The Catholic Church
The Cruiser
Conor Cruise O’Brien (1917-2008): A tribute to Ireland’s greatest modern public intellectual
The Secular Arm
Journalists obsessed with the latest fashionable cause deliberately misrepresented the Pope at Christmas
No Dominion
Two approaches to mortality: Julian Barnes and Richard John Neuhaus
Mary, Mary Quite Contrary
Mother of God: A History of the Virgin Mary by Miri Rubin
The Stem Cell Wars are Over
Thanks to a breakthrough, human embryos need not be sacrificed in the cause of science
Where Did the Big Bang Come From?
The story of Georges Lemaître shows how cosmology moves in mysterious ways
Language, Truth and Logos
The analytic philosopher Elizabeth Anscombe was able to reconcile her field with her faith, without “compartmentalising”, or compromising either
The Pope was Powerless
Until the Vatican opens its archives, speculation about Pius XII’s failure to condemn the Holocaust should not be used to indict all religion
Lords and Ladies of Byzantium
Ancient Greek culture, Roman law and Eastern Christianity all contributed to the longevity of the Byzantine Empire
Pope on a Mission to Surprise
Benedict XVI has confounded the critics who expected him to be a ‘caretaker’ pontiff
Why Remoaners should back Boris
“Boris, ironically, now offers Remoaners the best chance of a soft Brexit, or at least a sensible one. And to those who want a second referendum—’the people’s vote’—there may even be a chance of that too.”
On the road
“In the summer of 1980, in the grip of some Kerouac-ish fantasy, I opted to hitch-hike from Laredo to New York”
Discovering the Great War of China
A third of a million Chinese labourers helped the Allies defeat the Kaiser, but their huge unsung contribution ended in betrayal