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Maria BouldingDame Maria Boulding had been a biblical scholar, a writer, a novice mistress and a hermit before being diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 80. Urged by others, she set down her thoughts as she approached death. She found that her last days were a time that bore the marks of Easter Free
From the editor’s desk
| A church in need of scrutiny Free The sexual-abuse crisis which has engulfed the Catholic Church is, above all, an occasion of profound regret at the damage done to the victims. But it is also an occasion of anger at the way the Church has treated those victims. The pain caused by ... |
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Texts in full
Prayer for Queen's Diamond Jubilee
Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral issue text
The Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral has written a prayer for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee which will be used at the cathedral's service of thanksgiving on 5 June. The Archbishops of ... | Beware suspicion, inertia and impatience
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor on the 'enemies of ecumenism'
Two memorable events in my thirty-five years of being a bishop have been the visits of successive Popes here to our country. First of all, Pope John Paul came thirty years ago this ... |
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Features
 Follow the aid moneySamuel MoonWhether there is any truth in allegations that charity cash bought guns in Ethiopia, or confusion over the profusion of long-term projects in Uganda, the way aid is spent raises questions as to its very existence. To keep the funds flowing, both donors and recipients must be open and clear ... |  Ancient of waysPeter StanfordFrom Ely to Walsingham, from Tintagel to St Michael’s Mount – before the Reformation,
well-trodden pilgrimage routes traversed the country. Today they are experiencing a revival, prompted by the rebirth of interest in Celtic spirituality and in a long-buried Catholic heritage ... |
 The man with clues to realityEdwin CartlidgeThis year’s Templeton Prize winner is a former Dominican priest and champion of both science and religion. Spanish-born Francisco Ayala roundly dismisses creationism and intelligent design and says evolution can help religious believers understand evil
... | Living in lightDaniel McCarthyThe Resurrection of Christ, proclaimed in the Scriptures this Sunday, is considered in the
liturgical prayers that also indicate the desire of the faithful to experience the splendour of the Resurrection in their daily lives, as Daniel McCarthy describes...
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Hope revivedJoseph O’ HanlonIn these troubled times for the Church, it can be difficult to know where to look for guidance and solace. But Easter should teach us that there is only one place to seek
inspiration and renewal – in the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus...
|  Cathedral cloisters still ring to the RuleChristopher LambMany Anglican cathedrals were Benedictine foundations and recent years have seen efforts by their deans to recognise and honour their monastic roots. In doing so, the cathedrals have become beacons of ecumenical cooperation
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Voice to the victimsSurvivors of clerical abuse and those who work with them remain dissatisfied with the Church’s response to the latest wave of allegations from around the world. Here, they set out what they believe the Pope and his bishops should do next...
| England’s gift to the worldFrank FieldNext year marks the 400th anniversary of the launch of the
King James Bible, which many argue has done more for the English language than Shakespeare, carrying it across the globe.
The celebrations have already begun
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One soul, two bodiesMark VernonFriendship is a preparation for a greater love, according to Cardinal Newman, whose own relationship with his fellow priest Ambrose St John was profound, and essential to understanding his thinking
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| Rebuilding the TempleTom WrightEaster is not just about going to heaven or life after death, says Tom Wright. It is above all about
establishing God’s presence and kingdom in a new way and recounting his deeds...
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‘They can talk to me because I’ve been in their shoes’n Paddy McCafferty is a priest who was himself a victim of clerical abuse. He is offering to act as a bridge between those like himself who have suffered, and the Church
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| ‘They have not yet grasped the nature of the problem’Vicky Smith, 36, was sexually abused as a child by a priest working in her parish.
She feels that any solution to the crisis must include measures to empower victims...
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‘Church officials often rebuffed the victims’A canon lawyer involved with child-abuse cases for 25 years, Thomas Patrick Doyle believes the Church must move beyond the facts and consider why such abuse happens
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Columnists
 Clifford Longley‘Every viable marriage and every functioning family has its own common good’  Christopher Howse‘Good Friday telly was never much cop. It was usually a screening of The Song of Bernadette’
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Books and arts
Calm logic in a heated debate Free
The ‘New’ Atheism: 10 arguments that don’t hold water
Michael Poole
The torrent of books, articles and blogs generated by recent attacks on religion shows no signs of abating. At first sight, this is not hard to explain. The shrill and blanket criticism ... |
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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 ... Why the Benedictine family will survive
Christopher Lamb
When do the bad actions of a few completely overshadow the good of the past?
This question ...
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