Pope Francis

Catholic and Reformed: continuity and development

January 13, 2020
Archbishop Cranmer
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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 understanding of the nature and purpose of the Church of…

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…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

What if Alfie Evans had been named Ahmed Edris, and the flight were to Mecca, not Rome?

April 26, 2018
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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”

April 2, 2018
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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?

January 15, 2018
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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)

December 8, 2017
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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…

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Reformation 500: Vatican postage stamp commemorates Luther and Melanchthon

November 24, 2017
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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

October 31, 2017
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‘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

September 27, 2017
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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?

August 3, 2017
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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”

July 19, 2017
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'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

February 14, 2017
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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

January 30, 2017
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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…