Catholic Church

Holy day or holiday? A history of Christmas traditions

From the Nativity to Santa Claus, Christmas traditions reveal a feast shaped by faith, folklore, and modern custom

Recovering the Catholic art of bodily prayer

As Advent prepares us to celebrate the Incarnation, St Dominic’s Nine Ways of Prayer remind us that Catholic prayer is never purely mental

Fr Matthew Jarvis

Why does Europe hate its Christians?

Thousands of attacks on Christians were recorded across Europe last year, exposing a widening gap in how religious hatred is addressed

Joseph’s dilemma over Mary reminds us that faith never comes without risk

The Fourth Sunday of Advent invites us to inhabit a place where we learn to practise a greater degree of trust, a lesson exemplified in the story of Joseph’s betrothal to Mary and how he at first feared he had been tricked

Diocese of Clifton continues to fund charity promoting same-sex adoption

The diocese is still funding and promoting a former Catholic adoption agency that openly supports same-sex adoption

The Pope is asking the right questions about AI

Pope Leo is clear: no technology, however advanced, can replace conscience or relieve us of the moral burden of being human

Beyond dialogue: What still divides Rome and the Orthodox East

The Eastern Orthodox ceded to the supremacy of Rome once before; for the good of Christianity, it needs to happen again

Christmas is a state of mind

Let go of cynicism and weariness, and embrace the sense of delight

A year in reading: my ‘most’ books of 2025

In a series of “most…” categories, Fr Gavan Jennings walks readers through his most memorable reads of 2025

Fr Gavan Jennings

Archbishop-elect of Westminster signals no liberation of Traditional Latin Mass

Following today’s announcement that Bishop Richard Moth will become the new Archbishop of Westminster, the Catholic Herald asked him about his plans for the Latin Mass in the diocese

The Catholic Herald