There are two messages the American Catholic Church is likely to hear from Pope Benedict XVI during his visit next week to Washington and New York. The first is to remain true to itself, to its distinct traditions, beliefs and values, in the face of the temptations of secularisation, materialism and relativism. The second is not to be afraid to claim its proper place in the mainstream of American life and thought, from which it has sometimes liked to keep a certain distance. It has, to borrow a boxing expression, been punching below its weight as the largest Christian denomination, with the formal allegiance of a quarter of the population - and, thanks to immigration in the South, growing rapidly.

The Pope will inevitably wag a finger of disapproval at America's high rate of abortion, as his predecessors have done. But he has indicated recently that he understands that abortion is often the tragic result of a personal crisis rather than an act of wanton homicide. The American Church and its leaders need to be called back to the "seamless robe" argument of the late Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago, which set abortion in the context of a series of interconnected pro-life issues ranging from the lack of health care that affects more than 40 million of America's poorest, to nuclear weapons proliferation and capital punishment. To which can be added, in the twentyfirst century, climate change, the combating of HIV-Aids, and unjust trading and financial arrangements between rich nations and poor. They are all threats to human life.

These are mainstream issues rather than specifically Catholic ones, but issues where American society needs the moral influence of its largest Church. Unusually, America seems open to that message: polls suggest that many non-Catholics look up to the Catholic Church while recognising the danger of a spiritual and moral void in national life. The clerical childabuse scandal has left a crisis of debt in many dioceses, five of which have ...

The Catholic Church's opposition to research on human embryos presented Gordon Brown with the threat of resignation by three Catholic Cabinet ministers, who opposed key clauses of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill now before Parliament. The Prime Minister has now relented under pressure and allowed a free "conscience" vote. But easing the consciences of Cabinet ministers, good though that may ...

Stem cells have the remarkable capacity to grow into any part of the body. That is why research using stem cells offers the prospect of treatment for a wide range of serious and painful diseases. But when it involves the use, and then destruction, of fertilised human eggs, the Catholic Church says that this is tampering with human life, and unacceptable. Nor is it alone in saying so. If faith-based objections to this ...

In his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis recalled the steady, unrelenting approach of God. His approach at first was not wanted. Then Lewis began to read the gospels and attend church services. God was after him, he felt, to acknowledge his Son. One day he set out to drive to Whipsnade. On the way there he did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. But, he recalled, "when we reached the zoo ...

Catholic MPs on the Government side have demanded a free vote - without party whips - so that they can vote against certain clauses of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill now before Parliament. Three Catholic members of the Cabinet have indicated that they may even resign over the issue, and are said to have rejected the offer to be allowed to abstain on what they have said is a matter of conscience ...