Pope Francis

Kirill Welby Ukraine Russia War religion church

Welby and Kirill demand peace in Ukraine (but woolliness won’t stop war)

The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Patriarch of Moscow have had a video conference in which they both agreed on the need for disciples of Jesus to be peacemakers, and for Russia and Ukraine "to achieve a lasting peace based…

Archbishop Welby House of Lords Freedom of Speech

Welby defends freedom of speech – ‘living out the Reformation truth’

December 10, 2021
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The Archbishop of Canterbury hosted a debate on freedom of speech in the House of Lords today, in the context of so many contemporary challenges (and robust assaults) against it.…

Environmental apocalypse: the religious drama of COP26

November 2, 2021
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"Since it is difficult to distinguish true prophets from false, it is as well to regard all prophets with suspicion," warned Primo Levi in his 1947 work If This Is…

Little Amal puppet Westminster Cathedral

Little Amal blesses Cardinal Nichols in Westminster Cathedral

October 28, 2021
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What's this about? Little Amal is a very big puppet, making the journey from Gaziantep near the Turkey-Syria border to Manchester, where "she will shine an urgent light on the…

General Synod elections: the ‘liberal drift’ is not a foregone conclusion

October 20, 2021
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The Rev'd Peter Ould has been psephological over at Psephizo, and his analysis of the recent Synod elections merits some consideration in respect of the 'liberal drift' of the Church…

Peter Carrell Bishop of Christchurch New Zealand covid vaccination certificate

Should you need a Covid vaccination certificate to attend church?

October 5, 2021
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It was a question posed by the Rt Rev'd Peter Carrell, Bishop of Christchurch in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Seeking the corporate wisdom and discernment…

david isaac worcester college oxford wilberforce academy

Would Worcester College Oxford apologise for hosting the Pope?

October 1, 2021
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Worcester College Oxford is among the fairest of the University. Founded in 1714, some of its buildings date back to 1283, when there was a Benedictine abbey on the site.…

pope francis patriarch bartholomew archbishop welby environment creation cop26

The Pope, the Patriarch and the Archbishop unite for Earth’s sake

September 10, 2021
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Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew and the Archbishop of Canterbury have united for the first time in history to issue an urgent appeal for the future of the planet. Never before…

Pope meets Spider-Man: when did religious leaders cease being superheroes?

June 24, 2021
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The cynic will say religious leaders were never superheroes (or superheroines), but, of course, they were. The precise nature and source of their superhuman powers may be lost in antiquity,…

Fratelli Tutti Pope Francis European Union Brexit

Pope Francis damns Brexit

October 5, 2020
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Pope Francis has written another encyclical, Fratelli Tutti. It isn't a great theological tome; indeed, it could easily be a series of religio-political blogposts on current events. Much of the…

Welby brings peace and reconciliation to South Sudan

February 25, 2020
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South Sudan is a far of country of which we know little, and if we are honest, care less. Its story does occasionally appear on the the BBC News website,…

Catholic and Reformed: continuity and development

January 13, 2020
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Toward the end of his ministry as Archbishop of Canterbury (though it may have been just after the end), Rowan Williams was interviewed about his beliefs, and in particular his…

Teacher throws student out of class for insisting there are two sexes

June 17, 2019
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The student uses 'genders' when he means 'sexes', but the biological science of male and female (sex) has become so morphed with the sociological construct of masculinity and femininity, maleness…

Pope Francis proclaims Thomas Cranmer ‘Doctor of the Church’

April 1, 2019
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Pope Francis has proclaimed Archbishop Thomas Cranmer a Doctor of the Universal Church in recognition of his bold witness of faith and his contribution to divine worship and liturgy. Last…

Independent group selfie division defection

Defections, divisions, tribalism and schisms

February 21, 2019
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'What causes fights and quarrels among you?' asked James the brother of Jesus, writing to the twelve tribes scattered abroad. And then he proceeds to answer his own question: Don’t…

Pope Francis Grand Imam Abu Dhabi God willed

Pope Francis: God willed the Reformation and the Church of England

February 7, 2019
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Pope Francis went to Abu Dhabi this week to meet the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, which is good and pleasant. No doubt the Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church…

Catholic Herald stokes sectarianism with ‘Heretic of the Week’

January 6, 2019
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The Catholic Herald runs a column called 'Heretic of the Week'. It hasn't been running for many weeks, which is probably why it isn't that widely known, but a recent…

Michael Gove delivers Theos Annual Lecture: “I speak as a Christian”

November 23, 2018
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Michael Gove delivered this year's Theos annual lecture last night, and his subject was environmental justice, stewardship and the moral purpose of government. The whole lecture is well worth reading,…

Blake God Blessing Seventh Day four-day week

Four-day week: mandatory indolence or an interfaith ‘sacred weekend’?

October 23, 2018
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When Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell mooted imposing a four-day week on the British economy (that is, a four-day working week; Labour has no plans to re-calibrate or 'modernise' the solar…

Death penalty: Pope Francis hasn’t changed the teaching; he just ‘developed doctrine’

August 5, 2018
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One of the more curious aspects of Roman Catholic apologetics is its inability to answer certain specific questions to which it should have ready answers: 1. What is the content…