Posts By Date - Catholic Herald

November 15, 2019

Why is there an Ireland-shaped hole in recent histories of England?

November 15, 2019

At my elbow, as I write, is a small tower of books, all volumes of English history, stacked up in order of age. At the top of the pile are the three published most recently: from 2011, the first volume of Peter Ackroyd’s History of England; then Daniel Hannan’s How We Invented Freedom and Why

Disagreements escalate over Notre-Dame rebuilding project

November 15, 2019

Tensions are reportedly running high between French authorities overseeing the rebuilding of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, as they create plans to rebuild the church damaged by fire earlier this year. Army General Jean-Louis Georgelin and the architect on the project, Philippe Villeneuve, disagree over whether the cathedral’s new spire should look modern or medieval, the

11 nations oppose ‘reproductive rights’ focus of Nairobi Summit

November 15, 2019

On the sidelines of the Nairobi Summit, the US and 10 other nations delivered a joint statement Thursday indicating their commitment to women’s health, and their concern over the summit’s process and content. The statement echoes concerns that the international gathering is too focused on “reproductive rights”. “We are … concerned about the content of

‘We need to become an evangelizing Church,’ says new USCCB VP

November 15, 2019

The new vice president of the U.S. bishops’ conference says that he wants to help bring a spirit of evangelism to the conference as organized religion continues to decline in the U.S. “We need to become an evangelizing Church where the faith is passed from person to person more directly,” Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit,

The bishops charitably and intelligently rebut an attempt to relativise abortion

November 15, 2019

This past week, during the general assembly of the US bishops, one bishop insisted that defending innocent life in the womb was not a “preeminent priority.” Rather, he implied the issue needs to be balanced against a wide range of important issues to which the Holy Father gives greater priority. It was a relativizing objection

Morning Catholic must-reads: 15/11/19

November 15, 2019

Chinese officials are “hounding” an underground bishop to join the state-approved Church, reports Fr Bernardo Cervellera (Ye Ling). Pope Francis has named a new bishop for a scandal-ridden Indonesian diocese. Archbishop Ian Ernest has been installed as the new director of Rome’s Anglican Centre. Pope Francis has met an Anglican campaigner against “conversion therapy”. Fr

Why the lives of the saints make excellent comics

November 15, 2019

All children love (or used to love) reading comics; pictures, action, strong story-line without too much tedious prose. I was always filching my brother’s copies of Eagle, as well as The Dandy and The Beano whenever I could find them. Once someone brought along a graphic version of Kafka’s The Trial to a session of

The triumph of love between a couple torn apart by the Third Reich

November 15, 2019

Watching the scenes on television these last few days of the collapse of the Berlin wall 30 years ago has been extraordinary and heart-warming. John Simpson, veteran BBC reporter, described it as an occasion of joy. Really there is no other word; we are so used to people fighting each other that it seemed a

Benedict XVI’s hope for Europe

November 15, 2019

Ignatius Press has reissued the then Cardinal Ratzinger’s book of 2007, entitled Western Culture. In this collection of conference papers, the Cardinal, now Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, analyses where he thinks Europe has lost its way: by “denying its religion and moral foundations” it has ushered in a “post-European technological-secular world.” Europe’s “identity, its culture

What makes Jacob Rees-Mogg tick?

November 15, 2019

Michael Ashcroft’s biography of Jacob Rees-Mogg (Biteback Publishing £20) makes for interesting reading. Although described as “unauthorised”, it is a shrewd yet sympathetic portrait of an intriguing politician, written by a major Conservative Party philanthropist and author with a special interest in courage (he is a collector of VC medals). Ashcroft gives two reasons for