The archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols has expressed his support for plans to pray the rosary around the coast of Britain. Fr Christopher Thomas, general secretary of the bishops’ conference of England and Wales, said in a letter that the cardinal was offering the organisers his prayers and good wishes. “In the very secularised world in which we live, praying for ‘faith, life and peace’ in our countries is a vital component in witnessing to the truths of the Gospel,” Fr Thomas wrote. “The Church must be resolute in this work so that its mission of proclaiming the Word that brings Life reaches all who live and work in Great Britain. “To this end, Cardinal Nichols has asked me to wish you well with this act of witness, and assure you of his prayer and good wishes for it.” The Rosary on the Coast campaign has nearly 70 confirmed locations where people will gather on April 29 to pray for “faith, life and peace in the British Isles”. The campaign also has the backing of Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth, who called it an “important witness”. “May Mary’s prayers win our land back to the Lord,” he said. Bishop John Keenan of Paisley has already given his support, saying: “Hopefully all these rosary sites will join up together and form a ring of grace around our coast for faith, life and peace.” It is understood that Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham and Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury have also signalled their support to organisers but their messages have not been made public. Other major supporters of the initiative include Mgr John Armitage, rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, and Fr Philip Harries, director of Our Lady of the Taper shrine in Cardigan, Wales.