At the Catholic Union’s AGM, Baroness Hollins, President of the Catholic Union, reiterated her call for people to write to their MPs about their personal experiences of death as a constructive response to Kim Leadbeater’s Bill on assisted dying.  

Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and Baroness Hollins addressed the Catholic Union’s well attended AGM.  Maggie Doherty, Director of the Centre for the Art of Living and Dying Well, delivered the keynote speech which explored vividly, and hopefully, how learning about dying well and promoting death literacy across our networks can help you to live better. 

Baroness Hollins, President of the Catholic Union says: “You can’t legislate for love. This Bill is a worry on many fronts but MPs, many of whom are new to Parliament, should be in listening mode to their constituents so sharing your personal perspective, however hard that might be, is a useful exercise to ensure that all unintended consequences are exposed, explored and considered”.

Baroness Hollins also talked about the need for GRACE in life: Give – do something for somebody else, Receive – letting others do something for you, Active – helps your mental and physical health, Create – creativity and Engagement – Engage in relationship, trusting somebody else in your daily life. 

Maggie Doherty, Director of the Centre for the Art of Living and Dying Well, St Mary’s University, says: “Every one of us is dying - learning about dying well doesn't just prepare us for the end – it teaches us how to truly live.  Understanding mortality can reshape our approach to all aspects of our life and our death. We as a nation need to get better at talking about life and about death”.

Before the AGM, Bishop Sherrington, who has responsibility for life issues, celebrated Mass at the beautiful Farm Street Church for all members of the Catholic Union, living and dead. 

Bishop John Sherrington says: “Understanding death as part of life can help all people to gain a deeper appreciation of the gift of life in all its aspects and relationships. It helps Christians to see more clearly the pattern of the paschal mystery in their daily lives as they live under the horizon of eternity”.

The Assisted Dying Bill had its First Reading yesterday, Wednesday, October 16. Second Reading, in which MPs will have the opportunity to vote on the Bill, is scheduled for November 29.