This paper’s official birthday was in 1888, but as the editor’s article in this month’s issue reminds us, this year is the 140th anniversary of one of the three papers that ultimately merged into the Catholic Herald when Charles Diamond, a journalist of the old school and a combative Irish nationalist, established the low-priced Irish Tribune on 13 December 1884. Unlike the Tablet, which was effectively under the supervision of the bishops and was an establishment periodical, the Herald began as a paper for ordinary Catholics.
And so, we hope, it remains. While we naturally respect the episcopate as the successors of the Apostles, we are critical friends of the bishops and occasionally loyal critics of the Pope. As William Cash’s interviews with his predecessors (or their families) make clear, the paper has undergone changes over time, and its politics has shifted with the times and with the preoccupations of different editors. And the Church itself has changed, though not in fundamentals.
The duty of a Catholic paper is to its readers, not to the hierarchy nor even the papacy. Therefore we have no hesitation in adopting a critical approach where necessary in those areas where the Pope may have shown bad judgment or where the bishops have seemed at odds with the faithful. For instance, as our first editorial in this issue suggests, this paper has reservations about the value of the synodal process to which Pope Francis has devoted so much time and energy. And that is fair enough; if the Church is to listen to the faithful then it should take account of diverse views. Similarly, in previous editions, this paper has expressed grave concerns about the illiberal suppression of the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass during this pontificate, for organic growth does not entail discarding what went before. Authoritarianism is authoritarianism even when it has a liberal aspect.
As Mr Cash observes, this paper has not sought to be overtly political. It takes a firm view of moral issues, not least the protection of prenatal life and the dignity of the elderly and vulnerable, but we take for granted that Catholics of good conscience can support a diversity of parties. We do not seek to direct our readers in how to vote. But what we can do is to emphasise those issues which Catholics should set store by, even if no party satisfactorily represents the entire Christian viewpoint.
We try to bring to our readers what is best in Catholic life and culture and teaching; this issue, as the editor’s letter on page 7 lays out, shows something of that diversity. Please God, in 140 years from now, the Catholic Herald will still be serving the Church, and our readers.
<strong><strong>This article appears in the September 2024 edition of the <em>Catholic Herald</em>. To subscribe to our award-winning, thought-provoking magazine and have independent and high-calibre counter-cultural and orthodox Catholic journalism delivered to your door anywhere in the world click <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/subscribe/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">HERE</mark></a></strong></strong>.
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