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Linda WoodheadResults of a £12-million research project on the place of religious belief in public life will be aired in a series of groundbreaking debates as well as in The Tablet beginning next month. One of the main aims, argues the project’s head, is to help correct the secular bias at universities Free
From the editor’s desk
| In defence of conscience Free President Obama has made a serious mistake. He is demanding that Catholic hospitals must make contraceptives available to their staff as part of their health-care packages. The new rules are part of the health-service reforms, which are the greatest achievement ... | Be careful what you wish for Self-determination has become a key principle of international affairs. So when the leader of the Scottish Nationalists insists on having a referendum on the break-up of the union with England established in 1707, it is taken for granted that the result ... |
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Texts in full
Beware suspicion, inertia and impatience
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor on the 'enemies of ecumenism'
Two memorable events in my thirty-five years of being a bishop have been the visits of successive Popes here to our country. First of all, Pope John Paul came thirty years ago this ... | Silence and soundbites
Pope's World Communications Day message
As we draw near to World Communications Day 2012, I would like to share with you some reflections concerning an aspect of the human process of communication which, despite its importance, ... |
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Features
 For love not moneyBen AndradiDavid Cameron has talked about ‘moral capitalism’ but Pope Benedict XVI is streets ahead with his concept of ‘gift and gratuity’ – an idea which has been taken up by radical economists... | ‘Faith cannot be brushed under the carpet – its relationship with politics has to be considered’Charles ClarkeNo politician serving, as I did, in both the Department of Education and Skills and the Home Office could fail to be struck by the importance of faith within our national politics and policies, writes Charles Clarke....
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 Dark shadows of the pastMary ColwellAs Northern Ireland prepares to mark the fortieth anniversary of Bloody Sunday, some of those involved remember the events that were pivotal to the decades of violence, recalled last week by the conviction of a dissident republican for the murder of two soldiers in 2009
... | Abuse must have no hiding placeJonathan WestOne man’s blog has highlighted complaints of abuse at St Benedict’s School, Ealing, and what he believes are the monks’ shortcomings in addressing them. But here the author of the blog identifies potential difficulties with protecting the vulnerable at all independent schools...
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 Not in its backyard Conor GeartyThe eviction of the Occupy movement near St Paul’s Cathedral is on the cards after the City won its case against the protesters last week. Here, a human-rights expert reflects critically on the role of the cathedral authorities in the affair... |  ‘A compromise of our religious liberty’Michael Sean WintersThe news that President Obama will not allow Catholic institutions, such as hospitals and universities, to opt out of providing contraception to their employees as part of their health insurance has infuriated the US bishops. It is fuelling suspicions that he is hostile to religion... |
 Takes one’s breath awayBernadette CampbellPlunging into the waters at Lourdes left this pilgrim gasping for air while feeling that she had never been so alive as at that moment. It was, as she describes, the ultimate forever first time... |  An extraordinary giftBridget HewittAfter spending just a week with the brothers of Taizé, one retreatant found herself more able to embrace the source of all being back home amid the frenetic rush of everyday life
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 Walking the Franciscan wayAnthony WeaverFor many pilgrims, Francis means Assisi, but four sacred sites in a holy valley at the very centre of Italy are key to understanding the life of one of the Church’s greatest saints... | One bread, one bodyLiz O’Brien and Diana KleinPeople with special needs sometimes find resistance to their participation in parish programmes. This may have happened in a case reported last week when a seven-year-old boy was stopped from make his First Communion with his classmates. But it is important to be inclusive where possible...
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Columnists
 Clifford Longley‘The only truth that really matters is the truth that is freely chosen’  Christopher Howse‘When bishops hold out the hand of friendship to journalists they just get them bitten’
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Books and arts
Full sweep of possibilities Free
The Architecture of Theology: structure, system and ratio
A.N. Williams
In The Ground of Union (1999), Anna Williams argued that the supposedly most intractable conflict between Eastern and Western Christianity might be resolved by reconsidering our ... |
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The pain of being a coeliac Catholic
Sr M, guest contributor
"Whoever comes to me, I shall not turn (him) her away" (John 6:37). Many readers will recognise ... Why the Benedictine family will survive
Christopher Lamb
When do the bad actions of a few completely overshadow the good of the past?
This question ... A non-Catholic's view: 'I wish my school had stayed more Catholic'
Shona Bailey, guest contributor
Bishop Michael Campbell of Lancaster asked in his new year letter whether a dwindling ...
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