It is said that a bad excuse is better than none and anyone with a habit of missing deadlines, cancelling social engagements and bad hangovers can agree that this is surely the case. A child may prefer the age-old “the dog ate my homework” and its relative success allows for the development of many an

This beastly year is coming to an end, hallelujah. As those of us that are still fortunate enough to be in employ prepare for a Christmas break, and those of us who aren’t stare down the bleak barrel of the future, there is surely one common comfort that can be sought. No, not the vaccine;

To vaccine or not to vaccine, that is the question. For some, it isn’t a matter of debate. Many of us are rolling up our sleeves, lurching towards our local Covid vaccination hubs, elbowing the grannies and the diabetics out of our way as we do so, proffering bare arms and thirstily proclaiming, “gimme gimme

The humble Scotch egg has this week become the posterboy for the British government’s unending incompetence in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Surprising though it may be, this unassuming snack has fallen foul of fate, whose hand has plucked it from the back of the fridge to the forefront of every newspaper in the

As another lockdown loomed this week and the nation despaired, prime minister Boris Johnson presented us with his Star of Bethlehem. Once again he promised the general public that if we abide by these stifling new measures, we’ll get our reward: Christmas celebrations. It is a promise that we are tiring of, as we feel

Lily Allen this week launched a sex toy in partnership with the adult company Womanizer. The popstar released a video in conjunction with the launch, in which she said “free yourself, feel yourself, love yourself” alongside a lot of other clichés on the same subject that I am far too prudish to quote here. Allen

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have put their heads above the parapet to encourage people to vote in the upcoming US elections on what was National Voter Registration Day, 23rd September. Speaking from their new home in California, the two take it in turns to perform a static script. “Every four years we are

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have put their heads above the parapet to encourage people to vote in the upcoming US elections on what was National Voter Registration Day, 23rd September. Speaking from their new home in California, the two take it in turns to perform a static script. “Every four years we are

Christmas light displays have been cancelled due to Covid-19. In a year of unrelenting disaster, nothing could be more welcome than the news that Christmas is cancelled. Any human of sound mind has surely been hoping for such an eventuality to come to pass since Father Christmas’s true identity was revealed and the glittery scales

The government has U-turned 12 times so far this summer. At Prime Minister’s Questions this week – the first since the summer recess – opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the Prime Minister Boris Johnson of having effected 12 changes in policy (in recent months). The government, said Starmer, has “lurched from crisis to crisis,

The First Lady’s speech at the Republican National Convention has attracted criticism from all over the globe. Melania, Melania, how does your garden grow? It was difficult to ascertain last night, as the First Lady of the United States Melania Trump addressed a small crowd at the 2020 Republican National Convention – for she did

Instagram feeds are awash with black and white photographs of women, accompanied by the hashtags #womensupportingwomen and #challengeaccepted. Some women are also writing a short message by way of caption, declaring their love and appreciation of the Sisterhood. “So grateful to all you Wonderful Women. Couldn’t do any of it without you” reads one –

Constance Watson spoke with actor Julian Sands, who can currently be seen in the films The Painted Bird and Yeh Ballet. Mr Sands has just completed work on Terence Davies’ film, Benediction: The Story of Siegfried Sassoon.

“An American voice came on the phone. ‘Hi, this is Meghan Markle. Want to play at my wedding?’” The call from Kensington Palace was for the 19-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and it led to the moment on May 19 2018 when he would play at Harry and Meghan’s wedding. After he got the call, he

Go-ahead finally given for ‘the world’s largest database of hope stories’

Thailand is subject to more entry restrictions than there are pages in this magazine

Pope Francis made a surprise visit to the Basilica of St Augustine on Thursday to pray at the tomb of St Monica.

When József Mák, student of physics at King’s College London, received notice of the impending closure of his accommodation, More House, his first reaction was not fear but sorrow. “More House is all about the community,” he tells the Catholic Herald. “That is its primary asset.” In an increasingly busy world, More House is unique

A community in East London is coming together to restore its church to former glory. St Antony of Padua in the Diocese of Brentwood was built in the early 1880s by Irish immigrants (many of them dockworkers) under the stewardship of Pugin & Pugin architects. After a post-Vatican II refurbishment, it bears little resemblance to

The sisters are continuing their work of care despite government delays and financial pressure

But reports of an overall increase in prayer may be exaggerated

The saint evangelised Sussex and helped to establish the Roman method for calculating the date of Easter

An estimated 320,000 people in the UK are homeless. So what happens when everyone is asked to stay in their homes?

Last October, Chile was in the news for all the wrong reasons: during anti-government protests, revolutionary groups, largely made up of communists and anarchists, were violently targeting Catholic churches. It is estimated that 18 churches have been burned and looted in the capital city, Santiago. In January, the police’s preferred place of worship, Iglesia San Francisco