Pope Benedict XVI Archives - Page 5 of 97

Pope Benedict XVI

August 25, 2022

Given the travel and media demands of the modern age, the selection of a younger Pope could be in the Church’s interest

August 23, 2022

For many Catholics unhappy about the direction of travel of the Church under Pope Francis, if and when he will resign are perhaps the most asked questions. This is not distasteful or idle court gossip. The Catholic Church is a hierarchical organisation directed in outlook and ideology by its leader, who a small College of

Pope Francis resignation: how Benedict made it more likely

August 03, 2022

As the Catholic Herald recently reported, rumours continue to abound about Pope Francis’ future after the Holy Father recently told reporters he can no longer travel like he once did, and one day may have to retire. Pope Francis repeated a phrase – “the door is open” – adding that there was nothing wrong with

RIP Fra’ Matthew Festing (1949-2021)

November 13, 2021

On Friday, the Grand Magistry of the Order of Malta announced the death of Fra’ Matthew Festing, the 79th Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, who died in Malta, aged 71. Elected in March 2008, the charismatic Amplefordian served as Grand Master until January 2017 after being forced to resign by the Vatican

Squabbling over the Old Rite

August 29, 2021

The internal debate about the Latin Mass has little effect on the Church’s outreach and is unlikely to reverse the decline of Catholicism in the West

Suppression of the Traditional Rite

August 26, 2021

With the clergy seemingly intent on blotting out tradition, the Church finds itself engaged in another unedifying culture war

Responsibility, Accountability, Transparency: The State of Church Reform

April 24, 2021

If there are stalwart reformers -- and we know there are some of the clerisy genuinely committed to the work of ripping out the rot and repairing the Church's leadership culture -- we might nonetheless reasonably wonder whether they have the wherewithal to bring about meaningful reform.

How McCarricks Happen

April 18, 2021

Thinking in terms of McCarricks, plural, is important for the Catholic Church. If we’ve had to suffer one, what’s to stop there being others? Indeed, among many lessons to be learned from the whole sorry spectacle, surely one is that being a McCarrick can (to borrow a concept from game theory) be a supremely profitable ‘strategy’.