Next Sunday, 12 November, the Catholic Churches of England and Wales will remember the dead of the two world wars and British troops stationed abroad with a special celebration. On the occasion of Remembrance Sunday, held on 12 November every year, it is the time-honoured practice in the Uk to wear a red poppy in buttonholes, after making a donation to the associations of ex-servicemen. It’s a tradition that is very much felt in the country where almost every family can count among its members soldiers who lost their lives in the wars. To mark the occasion the Catholic Church has launched a web page (www.life4seekers.co.uk/remembrance) which comprises a list to which anyone can add the name of any loved ones who died in the wars. Each visitor to the website can also receive gratis a “remembrance tag” and a candle to be lit during November. “We must remember all those who sacrificed their own life for justice and peace”, said the Catholic Primate of England and Wales, Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor. In a pastoral letter that will be read out in Catholic churches, Bishop Tom Burns, military ordinary, denounces the fact that British troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan are unable to defend themselves due to the lack of suitable equipment.
