Culture

Books, film, music, ideas. Catholic life in the wider conversation.

An anthropologist takes on Richard Dawkins

believers: faith in human nature by martin konner, norton, 336pp, £22/$28.95 as everyone from teilhard de chardin to albert einstein has tau...

The new Little Women would shock Louisa May Alcott

the latest film version of louisa may alcott’s little women, directed by greta gerwig, has been a critical and popular success. it has a fem...

'I am a failed Catholic, but still a Catholic': An interview with poet Adam Zagajewski

adam zagajewski is without doubt one of the greatest living poets, not only because he has received many of world’s top literary prizes but ...

How Cardinal Tagle's new job could transform the Church

when cardinal luis antonio tagle takes the reins at the vatican congregation for the evangelisation of peoples this month, he will face a ho...

Christopher R. Altieri

Meanwhile: why atheists adore cats

churchgoers are much less likely to be cat people, according to a study which found that those who had never entered a church owned on avera...

The week ahead: Bible year, Sistine Chapel baptisms and Prohibition

the bishops of england and wales have dedicated 2020 as a year of focus on the bible, entitled “the god who speaks”, celebrating, living and...

Heretic of the week: Harry Emerson Fosdick

harry emerson fosdick (1878-1969) was born in buffalo, new york, graduating from colgate university in 1900 and union theological seminary i...

Charles Coulombe

Forget New Year's resolutions – just surrender to Christ

the epiphany of the lord is 60:1-6; eph 3:2-3 & 5-6; mt 2:1-12 (year a) "where is the infant king of the jews? we saw his star as it ros...

Bishop David McGough

A love letter to the north of England

the northumbrians by dan jackson hurst, 320pp, £20/$34.79 dan jackson grew up on the banks of the tyne to parents from newcastle and pit-vil...

The long twilight of the Roman gods

how to think about god by marcus tullius cicero, translated by philip freeman princeton, 151pp, £13.99/$16.95 this handy little book could j...

How saints saved a crumbling civilisation

i’d be lying if i said there weren’t any new christmas movies airing right now; in truth, i tried a couple, but couldn’t get very far with e...

This year, let's bring hearty innocence back to the world

i don’t break my new year’s resolutions, because i never make any, but if i were to recommend one to readers today, it would be to try to re...

Timeless marital advice from the 1930s

are there any menfolk out there whose 2020 new year resolution includes a pledge to be a good husband? they would surely benefit from a litt...

The episode that showed François Mauriac at his best

in a celebrated interview in the observer in 1963, graham greene was asked if he was happy to be described as a catholic novelist. his respo...

The Catholic Herald

How do we cope when it is hard to hope?

every year we spend most of the season of advent uttering this prayer: “may inherit the great promise in which now we dare to hope.” why is ...

Fr Peter John Cameron

Herald Top 10: Carl Curtis: Good Omens is a travesty of eschatology

good omens on amazon prime is a five and one-half hour exercise in schoolboy humour, that is, a brand of humour practised by witty adolescen...

Church reform requires personal conversion, Pope Francis tells Roman Curia

to carry out the continuing reform of the church requires a willingness to change and a commitment to personal conversion, pope francis said...

Hannah Brockhaus/CNA

Cathedral in Iraq's largest Christian town to be rebuilt in 2020

the great al-tahira immaculate conception cathedral in bakhdida remains charred black inside, five years after the islamic state plundered a...

How to… Celebrate Christmas Eve

christmas eve is observed differently according to local cultures and traditions but it remains essentially a vigil ahead of the major feast...

The Catholic Herald

Are we ready for the Council of Nairobi?

when bishops meet by john w o’malley harvard university press, 223pp, £20/$24.95 how many bishops does it take to change the course of catho...

Jonathan Wright

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