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John L. AllenBenedict XVI turns 80 on Monday, and on Thursday celebrates the second anniversary of his election. To date, expectations of a ?Catholic fundamentalist? papacy have been confounded. As cardinal, he was the man who said ?no? for 20 years. Now he seems to want to express a deeper ?yes? Free
From the editor’s desk
| Pope of surprises Free Though he is concerned to preserve Catholicism's unity and identity, the fundamental characteristic of Pope Benedict's papacy so far has been his tone of encouragement rather than of disapproval. Explaining in an interview why during his visit ... | The flight from marriage | |
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Features
A deafening silence Free Edward KesslerThe Second Vatican Council marked a new dawn in Catholic-Jewish relations, that advanced considerably under the pontificate of John Paul II. But gains made over several decades are in danger of being forfeited, and clouds are gathering again, according to a specialist in interfaith dialogue...
| Journey of love, not lawJack DominianThe Cumberlege Commission, which has been examining child protection in the Catholic Church, has just finished gathering evidence. Here, a psychiatrist with many years? experience of assessing priests, argues that clerical sex abuse of children can be dealt with only if we understand the impulses behind it. Power, he believes, is not the dominant aim...
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 When loyalties are put to the testCatherine Lafferty Any contender for high office in the Labour Party inevitably faces scrutiny into their personal life. But does that scrutiny extend to a prejudice against Catholic MPs? Catherine Lafferty talks to would-be deputy leader Jon Cruddas about secularisation, public service and the importance of pluralism... | How to conceive of humanityJohn CornwellThe use and destruction of human embryos for medical purposes has raised a new set of urgent ethical questions, on which ideas about the nature of the soul have a profound bearing. Twenty scholars met in Cambridge last week to explore these ideas ...
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Voices raised for justiceAndrew BradstockThe English Hymnal aroused controversy when it first appeared just over a hundred years ago, not only about theology and ecclesiology but also about the commitment to social justice expressed in some of the hymns...
| After BenazirKevin RaffertyThe West pinned its hopes on Benazir Bhutto as the best chance for a country whose instability threatens global security. With her death, the prospects for Pakistani democracy hang by a thread...
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A modern model of communityChristopher LambIf the contemporary Western city seems a desert for believers, then the Jerusalem Community offers an oasis of prayer, fraternity and spiritual joy...
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Columnists
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Books and arts
Squeezing a quart into a pint pot Free
The Roman Catholic Church: an illustrated history
Edward Norman
Changes in religious allegiance may no longer demand courage, but they can rarely be easy, particularly for distinguished clergymen of the Church of England like Edward Norman ... |
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Is the Church too slow in recognising that academies are the future for Catholic schools?
Christopher Lamb
According to the chairman of governors at the Cardinal Vaughan School, west London, one ... Goodwin the scapegoat
Elena Curti
There was an old Sixties TV series, Branded, about a disgraced soldier that always began ... 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 ...
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