Rome synod: the inside story

More or less unanimous declarations on the most controversial subjects marked the end of the assembly of bishops at the Vatican. But despite the outer veneer of unity, the three-week meeting was also characterised by diversity and dissent...

A chef in Krakow, homeless in London

Since Poland joined the EU in May 2004, large numbers of young Poles have left home to seek work in Britain. Some are successful, but for the many who are not, there are no state benefits, and they must eke out an existence, often ending up with nowhere to live...

Reflections on hallowed ground

Tuesday is All Saints? Day, when we celebrate those acclaimed for their lives of faith and who have gone before us. Here, a Jesuit returns to his former seminary to visit the graves of the men who taught him, and glimpses their refracted glory...

Primed for duty

The Conservative leadership contest has entered a new stage. Is David Cameron the man to make the party electable again? A party stalwart thinks that he is...

A tricky tango for the bishops

The umbrella organisation for the Latin American bishops? conferences, CELAM, has begun preparing for its fifth gathering in 2007. It will involve some fancy footwork, as they both strive to cope with the problems of their region, and deal with the demands of Rome...

Through a glass, but not quite so darkly

Forty years after Nostra Aetate, a Catholic scholar argues that our painful past must be faced if Edward Kessler?s plea, published in last week?s issue, for common purpose between Christians and Jews is to be met...

Tuning in to kids? spiritual wavelength

Children are often bored by Mass, yet involving them in the liturgy has benefits not only for them but for adults, too...

Speaking of spooks

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