What is a crucifix? It is not a symbol of the almighty power of the Catholic Church, but a representation of one innocent man’s agonising death at the hands of the state, after torture and a sham trial – in other words, a gross human-rights violation. Catholics believe that that innocent man is also the Son of God, but the depiction is realistic, not metaphysical. The decision of the European Court of Human Rights to order the removal of crucifixes from the walls of state schools in Italy is therefore one of the worst examples of human-rights legislation bringing the wrong result for the wrong reasons. The real damage is to the cause of human rights itself: the decision makes not only the law look an ass but also the court and the convention it is supposed to uphold. To Catholics, moreover, Christ’s suffering on the Cross is a sign of his human and divine solidarity with all who suffer cruelty and injustice, an example that has comforted and encouraged countless victims of torture and oppression down the centuries.

In Italy, the decision has provoked real anger, and is seen as an attack not only on Italian identity but also on the country’s culture and history. The complainant, a Finnish-born immigrant, started the proceedings because she said that she was offended by crucifixes on display in the school her children attended. Presumably she is offended every time she goes down the street, as it is impossible to walk far in any Italian town or city without encountering a church. Christianity is woven into the very fabric of Italian life. If anyone were to take the court’s decision at face value, all that would have to be somehow unravelled. And what about the manifestation of religion elsewhere in Europe – the establishment of the Church of England, indeed? Is that now safe from challenge by the interfering judges of Strasbourg?

The European Convention on Human Rights, which is now part of United Kingdom law under the Human Rights ...

This edition’s Letters pages include an account by Fr Dermot Power of an event that took place in London as part of the Intelligence Squared series of debates. MP Ann Widdecombe and Nigerian Archbishop John Onaiyekan were thrown to the secular lions, Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry, as they tried to defend the Catholic Church to an unsympathetic audience. Fr Power, who teaches at the Allen Hall seminary, ...

Little more than a week ago the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and the Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, knelt together in prayer at the tomb of St Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey in a poignant demonstration of ecumenism and friendship between Catholics and Anglicans. The moment was perceived by many as a further sign of the growing reconciliation between the two Churches ...

Something of a consensus is emerging in the social ­sciences that the biggest handicap a child can face is the absence from the family of a father figure. Although it would be wrong to assume all children of lone ­mothers are damaged goods, it is clearly no help to integral personal development, as even those ideologically unsympathetic to traditional family patterns are coming reluctantly to recognise ...

In Washington, an agonised policy debate is taking place  over Afghanistan. The American-led invasion began eight years ago in the wake of the 9/11 attacks by al-Qaeda terrorists. It was clear that the Taliban, then the masters of Afghanistan, were hand in glove with the al-Qaeda leadership, both groups being violently anti-Western, Islamist in ideology and ruthless in action. Some response was inevitable ...