A significant political moment, a historic turning point for the United Kingdom, and there are a number of issues that the Catholic Bishops are discussing with the British government. On the day on which British Prime Minister Theresa May triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, thereby beginning the UK’s divorce from the European Union, the spokesman for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Liam Allmark, explains that the Church is concerned with some matters that will be negotiated between the United Kingdom and the European Union. “The rights of EU citizens in the UK in the coming years, the relations of our country with other European countries, and the UK’s role in the world”, Liam Allmark explains. “There are some 3 million European citizens living here in the UK, most of them from Catholic countries, and it is very important to reassure them about their future, so that they do not live in fear of not being allowed to stay. The Bishops have asked, and will continue to ask, MPs what guarantees they can give to these people that their rights, as citizens of the United Kingdom, will be protected”. Another key issue for the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales is the Irish people living here. “There are about 342,000 Irish people in Great Britain, most of them Catholic, and the Bishops have cooperated also with the Irish Bishops’ Conference on this matter”, says Liam Allmark.