SPIRITED THINKING SINCE 1888
Dr David Cowan

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‘We should never have a perfect Church’
July 04, 2021
The veteran canon lawyer Fr Ladislas Orsy, who turns 100 this month, speaks to Dr David Cowan
Built to train 500 priests a year, Maynooth marks its 225th birthday
October 08, 2020
This year Ireland should have been celebrating the 225th anniversary of St Patrick’s College in Maynooth, once the largest seminary in the world. Covid-19 put paid to celebratory events in this mad year, which also saw the loss of one of the college’s most illustrious alumni, John Hume (whose obituary appeared in last month’s Catholic
Has contemporary art criticism lost its soul?
September 27, 2018
Today’s critics have a blind spot when it comes to religion, says David Cowan No Idols: The Missing Theology of Art by Thomas Crow, Power Publications, 144pp, £18 It is increasingly difficult to detect spirituality in art, especially when art is largely seen through recording devices and smartphones or used as a backdrop for selfies.
Analysis: Why Macron accepted a title from the Pope
June 28, 2018
Francois Hollande never took up the traditional honour. But his successor has surprisingly strong Catholic sympathies
The fashion world looks for its Catholic roots
May 02, 2018
Christian imagery has inspired a major fashion exhibition in New York
Arts essay: The fashion world looks for its Catholic roots
May 02, 2018
Ever since Adam and Eve decided to cover up, humans have made both functional and creative use of dress. Whether it is the everyday need to cover oneself up, wearing a uniform to identify our function or resorting to little more than a fig-leaf bathing costume, we think about what we wear. Whatever our budget
Is there any hope of Saudi Arabia lifting its church ban?
March 09, 2018
Christians shouldn't hold their breath, but change may yet be possible
This is an important trip for Mohammad bin Salman – and an awkward one for the PM
March 07, 2018
The Saudi Crown Prince's visit has prompted a debate in the UK which wouldn't happen in an absolute monarchy
The man who invented economics
January 11, 2018
Many believe that the science of economics began with the Scottish moral philosopher Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations. In fact, the origins go back further to Richard Cantillon, an Irish Catholic Jacobite, whose life is shrouded in controversy and mystery. Given his life story, it is hardly surprising that it has taken so long
Why the West keeps getting it so wrong on Iran
January 03, 2018
Many Western observers fail to understand the religious side of the debate
The Saudi revolution
November 02, 2017
When I first visited Saudi Arabia, I headed to a restaurant with a group of colleagues. When we arrived, it had closed for prayer time. If you’re already inside, you can carry on your meal. But you cannot enter if prayer has started; instead, you must wait outside. This rule was reinforced by the Mutawa
The Saudi crown prince wants to return to ‘moderate Islam’. But what does that mean?
October 27, 2017
Don't expect the country to turn to Western-style secularism any time soon
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