Lockdown UK: only in Scotland is public worship prohibited (except for the rich)
Epiphany 2021. The Wise Men have arrived in the guise of SAGE – the wisest of the wise. If we follow the star of science and heed their advice, coronavirus…
United Kingdom
Our Platinum Queen — the happiness of the United Kingdom
When we think or speak of the Elizabethan era, our minds turn naturally to the 16th century; to the golden age of peace and prosperity, of art and culture, of global endeavour and naval victories, of Renaissance, Shakespeare, Gloriana, and…
Brexit Day – at last, a wide and liberal global future
When the majority of UK voters determined to leave the European Union on 23rd June 2016, it was met with much relief and rejoicing by many millions of people: The…
Operation Yellowhammer: political advantage trumps right to privacy
The end of prolonged conflicts can be both brutal and swift. The American Civil War ended with Sherman’s brutal 'March to the Sea' and the First World War ended with…
Imposition or liberation? Abortion and same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland
"If I was a Northern Ireland MLA I’d vote for equal marriage, just as I did in Westminster," tweeted former LibDem leader and committed Christian Tim Farron. "But I support…
Bishop says Brexit Euro candidates are ‘Traitors to the EU’
The Rt Rev'd Dr Graham Kings is Hon Assistant Bishop & World Mission Adviser in the Diocese of Southwark. He is a Senior Member of St Chad's College, Durham, and…
While bishops bicker over Brexit, there is one who shows a better way
Should there be a second referendum (aka a 'People's Vote') on Brexit, the Bishop of Oxford was asked. "My own view is that it would make things worse and it…
Balfour 100: we are not ashamed of (re-)creating the State of Israel
A hundred years ago today, the Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour wrote to Lord Rothschild, leader of British Jewry, to convey the intention of the UK Government to re-establish the nation…
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…
EU intervention in the General Election: May the force of May ever seize the day
Theresa May has thrown down the gauntlet to confront the latest meddling EU intervention. She also threw down the vambrace, breastplate, pauldrons and helmet, and she had every right to.…
May promises a real, clean, hard Brexit – “a truly Global Britain”
"The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union," Theresa May assures. And today she leaves us in no doubt about the manner of that leaving: We seek a new and…
“At last! We have a Tory government worthy of the name! The Blasted Heath must be spinning in his grave!”
Goodness! After the Opera Buffa of Bologna it is good to be back in this our Sceptred Isle. Our host, Cardinal Montefiasco, made us most welcome, but it was somewhat…
Giles Fraser backs Brexit – and the liberal elite sneer at him for it
The Rev'd Dr Giles Fraser is one of the very few Church of England clergy who has publicly declared that he wants the UK to leave the EU. It…
EU Referendum: Welby asks the fairest questions of all
The froth masks the urgency of the substance; the heat deflects from the dominant paradigms of light. The EU Referendum debate is being reduced to a Tory pantomime of…
Competence over chaos: Britain votes for a new moral vision
The choice was between "competence or chaos", as David Cameron kept on saying. All the predictions talked about a knife-edge vote, and all the personalities sank into morass of…
#PastoralLetter (1): The patronising episcopal 'should'
There are only two possible outcomes at the next General Election: either David Cameron will be Prime Minister, or Ed Miliband. Nigel Farage will not be Prime Minister; nor…
"If 100,000 Jews leave, France will no longer be France"
The words of French Prime Minister Manuel Valls echo down the centuries of anti-Semitic Europe, where Jews have been marginalised, persecuted, reviled, expelled and turned to ash in the…
Archbishop of Canterbury: "We must go on looking outwards"
In his New Year Message to the nation, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby paid tribute at the National Memorial Arboretum to those who have "served, suffered or sacrificed…
Justin Welby's call to battle
What exactly is the grand plan that is going to result in the disintegration and destruction of ISIS? On Tuesday military chiefs from 22 of the 60 countries making up…
The Church has a unique role to play in healing Scotland's wounds
It feels right to say a brief 'Hello' to all of His Grace's regulars and those who have successfully made the trip over from God and Politics. This is just…