Tony Abbott’s new role as senior trade advisor to the UK government has sparked controversy. Russell T Davies, the Dr Who screenwriter, and Sir Ian McKellan won’t be pleased at the confirmation that Tony Abbott, the former Australian PM, is to be a trade envoy for the British Government. They, and two dozen other people

The new head of the CSSA, prosecutor Nazir Afzal, talks to Melanie McDonagh about low expectations, his faith and his passion for protecting the vulnerable

Dorothy L Sayers found fulfilment in the life of the mind, if not in others, writes Melanie McDonagh

Melanie McDonagh is impressed by the fundraising – and regalia – of the Order’s English lieutenancy

Melanie McDonagh reviews The Unbroken Thread: Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos, by Sohrab Ahmari

Generous benefits for married couples and subsidised child care are helping to reverse population decline

The appeal of the Catholic Church to converts goes far beyond aesthetics, says Melanie McDonagh

Honest depictions of misdeeds and their repercussions happen so rarely, but the National Gallery got it right, says Melanie McDonagh

Underlying the medieval images of courtly love featuring unicorns we find Christ and his mother.

Even before we had the benefit of the Pope’s views on civil unions, we had a new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, which was an opportunity for him to opine about the subjects close to him – openness to migrants and hostility to nationalism, for instance. However, it ended up as the occasion for a terrific fuss

59 per cent of those responding said they support changing the law to allow terminally ill and incurably suffering adults the option of a legal assisted death.

The exhibition explains the Christian concept of sin and salvation to an audience that may never have heard it before

John Finnis looks back on a public storm - and on his lifetime studying philosophy, law and Catholic teaching