Today, the 60th World Day of Social Communications, is an appropriate date for the BBC to pre-record three of its BBC R4 Extra Daily Service programmes from Leeds Cathedral – and the medium of radio is particularly suitable, given the Holy Father’s message about the need to hear authentic human voices spreading the Gospel messages!
The Leeds Cathedral Senior Girls’ Choir and visiting singers from Vanderbilt University were accompanied by Cathedral Organist Benjamin Newlove and conducted by our one of our Diocesan Choral Directors.
Each programme was pre-recorded and edited for broadcast on three upcoming Catholic Feast Days; the 15-minute acts of worship will transmit at 9:45am on BBC Radio4 Extra on the following dates:
28 May 2026: The Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest.
Presenter: Rowan Morton-Gledhill, Diocese of Leeds Director of Communications and Press Secretary to Bishop Marcus.
Music Director: Amy Howe.
Readers: Anna Larkin and Dcn Joseph Cortis
Amy Howe conducts the Cathedral Senior Girls and Scholars
12 June 2026: The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Presenter: Canon Matthew Habron, Dean of Leeds Cathedral.
Music Director: Daniel Rodriguez Tijaro.
Reader: Anna Larkin
Fr Matthew Habron and Anna Larkin pause for breath after their BBC recording!
22 June 2026: The Feast of SS John Fisher and Thomas More
Presenter: The Right Reverend Marcus Stock, Bishop of Leeds and Apostolic Administrator of the Dioceses of Middlesbrough and Hallam.
Music Director: Joseph Tilling.
Reader: Rowan Morton-Gledhill
Bishop Marcus presents the BBC R4 Extra Daily Service for the Feast of SS John Fisher & Thomas More
BBC Daily Service producer Carmel, with the Dean, musicians and readers
First broadcast in 1928, the Daily Service is one of the BBC’s longest-running programmes!
The Holy Father Pope Leo XIV’s Message for World Communications Sunday is available to view here….
Two excerpts from the Encyclical are particularly relevant to our Communications:
Communication and the collective imagination
135. … it is important to recall that communication “is not only the transmission of information, but it is also the creation of a culture.” [144] The content that circulates within digital environments shapes how people perceive the world and introduces into the collective consciousness images and narratives that direct our desires and influence our daily choices. This is “not a parallel or purely virtual world,” [145] since what originates online now becomes a part of people’s lives, especially of the youngest.
136. For this reason, those who control digital platforms and means of communication have a considerable ability to affect the collective imagination and to present a particular vision of reality as desirable. Such power should be constantly guided by the pursuit of truth and respect for human dignity, so that the culture fostered on the internet does not become an instrument of excessive distraction, homogenization or dominance, but rather a setting in which inner freedom and critical thought can mature.
Toward an ecology of communication
137. Our first task is neither to demonize nor idolize technological tools, but to utilize them on the basis of a fundamental principle, namely that truth is a common good and not the property of those with power or influence. We must therefore promote an ecology of communication. On the level of public policy, this entails establishing norms so that the decision-making behind content selection and its development becomes more transparent and protects personal data. Regarding social and cultural aspects, this requires a strengthening of intermediary organizations, serious journalism and forums for debate, where reasoned argumentation and verification carry greater weight than immediate reaction. For families and schools, there is a growing need for new educational awareness and for formation concerning the proper and critical use of digital tools, AI and online commercial and
financial platforms. In universities, the principal challenge lies in the integration of knowledge, cultivating both the capacity to connect and synthesize knowledge in order to grasp complexity, and the skills necessary to verify facts.
138. Christian communities, too, are called to commit themselves to transparency in communication and to the honest pursuit of facts. Sadly, this has not always been the case. We have witnessed with shame the emergence of painful truths concerning even members of the Church and ecclesial realities. In particular, some journalists, driven by a passion for truth, have played a crucial role in bringing injustices and abuses to light. To them, I wish to repeat the words that Pope Francis used in speaking to journalists:
“I also thank you for what you tell us about what goes wrong in the Church, for helping us not to sweep it under the carpet, and for the voice you have given to the victims of abuse.” [146] Yet vigilance and transparency remain first and foremost a grave responsibility for the Church herself, and we must not wait for others to compel us to confront uncomfortable truths about ourselves.
… and a timely reminder for communicating YOUR thoughts on a potential reunification of the Dioceses of Leeds, Middlesbrough and Hallam …
The Online Consultation has been open since March and now closes on 19 June 2026!
Recent Comments