Posts By Date - Catholic Herald

December 15, 2023

A History of the Christmas Crib, by Tim Everson

December 15, 2023

A History of the Christmas Crib Tim Everson York Publishing, £14.99, 168 pages Tim Everson “tries not to collect cribs”, but “he and his wife have managed to accumulate some interesting examples”. I wonder whether “and his wife” may be a bit of a stretch, as my husband’s latest clock sits in pieces on bits

The poetry of Christmas trees

December 15, 2023

Nick Ripatrazone explores seasonal lines by poets Elizabeth Bishop, WB Yeats, James Merrill and Denise Levertov. In one of her most famous poems, “At the Fishhouses”(1947), Elizabeth Bishop wrote: “Bluish, associating with their shadows, / a million Christmas trees stand / waiting for Christmas.” The lines begin with a melancholy, almost mysterious image, followed by

A History of the Catholic Church, by Piers Paul Read

December 15, 2023

A History of the Catholic Church Piers Paul Read Meid, £25, 560 pages Piers Paul Read – veteran novelist, historian and biographer – has produced, in his ninth decade, a book that evokes the prophet Micah’s vision of Bethlehem Ephrathah, “little among the thousands of Judah”: which is to say, humble at first glance, but

Mercy strikes again: the unjust treatment of Cardinal Burke

December 15, 2023

ROME – The cardinals are originally, and still ceremonially, the clergy of the Church of Rome: the bishops of the suffragan dioceses, the parish priests, and the deacons attendant upon the Roman Pontiff. Most cardinals are cardinal priests. The word “priest” means “elder”, like the Latin word “senator”, and the cardinals have often been compared

Pope appoints Clifton priest as next Bishop of Plymouth

December 15, 2023

Pope Francis has appointed a Clifton priest as the next Bishop of Plymouth. Canon Christopher Whitehead will be consecrated as the 10th bishop of the diocese in succession to Archbishop Mark O’Toole who 18 months ago was transferred to Cardiff and Menevia. The bishop-elect previously served as a parish priest in Bath in the neighbouring

Police investigate Pope’s surgeon for alleged fabrication of medical records

December 15, 2023

ROME – A surgeon who has twice operated on Pope Francis is under investigation for falsifying hospital records. The Italian daily La Stampa reported that Sergio Alfieri of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital is now facing an investigation at the hands of Roman prosecutors. He is accused of signing forms in 2022 claiming he had performed surgeries

Catholic groups hail COP28 progress but say more must be done

December 15, 2023

Catholic leaders say the final agreement at the COP28 conference on climate issues is progress, but it does not move fast enough to eliminate fossil fuels. Nearly 200 countries have agreed to move away from planet-warming fossil fuels — the first time they’ve made that crucial pledge in decades of U.N. climate talks though many