| The empty confessionals Free Karl Rahner, the Jesuit theologian, once said that he found it astonishing that people living in an era of TV talk shows should question the merits of confession. Twenty-five years after Rahner's death, confessional TV and magazine interviews are even ... | Iranians will not be silenced |
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Features
 Lessons from the starvingWilliam CharlesIn our final exclusive extract from a memoir marking the tenth anniversary of Cardinal Hume’s death his nephew recalls a journey to Ethiopia that sharpened his focus on the developing world, but also deeply informed his prayer life and his view of suffering and of the Cross... |  ‘Sacred ritual is not enough’Shaun MiddletonWhere once parishes boasted multiple priests, deacons and parish sisters, now more often than not there is just one priest, who can often feel vulnerable and exposed – a far cry from the Curé d’Ars cited by Pope Benedict as he launched the Year for Priests last week... |
 As the Celtic Tiger slinks away another beast returnsPaul KeenanThe boom years in Ireland have given way to a profound economic crisis. People used to prosperity are feeling poor again. But if the Government and the banks have lost credibility so also, following the publication of the Ryan report, has the Church
... | Mancunian miracleMichael Symmons RobertsIn the recent Sandford St Martin religious television awards, a low-budget production beat blockbuster dramas and documentaries to the top award. Here one of the creators of the programme recalls how the story of Noah resonated in a deprived Manchester neighbourhood...
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 Don’t cover her faceAlain WoodrowPresident Sarkozy wants the burka banned in France, on the grounds that it infringes women’s liberty and dignity. Many Muslim leaders agree that the dress has little mandate in Islam, but to legislate on what people can wear could be dangerous... | An Iraq inquiry that may yet reveal the truthRobert FoxSome are already saying that the recently announced investigation into the conflict is mortally flawed. But as one senior war correspondent explains here, it can still tell us much, despite a possible ticking time bomb planted by Gordon Brown...
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In the household of GodDaniel McCarthyAs the Church seeks to become one in heart and soul, writes Daniel McCarthy, the faithful look to be strengthened in that purpose, both sacramentally, through the Eucharist, and communally, in a fellowship of love...
| Reap what Paul sowsJoseph O'HanlonAs the year of St Paul comes to an end, we should reflect on how profoundly what he teaches can inform our continuing spiritual journey, especially in the area of prayer...
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Columnists
 Catherine Pepinster‘No person accorded the honour of being a guest stays a stranger for long’  Christopher Howse‘It seems fine to write about a committed faith as long as it is distanced by history’
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Books and arts
Word of God, words of men Free
The Gospel in Christian Traditions
Ted A. Campbell
Is there such a thing as a common Christian Gospel? Nowadays people are inclined to doubt it and hence to express grave misgivings about the possibility of any ecumenical dialogue. ... |
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Can the Church support abuse victims on its own terms?
Elena Curti
The clear message that emerged from the symposium on child sexual abuse held in Rome from ... 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 ...
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