A remarkable elder statesman of dialogue - Monsignor Francis Slattery
One of the anticipated highlights of this year’s local Inter Faith Week is an event likely to be led by one of the oldest active organisers in the UK: Monsignor Francis Slattery.
A tireless champion of dialogue, Monsignor Slattery regularly leads gatherings during both Inter Faith Week each November and the UN-recognised World Interfaith Harmony Week each February.
Monsignor Slattery’s interfaith journey began in Cumbria in 2002 when the then Bishop of Lancaster, Rt Rev Patrick O’Donoghue, invited the BGKT Buddhist Group of Kendal (Theravada) to host a day in Kendal for him to meet people from diverse faiths and community organisations. That formative encounter helped shape a ministry that, for decades, has placed bridge‑building at its heart.
Educated in history at Downing College, Cambridge (1954–1957), Monsignor Slattery is known for his gentle pastoral care “for people of all faiths and none” and for an unwavering conviction that all people are created equal. Colleagues and friends describe him as an exemplary priest: measured in speech, careful never to criticise others, and consistently focused on the dignity of every person.
Attentive to the Church’s relationship with the broader world, Monsignor Slattery speaks of how the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) transformed Catholic engagement with other religions. As a priest at St Herbert’s RC Church, Windermere, he ran a weekly meditation group open not only to other Christian denominations but also to those of other faiths—an inclusive practice long before it became common.
He draws inspiration from the Assisi gathering of 1986—convened by Pope John Paul II during the United Nations International Year of Peace—which brought together 90 religious leaders to affirm the role of faith in fostering mutual understanding and tolerance. Honouring the integrity of each tradition, the Assisi vision encouraged communities to “come together to pray” rather than to “pray together,” a distinction Monsignor Slattery often highlights as key to respectful encounter.
His reading list reflects breadth and curiosity: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’s The Dignity of Difference (2002) remains a touchstone, and he has spoken at BGKT’s Vesak celebrations. He frequently cites figures such as Bede Griffiths and Thomas Merton for their insights into Hinduism and Buddhism.
Community recognition has followed. In 2008, the Secretary of South Lakeland Interfaith Forum presented Monsignor Slattery with a framed map of Jerusalem in appreciation of his local interfaith leadership. In 2011, he and his interfaith colleague, Jacquetta Gomes, sat in the front row for a Kendal Ecumenical Group event on Meeting God in Friend and Stranger, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales’ teaching document on other religions, led by its principal author, Archbishop Emeritus Kevin McDonald. More on the document is available via the Bishops’ Conference website: Meeting God in Friend and Stranger.
His contributions are also recorded in national reflections on interfaith engagement. Monsignor Slattery and Jacquetta Gomes were featured in the Inter Faith Network for the UK’s publication Strengthening Co‑operation and Understanding: Inter Faith Week 2022 (ISBN 9781739415815), with Kendal, South Lakeland and Cumbria referenced on pages 14, 37 and 79. The publication can be accessed at: Inter Faith Week 2022: Strengthening Co‑operation and Understanding.
To mark his 60 years in the priesthood, the interfaith journal Faith Initiative: Embracing Diversity published “Breaking Open the Word” in Issue 31 (2014, p. 22). Details are available at Faith Initiative and the specific issue page: Issue 31.
As Inter Faith Week approaches, local organisers say Monsignor Slattery’s presence embodies the spirit of the week: steady, humble, and open‑hearted. Whether speaking quietly about the importance of respectful language or simply welcoming people to sit and share their stories, he continues to model how faith can be a source of hospitality and hope.