Posts By Date - Catholic Herald

December 23, 2023

…or at least its president seems to, explains Lucien de Guise. There was a glimmer of hope in the miasma of the Middle East after the Hamas atrocities of October 7. A day later, a new church opened in Istanbul. This may not seem remarkable for a city that is home to what was the

The Logos was made flesh and dwelt among us

December 23, 2023

The paradox of Christianity is beyond the pagan teachings of Heraclitus. At the heart of the Christmas celebration is the fact that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God has shown us how to be human by becoming human, and so this fact has much to teach us about human existence. In particular,

At a time when we should be celebrating life, others are lobbying for death

December 23, 2023

Pope St John Paul II once remarked that in our celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ we bear witness that every human is “somebody unique and unrepeatable…somebody thought of and chosen from eternity”. For most of us, Christmas is a time to give thanks for life – we cherish our loved ones and look

US priesthood riven by ‘generational mistrust’ as conservative shift leaves younger priests ‘suspicious’ of Church hierarchy

December 23, 2023

NEW YORK, Crux – When asked to sum up the state of the American priesthood, Catholic University of America sociologist Brandon Vaidyanathan describes it as “fractured,” in that individually priests are doing well, but their assessment of the institutional Church “is not very good”. What’s more, research conducted by Vaidyanathan and others has found that

The Catholic architectural dynasty of the Bonomis and the Goldies in England

December 23, 2023

Surveying the ecclesiastical work of the Bonomis and the Goldies carried out between the 18th and 20th centuries. Giuseppe (Joseph) Bonomi the Elder (1739-1808) was born in Rome. He was educated at the Collegio Romano and then studied architecture with Girolamo Teodoli. In 1768, he moved to London at the suggestion of Robert and James

New iconography course at Ealing Abbey aims to ‘galvanise’ Catholic art scene in UK

December 23, 2023

The declaration by the Fathers of the Second Council of Nicaea in AD 787 on the value of producing sacred images and art works is about to get a belated boost. The London-based Benedictine monastery of Ealing Abbey is launching in 2024 the UK’s first iconography diploma course run by Catholics for the Catholic Church.

The virgin birth of Christ is not necessary, but it is appropriate

December 23, 2023

A virgin did conceive. I will not be the first person to tell you this, but the prophet Isaiah did not unequivocally predict the birth of a Messiah by parthenogenesis. St Matthew’s account of the annunciation to Joseph of the birth of a son to Mary, his betrothed, concludes that “All this took place to fulfill

Euthanasia and assisted suicide contradict Christmas, Bishop Davies warns faithful

December 23, 2023

The Bishop of Shrewsbury in his Christmas homily is to warn against renewed attempts to change the law to allow doctors to help their patients to commit suicide. The Rt Rev. Mark Davies will address at Midnight Mass how the Christian values of mercy and compassion should not be distorted to drive forward a “deadly agenda” that is at odds with the Christian moral inheritance. Bishop Davies will