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Culture
Books, film, music, ideas. Catholic life in the wider conversation.
Neither sinless nor divine
The new Michael Jackson biopic invites reflection on the way public admiration can rapidly turn into collective condemnation, echoing themes familiar from the Passion narrative
Isabel Gibbens
A tapestry of belief
A journey to Glyndebourne’s L’Orfeo prompts a meditation on Orpheus, Christ and the Christian promise of redemption against death
Kenneth Zammit Tabona
The wisdom of the hive
Gabriel Wilson OSB’s account of beekeeping combines practical knowledge, monastic insight and a profound attentiveness to the natural world
Melanie McDonagh
Why you should watch 'The Exorcist'
William Friedkin’s film remains shocking, but beneath the profanity and terror lies a profoundly Catholic vision of evil, sacrifice and grace
Luke Collins
Lola Salem on… the erosion of taste
The collapse of criticism as a rigorous practice has left contemporary culture increasingly unable to recognise or cultivate excellence
Lola Salem
Revolutions and revelations
Returning to one of its most poignant storylines, the final season of Outlander offers an unusually sincere reflection on love, grief, family and faith
Isobel Yuill
Secrecy and fear in a fallen fellowship
Netflix’s Unchosen explores the fear, secrecy and hidden brokenness that can flourish inside tightly controlled communities and society writ large
Daniel Turner
The sober inebriation of Pentecost
Pentecost is not a feast of polite reflection but of holy disruption, and sacred music should recover something of that unsettling power
Simon Johnson
Why sacred music belongs in the liturgy, not the concert hall
The St Birinus Festival at Dorchester Abbey seeks to restore sacred music to the liturgical setting for which it was composed
Dominic Bevan
Death in Algiers
François Ozon’s adaptation of Albert Camus’s The Stranger captures the novel’s moral ambiguity while gently widening its perspective
Andrew Cusack
Wedding-day nightmare dressed as black comedy
Zendaya and Robert Pattinson play a glamorous Manhattan couple whose wedding preparations spiral into psychological chaos after one shocking confession
Julia Hamilton
Promising start for a Catholic children’s mystery series
Mark Guiney’s debut introduces Gloria Treddle, a spirited young sleuth whose adventures combine humour, moral clarity and the familiar world of Catholic school life
John-Henry Keenan
When good girls go sad
Freya India argues that social media and consumer culture have hollowed out young women’s inner lives, while leaving open the deeper question of what might restore them
Georgia Gilholy
Twilight of the Anglican establishment
Alan Don’s witty and revealing private journals illuminate the ceremonial, politics and personalities that shaped Anglican public Christianity between the wars and beyond
Robin Ward
The witness of Jacques Fesch
A new translation of Jacques Fesch’s prison journal reveals a profound conversion and a searching testimony of faith on the eve of execution
Archbishop John Wilson
Pope Leo XIV: not quite in his own words
Elise Ann Allen’s biography benefits from exceptional first-hand sources but dwells too long on stating the obvious. The best bit is the actual interview with the Pope at the end
Melanie McDonagh
Rivalry and revelation at the Palazzo Barberini
In the setting of a Baroque palace built on rivalry, a new exhibition traces Bernini’s rise under Urban VIII, though not without notable omissions
Daniel Beurthe
El Greco and the true transformation of beauty
The elongated figures of El Greco’s Pentecost reflect a deeply Christian vision of the body transformed not by cosmetics or discipline, but by the life of the Spirit
Fr Gavan Jennings
Why the fantasy of escape cannot replace home
Homer’s tale of the Lotus Eaters speaks powerfully to a culture increasingly tempted to exchange reality, love and home for comforting illusion
Fr Gavan Jennings
No saint is an island
From the Apostles to the modern era, the history of the Church reveals how holy friendships have nourished sanctity and strengthened the Mystical Body of Christ
Clement Harrold
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