It has to be admitted that there is something faintly preposterous about the idea of a “top Catholic”: one of the things a good Catholic education teaches is that few things matter less than what the world thinks of us, or the number of glittering prizes we have on our sideboard.

The Tablet 100 is a portrait of a relatively small religious community that gives a distinctive slant to our society and culture. This is more than just a list of interesting people doing interesting things. Some are well known for their faith commitment; some wear it more lightly and tentatively. But there are important values held in common, a shared sensibility: a protectiveness towards the dreams of others, and perhaps the understanding that how the cards fall in this life is not all that matters.