEC in Birmingham on the 3rd and 4th February.
SDSC UK, previously the Malvern and Telford arms fair, focuses on weapons and intelligence technology for the UK Special Forces (SAS, the Special Boat Service, Reconnaissance Regiment, Ranger Regiment, and the UK Special Forces Signal Regiment).
The campaign leading up to the fair called on the NEC to cancel the event and confirm that it will not be welcomed back. The SDSC-UK has faced protests in every community it has visited.
Previous events were forced out of the Three Counties Showground in 2023 and the Telford International Centre in 2025. Pax Christi was involved in each of those campaigns.
An open letter, signed by over 400 individuals and 30 organisations including Pax Christi was delivered to the NEC during a Furniture Fair on the 21st January. The letter points out that SDSC UK is not just another exhibition but part of the destructive global arms trade which drives armed conflict, oppression and human rights abuses around the world. Accommodating the fair is inconsistent with the NEC Group’s Environmental Social and Governance goals.
You can read a full copy of the letter here:
www.stop-sdsc.uk/campaign-letters/to-the-nec-group-stop-sdsc-uk
Declaration from Pax Christi International on Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’
Pax Christi International has published an important declaration on Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’.
The Declaration Pax Christi calls on states that are still considering participation to refrain from joining, urges states that have already refused to participate to provide a clear and public statement of their concerns,
and appeals for a strong response from the Church and the Holy Father in defence of justice.
You can read the statement in full here paxchristi.net/pax-christi-international-declaration-on-the-so-called-board-of-peace/
Five years of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
On the 2nd January we marked the fifth anniversary of the TPNW and renewed our commitment to continue to campaign for the UK to sign and ratify the Treaty
Image: Former Vice President and Pax Christi Member Ann Dodd marking the 5th anniversary of the TPNW with Abingdon Peace Group
80 Years of the United Nations
Peace Sunday 2026
On Sunday 18th January, the Catholic Church in England and Wales marked Peace Sunday 2026
We would love to know how your church, parish or group have celebrated the day and to see photos of any special events you held or Pax Christi stalls you ran. Please let us know on info@paxchristi.org.uk .
Pope Leo’s message for the World Day of Peace – the message which was the theme for Peace Sunday – will be relevant throughout the year. You can download a copy here:
Pope Leo: Towards an unarmed and disarming peace
Affirming again that nonviolence is the key to peace. the message addresses the escalation of war, rearmament and fear in international relations. Pope Leo reiterates the Church’s opposition to deterrence based on military force and calls for disarmament, dialogue and the conversion of hearts as necessary conditions for a lasting and unarmed peace.
Statement on Venezuela
The people of Venezuela are under attack—not because of democracy, or drugs—but because of oil. Pax Christi England and Wales stands with the poor, whose lives are treated as expendable, and with the Earth, once again crucified to satisfy the greed of oil companies. We join Pax Christi International in condemning the violation of the international sovereignty of Venezuela by the United States government through force and in breach of international law.
President Trump’s admission that this aggression is about Venezuelan oil strips away all pretence. This is not foreign policy, it is plunder. Military force and coercion are being used to seize what does not belong to the United States, while ordinary Venezuelans pay the price. Violence cannot create peace. It multiplies suffering.
As Christians we are called to a radically different path. Jesus’ nonviolence was not passive, rather it was a refusal to participate in systems that destroy human dignity and exploit creation. To dominate is not to stabilize, to occupy is not to govern.
Pope Leo XIV reminds us: “The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration… safeguarding the country’s sovereignty, ensuring the rule of law… with special attention to the poorest who suffer because of the difficult economic situation.” True peace grows from justice, protection of the vulnerable, and care for creation, not from bombs, intimidation, or the seizure of resources.
Pax Christi England and Wales rejects the lie of “peace through strength.” We call on governments, leaders, and people of goodwill to resist illegal aggression, defend international law, and stand with the people of Venezuela, and Earth, our one common home. Let us heed Pope Leo XIV’s call for a “disarmed and disarming” peace, rooted in justice, mercy, and respect for all life, where Christ is present in those the world seeks to dominate and oppress.
Sr Katrina Alton
