Four hundred and fifty years ago, Pius V issued a papal bull excommunicating Queen Elizabeth I. In this week’s cover story, Jack Scarisbrick asks if it was a mistake. Also in this issue, Jon Anderson examines Cardinal Marx’s shock decision to stand down as leader of the German bishops. Fr James Jackson, FSSP, begins his Lenten series. Bonnie Lander Johnson solves your Lent cooking conundrums. And Stephen Withnell explains how he ended up playing cricket on ice.
Comment & features
Was Pius V right to excommunicate Elizabeth I? – Jack Scarisbrick
Can the German Synodal Path recover from a nightmare week? – The Catholic Herald
Diary: How I ended up playing cricket on ice – Stephen Withnell
Is the dream of Francis as the ‘great liberal reformer’ dead? – Fr Raymond de Souza
One good Lent can change your life – Fr James Jackson FSSP
Orbán’s faux Christianity – Matthew Schmitz
Relationships education: there’s a better way – Edmund Adamus
Prosecutors in the dock – Mary Kenny
Bishop Barron: Where the Church’s three ‘groups’ go wrong – Bishop Robert Barron
It’s surprisingly hard to eat simply in Lent – Bonnie Lander Johnson
Letters: Don’t turn confessors into state agents
News Analysis
After raising expectations, Pope Francis faces a backlash –Christopher Altieri
The story behind the birth of a new Marian icon – Simon Caldwell
Who comes first: the homeless or refugees? – James Jeffrey
Who will succeed Cardinal Marx in Germany? – Jon Anderson
Germany’s ‘next Catholic Chancellor’? Not any more – Jon Anderson
Arts & books
A French Anglophile’s curious path to the Church – Benjamin Ivry
Sanditon: An insufferable take on Austen’s unfinished novel – Carl Curtis
How Donald Trump charmed Evangelicals – Victor Stepien
The Islamic world’s breathtaking contrasts – Alexander Stilwell
Why Sixties America embraced Teilhard de Chardin – Jonathan Wright
Life & soul
Put selfless love at the heart of everything you do – Bishop David McGough
We are made to act like God acts – Fr John Zuhlsdorf
How priests can play a role in healing the wounds of abuse – Fr Dominic Allain
How to… Observe the three pillars of Lent
Heretic of the week: Paul Moore Jr – Charles Coulombe
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