A deafening silence

The Second Vatican Council marked a new dawn in Catholic-Jewish relations, that advanced considerably under the pontificate of John Paul II. But gains made over several decades are in danger of being forfeited, and clouds are gathering again, according to a specialist in interfaith dialogue...

When loyalties are put to the test

Any contender for high office in the Labour Party inevitably faces scrutiny into their personal life. But does that scrutiny extend to a prejudice against Catholic MPs? Catherine Lafferty talks to would-be deputy leader Jon Cruddas about secularisation, public service and the importance of pluralism...

Journey of love, not law

The Cumberlege Commission, which has been examining child protection in the Catholic Church, has just finished gathering evidence. Here, a psychiatrist with many years? experience of assessing priests, argues that clerical sex abuse of children can be dealt with only if we understand the impulses behind it. Power, he believes, is not the dominant aim...

Voices raised for justice

The English Hymnal aroused controversy when it first appeared just over a hundred years ago, not only about theology and ecclesiology but also about the commitment to social justice expressed in some of the hymns...

A modern model of community

If the contemporary Western city seems a desert for believers, then the Jerusalem Community offers an oasis of prayer, fraternity and spiritual joy...

Not to be sniffed at

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How to conceive of humanity

The use and destruction of human embryos for medical purposes has raised a new set of urgent ethical questions, on which ideas about the nature of the soul have a profound bearing. Twenty scholars met in Cambridge last week to explore these ideas...

After Benazir

The West pinned its hopes on Benazir Bhutto as the best chance for a country whose instability threatens global security. With her death, the prospects for Pakistani democracy hang by a thread...