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Magazine App

July 31, 2015

‘‘no one knows all of what he’s doing,” Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said in an article in the latest edition of National Geographic. “His personal secretary doesn’t even know. I have to call around: one person knows one part of his schedule, someone else knows another part.” The Holy See’s press office director shrugged

I’d love to see these child geniuses run wild

July 31, 2015

If I was producing Child Genius (Channel 4, Tuesdays, 9pm), I’d do it differently. The format is clever kids answering questions that would fox Einstein. “What’s the square root of Piccadilly Circus?” Etc. Now, what I’d do is enter one less academically gifted – and ask them absurdly easy questions. “How many fingers am I

The rise and fall of the Catholic blogosphere

July 31, 2015

A fortnight ago, Pope Francis appointed Fr Robert Barron, rector of Mundelein seminary in Chicago, to be a new auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The news was greeted with little explosions of delight from conservative-leaning Catholics all over Twitter, including many from Britain. Why? It wasn’t just because Fr Barron, 55, is

Sculptor creates statue of ‘dynamic’ Fulton Sheen

July 31, 2015

An Irish artist commissioned to make a statue of Archbishop Fulton Sheen for New York’s famous St Malachy Church, also known as the Actors’ Chapel, has said he hopes the work will inspire a new generation of devotees to the archbishop. Dublin-based sculptor Dony MacManus is working on the 10ft-tall piece, which is expected to

Church tax ‘triggers sharp fall’ in German Catholics

July 31, 2015

Large numbers of Germans have renounced their membership of the Catholic Church, according to new statistics. Figures show that the total leaving the Church in 2014 was 22 per cent higher than in the previous year, rising from 178,805 to 217,716. This has not only affected the size of the Catholic community but also the

Bourne turns Carmen into a lurid film noir

July 31, 2015

Matthew Bourne’s hugely enjoyable dance-drama, The Car Man, at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, is now subtitled Bizet’s Carmen Re-Imagined. The choreography has been much improved since I last saw Bourne’s thriller in 2002. The only Carmen aspect about the production is the reorchestration of Bizet’s music by Rodion Shchedrin. Bourne has got rid of Mérimée’s story

Four Weddings and a Church

July 31, 2015

In recent years, St Bartholomew’s, in the shadow of Smithfield Market in the City of London, has become most famous for its appearance in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). Next time the film is on television, look out for the scene where Hugh Grant ditches Duckface at the altar. In the background is the

Duncan Smith squares up to welfare critics

July 31, 2015

catholic critics of Conservative minister Iain Duncan Smith have dismissed his response to their criticism of him after the Budget. In their initial letter on July 2 the critics – who include clergy, academics and experts in social policy – told the Work and Pensions Secretary: “We understand that your Catholic faith is important to