Pope Francis

Vatican lays down law on gluten-free hosts

the vatican has reminded bishops that completely gluten-free hosts are invalid. low-gluten hosts, on the other hand, are valid for people wh...

The poisoning of American Catholicism

in february 2016, pope francis set off a media firestorm when he took an unprecedented shot at then presidential candidate donald trump. “a ...

Michael Warren Davis

Can anything stop Catholic infighting?

my first parish priest was a little old man with pebble spectacles who looked like a gorgeously coloured beetle as he bent over the altar in...

Damian Thompson

The last night of a spiritual titan

"a giant”: that is how a high-ranking prelate in the roman curia describes joachim meisner, the german cardinal who died suddenly last week....

Science and faith: Is Ian Brady in hell?

in may this year an unrepentant ian brady, the moors murderer, died. terry kilbride, the brother of a victim, hoped that brady would “rot in...

Quentin de la Bedoyere

Brexit’s Catholic Mr Fixit

two days before britain voted to leave the european union, shanker singham wrote an article arguing in favour of remain. yet today he is bus...

Mary Kenny: How Charlie Gard united the world

one of the most extraordinary aspects of the charlie gard story is the way in which it has attracted global attention, and such widespread s...

Fearing the knock of the papal police

anna and tranquillo by kenneth stow, yale, £20 in may 1749 anna del monte, a young jewish woman, was escorted by papal police to the roman h...

Jonathan Wright

Briefly noted

the little book of god, mind, cosmos and truth by ken francis (st paul’s, £8.95) . this may be a “little book” but it tackles some of the wo...

Cardinal Meisner was a fighter, but his last hours were touched by sadness

Cardinal Meisner was steadfastly loyal both to Church teaching and his close friend Benedict XVI