This is how the 'Christian vote' now looks
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…
Roman Catholic Church
Laudato Si – Pope Francis gives a timely gift to humanity
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 the use of social media sufficiently to grab people’s attention…
The undue political interference of 'undue spiritual influence'
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
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
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
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
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?
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"
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
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
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…
Justin wept over Church of England child abuse
The Archbishop of Canterbury gave a speech yesterday to the Parliamentary Press Gallery – a group made up of privileged journalists and reporters who mill around Westminster hour after…
Ukip racism, bad; Labour racism.. well, I'll get back to you on that
"Are you intentionally out to give @UKIP an easy ride from a Christian perspective?" demanded someone called Peter Adams yesterday, in a terse Twitter response to the question: "Has…
Pope Francis moves Rome toward reason and experience
As the headlines of "failure", "setback", "disappointment" and "dismay" spread throughout those parts of world which view just about everything the Church does as a failure or setback, or…
While thousand are persecuted and martyred, the Church ponders sexuality
Apparently, ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State has declared war on Christians. The latest cover of their propaganda magazine Dabiq shows the black jihadi flag flying above St Peter's in Rome. It is…
Christianity versus Communism: Hong Kong's battle for liberty and democracy
No matter what issues of religion and politics have occupied us over the past week, there has been a feeling that we ought to be following the umbrellas, black T-shirts…
Salvation of the Union
Land of Hope and Glory! Rule Britannia! God Save the Queen! Scotland has spoken, and, despite the tawdry interventions of certain glitzy Scots living comfortably in the Home Counties, Manhattan…