Culture

Festive fortunes

when opera composers take up the bible it isn’t usually in search of spiritual instruction. nothing of the sort was on his mind when verdi r...

Loss and gain

there was consternation in oxford when the news went round – like wildfire, as this sort of news invariably does – that the pro-vice-chancel...

Serenhedd James

On His Majesty’s imperial service

like all abstractions, empire is best understood when considered in terms of individuals, their motivation and experience. the current cult ...

Diary: Finding the right church in the Big Apple

i had never lived in new york city before i moved to manhattan in 2018. it was daunting to come as a fully formed adult with a 14-year-old c...

Janine di Giovanni

Why we need Black History Month

in the united states, february is designated as black history month. the uk similarly designates october of each year. while, of course, the...

Gatekeeper to a new school of English expression

john constable, always a household name, still stands shy of the international stage. although he warrants this major new biography; he sits...

Not taking a shine to Catholicism

closing soon in paris is the most recent rendezvous for the west’s occasional romance with the islamic world. ‘cartier and islamic art: in s...

Lucien de Guise

Former government minister to stand trial in Finland for tweeting verse from Bible

a former government minister facing jail after tweeting a bible verse said that her trial next week will be a test of religious freedom. päi...

Pope Francis decries 'cancel culture' in annual address to diplomats

pope francis has lamented “cancel culture” in his address to diplomats at the vatican. delivering his annual “state of the world” address on...

Tribunal sides with Catholic nurse harassed by NHS bosses for wearing cross at work

an employment tribunal has ruled that an nhs trust harassed a catholic nurse and directly discriminated against her for wearing a cross neck...