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Elena CurtiNamed last week as the new Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols will have to employ his spiritual gifts and tactical skills to the full in his new post. His work may reflect the influence of two mentors, Basil Hume and Derek Worlock, when he becomes the country’s leading Catholic Free
From the editor’s desk
| Time for leadership and vision Free Celebrating Christ's death and Resurrection is a time of repentance, renewal and rebirth. This year Easter appropriately coincides with the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, with the appointment ... | The well-being of women |
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Features
 Vatican II comes of ageMassimo FaggioliThe reforms of the Church in the past 50 years are usually considered theological changes. But, says a historian of the Second Vatican Council, the outcry over the lifting of the ban on four Lefebvrist bishops is a reminder of how vital the Council was in shaping the Church as a political force... |  Chorus of disapprovalAbigail FrymannHandel’s Messiah is a staple of the classical repertoire, loved by amateur and professional choirs. It is to be performed later this month at Westminster Abbey to mark the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death. Yet the reception of its first performances was anything but favourable... |
Still thriving after all these yearsChristopher LambFifty years ago, The Tablet devoted a series of articles to a single parish in the East End of London. We returned to discover a community that had changed dramatically yet had retained its sense of unity. And it also highlights many of the problems that the new Archbishop of Westminster must face...
|  How to build a moral societyVincent NicholsAs chairman of the Catholic Education Service, Archbishop Vincent Nichols has been outspoken in his defence of faith schools. Here, in an extract from a newly published book of essays, he advocates the importance of moral reasoning for education in a secular society... |
 Has the BBC lost its nerve?Stephen BatesThe BBC coverage of Easter services gives the impression that it’s business as usual at the corporation. But upheavals in the religion and ethics department are leading critics to ask whether the broadcaster has become too timid on issues of faith... | Waters of new lifejohn o’sheaEaster is traditionally a time when the Church welcomes new members through
baptism. The profound meaning of the sacrament is revealed in the full immersion of adult candidates in the larger fonts that are becoming a more familiar sight in churches...
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It starts at dawn and lights the world for all timeGerald O'CollinsWhile the focus of the liturgy is on Mark’s gospel this year, that of Matthew, which makes its appearance only on Easter Monday, reveals much about the other characters in the drama of the Resurrection and what is required of Christian discipleship...
| Where he might start …Isabel de BertodanoAs Vincent Nichols prepares to succeed Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, there will be a number of pressing issues clamouring for his attention. We asked leading Catholics what they think his priorities should be in the weeks and months to come...
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 Present tensePatrick ChiversA year ago the author wrote about discovering his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Now he describes how the illness is affecting him – not so much physically but in his relationships and his understanding of what self means... | The moment our eyes are openedStephen HoughA leading concert pianist, who is also a devout Catholic, has always been perturbed by a particular aspect of the Mass. Here he explores what he believes is the most profound moment in the commemoration of the Last Supper...
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 The nun who knew firstChris BlackhurstChris Blackhurst meets Catherine Cowley, the banker-turned-religious sister, whose predictions about the moral and economic hazards posed by complex financial instruments have come shockingly true ... |  For the love of the raceDominic PrinceBehind the thrill and glamour of the Grand National are sad tales of jockeys poorly paid and badly injured. But, says, Dominic Prince, there isn’t one of them who wouldn’t still be up for the race again... |
Beginning of the end, end of the beginningNicholas King As bottles are uncorked and wrappers removed, Sunday marks the conclusion of a journey of abstinence for many. But for some, writes Nicholas King, it can be seen as the start of a much longer voyage...
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Columnists
 Laurence Freeman‘An old friend replaced the stranger that I had failed to recognise’  Clifford Longley‘Perhaps ambition is considered conduct unbecoming a gentleman’
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Books and arts
Light to all nations of the world Free
Global Catholicism: diversity and change since Vatican II
Ian Linden
Every bishop and priest in the Catholic Church should sit down and read this remarkable book. Ian Linden has quietly demolished canards levelled against those who believe that the ... |
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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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