LORD BRENNAN QC, President of the Catholic Union of Great Britain, has appealed to Catholic student leaders from across the country to work together to influence key public debates over the future of church schools and the legalisation of assisted dying.
Speaking in Parliament during a special event on April 22 entitled “Thinking about the Next Generation”, the Catholic peer and former chairman of the Bar Council reminded students present of the responsibility they had to make good use of their education and abilities.
He said it was through giving Christian witness that they would be able to promote the common good and shape the future of Britain.
The event marked a collaboration of the Catholic Union and the International Young Leaders Network (IYLN) in order to identify and support the next generation of Catholic leaders. Representing IYLN the Prior of Blackfriars Hall, Fr Simon Gaine OP, appealed to students to engage in matters of policy and encouraged those present to make a start by joining the Catholic Union and IYLN.
Student representatives from chaplaincies in Birmingham, Cambridge, Oxford, LSE, Warwick, Newcastle, Sussex and Southampton travelled to London for the event where they were joined by Union vice-presidents Lord Alton of Liverpool and Jim Dobbin MP, John Battle MP, and other young members of the Catholic Union Council.
Speaking after the event Lord Brennan said: “I was delighted to talk to so many exceptional students of such enormous talent. Almost all of them signed up for membership of the Catholic Union.
“This gives great hope for the future of the Union and for Britain and we look forward to working with these students to develop the Union’s activities and effectiveness.” For information contact students@catholicunion.org.