Why can’t we win the World Cup?
A blog has to fulfil three requirements: it needs to be topical, brief and suitable for its target audience. In the case of this one it ought, therefore, to have some vague connection with religion....
View ArticleIs it wrong to see a spiritual dimension in the unfolding drama of the Ashes?
Am I being foolish; or is there a real moral, even a spiritual dimension, to be discerned in our reactions to the present success of the England cricket team in Australia? For those who know and care...
View ArticleCardinal O’Brien is surely right about Scottish independence from England:...
I don’t know if there is any link between the current controversy over Scottish independence and the views of Scottish Catholics. To put it another way; what proportion of Scottish Catholics support...
View ArticleHe might not have stepped foot in England, but don’t denigrate St George
Today is the feast day – or in England the Solemnity – of one of the most popular Christian saints, St George. He is the patron of England and numerous other countries, in fact he seems to have more...
View ArticleSt George: the soldier-saint of which little is known for sure
St George is patron saint not merely of England, but of Aragon, Catalonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal and Russia. It is just a shame that nothing certain is known about...
View ArticleThe servant-saint who was held up as an example by her masters
You can see St Zita in the Basilica of San Frediano in Lucca, lying in a glass case. Her face is blackened and her skin paper-frail, yet she seems remarkably well-preserved for someone who died – what?...
View ArticleCricket Australia is still very lofty about ‘The Spirit of Cricket’. After...
Last summer, I discovered the joys of test cricket, demonstrating (to myself at least) that old age can be a time of life in which new experiences are not necessarily a thing of the past. Some of my...
View ArticleCardinal Pell: Ashes revenge is sweet
An Australian cardinal has said that “revenge is sweet” following Australia’s Ashes victory over England. Writing in the Catholic Weekly, Cardinal George Pell said: “Revenge is sweet. So runs the 16th...
View Article16,500 respond to survey on family ahead of Extraordinary Synod
The Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) has received 16,500 responses to their survey on ‘Pastoral Challenges in the Family,’ but a spokesman for the Conference said that details...
View ArticleHail, glorious St Patrick!
On St Patrick’s Day my thoughts turn to my first trip to Ireland; it was in August 1988, and I was in my twenties. Two things were happening in the world at that time: one was aftermath of the...
View ArticleThis is still a Christian culture: but the Law Society is now encouraging...
What does it mean to say that this is a Christian country? Historically and culturally, of course, it is undeniable that that is what we are: but what, for such a culture, are the implications of the...
View ArticleWe should bring the Courtyard of the Gentiles to England
The Courtyard of the Gentiles will shortly be arriving in Washington DC. This idea was one of the initiatives pioneered in the papacy of Benedict XVI, and it aims to promote dialogue between believers...
View ArticlePope blesses Vatican cricket team ahead of tour
Pope Francis has blessed the Vatican’s cricket club ahead of the team’s first ever tour of England. According to the Daily Telegraph, the Pope signed a cricket bat that the St Peter’s Cricket Club...
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Cardinal Pell calls for ‘no doctrinal back-flips’ at next family synod
Looking ahead to the October 2015 world Synod of Bishops on the family, Cardinal George Pell has said that the task for Catholics “over the next 12 months” is to explain “the necessity of conversion,...
View ArticleWayne Rooney pays visit to his Catholic school
England captain Wayne Rooney returned to his Catholic primary school this week ahead of his 100th England cap on Saturday. Rooney was greeted by 99 pupils at Our Lady and St Swithin’s Catholic Primary...
View ArticleThree-parent baby law makes human life disposable, says bishop
The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has condemned the House of Commons decision to vote in favour of legalising three-parent children. Auxiliary Bishop John Sherrington of Westminster issued a...
View ArticleFull text: England and Wales bishops’ general election advice
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ, The Gospel is radical and challenging. It is the saving message of Jesus Christ. It is a way of life. It teaches us to value each person: the vulnerable child...
View ArticleCardinal Nichols prays for repose of Richard III’s soul
Cardinal Vincent Nichols has prayed for the soul of Richard III during a service for the dead king. At a service he described as “so rich in meaning and symbolism”, the body of the last Plantagenet was...
View ArticleParishes to serve Indian faithful established in Lancaster
Syro-Malabar Catholics in England have been given two personal parishes by the Bishop of Lancaster, the first time such parishes have been established for the Indian eastern Church in Europe. The two...
View ArticleFr Timothy Radcliffe given Vatican role
Dominican priest Fr Timothy Radcliffe has been appointed as a consultor of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Vatican Radio reported on Saturday. Fr Timothy was ordained in 1971 and served...
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