Defections, divisions, tribalism and schisms
'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
Pope Francis proclaims Thomas Cranmer ‘Doctor of the Church’
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 year members of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of…
Pope Francis: God willed the Reformation and the Church of England
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’
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”
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,…
Four-day week: mandatory indolence or an interfaith ‘sacred weekend’?
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’
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…
What if Alfie Evans had been named Ahmed Edris, and the flight were to Mecca, not Rome?
An awful lot has been written about the tragic case of Alfie Evans; so much, in fact, that there is absolutely no desire at all to add to the mountain…
Pope Francis: “There is no hell; there is the disappearance of sinful souls”
In the continuing assessment of whether or not the Pope is Catholic, the latest doctrinal confusion comes (again) from a statement reported by Eugenio Scalfari in La Repubblica. When asked…
If the Pope can honour a pro-abortion activist, why not bless Durex?
It is being widely reported that Pope Francis has bestowed the title of Commander in the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great upon pro-abortion activist Lilianne Ploumen, sometime…
Pope Francis wants to change the Lord’s Prayer (but doesn’t apparently understand it)
It is reported (all over the place) that Pope Francis wants to change the wording of a line in the Lord's Prayer because it is potentially misleading. The troublesome phrase…
Reformation 500: Vatican postage stamp commemorates Luther and Melanchthon
The Vatican has issued a postage stamp to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. At the foot of the cross, Martin Luther holds the Bible (the fons et origo…
Reformation 500: we are all Protestants now
‘Reformation’ is an awkward word; so, of course, is ‘Protestant’. Both terms convey a sense of theological unity or ecclesial uniformity wrapped in a righteous evangelical zeal, when, in fact,…
Filial Correction: laity who are more Catholic than the Pope
The Pope of Rome hath erred. So, of course, hath the Pope of Alexandria, the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and we mustn't forget the Pope of the Christian Palmarian…
Our Lady of Brexit? Why not consecrate the UK to the Immaculate Heart of Mary?
It has been announced that Scotland is to be consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary "for the first time". It is believed that the act will set Scotland apart…
Protect the Pope? Francis is “destroying the Catholic nature of the Church”
'Protect the Pope' was a blog established in 2010 by the Rev'd Nick Donnelly, a kindly, humble and intelligent deacon in the Roman Catholic Church (and the second-nicest Catholic in…
The Church of England should not tear itself apart over homosexuality and same-sex marriage
The General Synod of the Church of England is due to 'take note' (or not) of the Bishops' report ‘Marriage and Same Sex Relationships after the Shared Conversations.’ In the…
House of Bishops upholds canon law: marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman
After a seemingly interminable period of 'shared conversations' on the nature of marriage and the relational experiences of some LGBT Christians, the House of Bishops of the Church of England…
With the gift of a crozier, Pope Francis recognises and affirms the episcopal jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury
You can read too much into a symbol, especially if it signifies a deep spiritual longing or portends some prophetic fulfilment. What to one person is just the rain, to…
Is our worship really “diminished” by the lack of Christian unity?
"I was dismayed, but not surprised, to hear so many calls for 'unity' after Jeremy Corbyn’s re-election," writes political historian Dr Robert Crowcroft of Edinburgh University. He expounds: ..."unity" is…