Roman Catholic Church

Happy Reformation Day

October 31, 2015
Archbishop Cranmer
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Quite why Martin Luther chose to protest against Tetzel and his sale of indulgences on All Hallows' Eve is unknown, unless it was simply a marketing decision to ensure that his 95 Theses were read by as many as…

Divorce and remarriage: Catholic crisis, chaos, conspiracy, or just contextual theology?

October 25, 2015
403 Comments

The fallout from the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church (aka 'Synod on the Family') has been considerable. Whatever the reported…

The Queen hosts President Xi Jinping, and the Catholic Herald sneers at her hypocrisy

October 21, 2015
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"As the Catholic Herald has constantly stressed, China continues to persecute Christians, and there is evidence that this persecution is getting worse. How ironic, then, that the Supreme Governor…

No more excuses: Bishop Peter Ball's abuse demands more than regret

October 9, 2015
462 Comments

If we need any evidence of humankind’s fallen sinfulness then we only have to look at our propensity to do things for our own gain that we know to…

"I'm not sure I believe in God, but I'll take Pope Francis over Richard Dawkins any day"

September 28, 2015
178 Comments

Chris Deerin was a "devout Catholic, altar boy.. (who) wanted to be a priest". That's nice. Sadly (or fortunately, whichever side you're on), he is devout no more. He…

Welby: "Christians are not saints"; Cranmer: "O yes we are"

August 27, 2015
103 Comments

"Christians are not saints," tweeted Lambeth Palace, apparently quoting from a sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. "They are sinners calling other sinners to know and love…

Assisted suicide and the unbearable indignity of the insupportable life

August 3, 2015
256 Comments

"I can't take this anymore," said Chantal Sebire (left), as the cancerous bulge ate into her nasal cavity and gnawed at her brain, robbing her of sight, taste and…

Cameron can no more "destroy the Caliphate" than he can abolish the New Jerusalem

July 21, 2015
190 Comments

David Cameron's long-awaited speech on Islamic extremism (aka Islamism) was sort of worth waiting for. As he expounded his 'One Nation' vision to defeat the "poison" of extremism, he…

Greek Orthodox Church urges Greeks to "vote for Europe" (and more austerity)

July 4, 2015
315 Comments

Greece is bankrupt, on its economic knees, humiliated before the IMF default, now begging the ECB/Germany for palliative compassion. The Greeks are in turmoil; some queuing patiently to withdraw…

Laudato Si – Pope Francis gives a timely gift to humanity

June 19, 2015
254 Comments

Two momentous events happened yesterday: the Vatican finally discovered PowerPoint and the Pope (or at least the person in charge of his Twitter account) proved that he had mastered…

This is how the 'Christian vote' now looks

June 16, 2015
153 Comments

During the run up to May’s General Election, we had a few polls that attempted to gauge what the Christian vote would look like. Carrying out such an exercise…

The undue political interference of 'undue spiritual influence'

May 15, 2015
73 Comments

Giles Fraser (pictured centre) has written a perfectly-pitched (yes, indeed) piece, 'Is it one rule for the Hindus and another for the Muslims?', which relates to the judgment in…

Pope Francis and the Armenian slaughter he didn't call genocide

April 13, 2015
202 Comments

Pope Francis delivered a speech at St Peter's in Rome to commemorate the slaughter of 1.5million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks during the First World War, a century ago.…

Scotland's Roman Catholic bishops condemn Jim Murphy's hypocrisy

April 11, 2015
324 Comments

Another Pastoral Letter on the General Election – this time from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Scotland to their 841,000 worshippers spread across 452 parishes (which is an awful…

Let’s stop reviling Islam with ‘Islamism’, and call the cult what it really is

March 8, 2015
371 Comments

Rather like the Naming of Cats, the classifying of Islamic sects is a difficult matter, and it’s certainly not just one of your Eid-Al-Fitr games. As we’ve witnessed the…

Announcing @HolyVote – it's time to reclaim our religious liberty

March 3, 2015
234 Comments

Apparently, the 2010 General election was the first internet election. And if not that one, it is this one. And if not this one, then it is still to…

If imams may not influence voters, why should priests or bishops?

February 5, 2015
410 Comments

According to Dominic Kennedy, Investigations Editor of The Times, there is an 18th-century law which prohibits the 'spiritual influence' of the electorate in the process of democracy. He writes…

Mehdi Hasan: "No Reformation in Europe without Muslim theologians"

January 19, 2015
216 Comments

Mehdi Hasan delivered an oratorically brilliant if rather sanctimonious speech at the Oxford Union in May 2013, which now rings in the head like tinnitus in the wake of…

The blessing of the Nativity of the European Parliament

December 14, 2014
98 Comments

The Crib has been solemnly blessed in the European Parliament - that Brussels temple dedicated to the cause of ever closer secularity now has a discordant Nativity scene located…

The Church needs to rediscover its heart

November 12, 2014
170 Comments

Established religion satisfies the minds of some, but the hearts of the multitudes frequently go hungry. We are often told of the imminent death of the Church of England…