Last week’s events could not have happened without Charles’s commitment to tightening the bonds between Rome and Canterbury. The prospect of reunion are as remote as ever, but he has set an example of hope

One of my favourite historical titbits is that when John Paul II was volubly heckled as the Antichrist by Ian “Ulster Says No” Paisley in the European Parliament in 1988, the Protestant firebrand was roughly manhandled out of the chamber by a furious Otto von Habsburg – his veins coursing with the blood of the Holy Roman Emperors, protectors of Christendom, Kings of the Romans and (at least nominally) defenders of the Church. Power-sharing and the peace process softened Paisley’s tone – one of his sons, Ian Paisley Jr, even wrote for the Catholic Herald a few years ago – but it was heartening to see the family business return to form a couple of weeks ago. The Revd Kyle Paisley, another of the preacher-politician’s sons, publicly urged Charles III to cancel his planned meeting with Pope Leo XIV or “abdicate” in favour of “a true Protestant”.

Get Instant Access

Continue Reading

Register for free to read this article in full

REGISTER

Subscribe for unlimited access

SUBSCRIBE NOW

From just £37.50 quarterly

  Print copy of The Tablet delivered directly to your door.
  Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
  Access to the weekly digital copy of The Tablet.
  Full access to The Tablet’s archive – over 180 years of back issues.

Already a subscriber? Login