Features Archive
MPs met the announcement of the vote in favour of legalising assisted suicide in England and Wales first with gasps then with silence. Gasps then silence precisely because a bright red line had been crossed. To be clear, despite its apparently…Read more
I have known Notre Dame Cathedral all my life. My mother was Paris-born; and used to take us there as often she could. So I was touched to be asked to represent Cardinal Nichols and the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales at the Solemn…Read more
‘A favourable time for the rediscovery of a hope that is not vague and deceptive but certain and reliable, because it is "anchored" in Christ’ [1]. Thus Pope Benedict described so succinctly the season of Advent. To many I am sure around our…Read more
The First Sunday of Advent sees the introduction of a new edition of the Lectionary in England and Wales, based on a different translation of the Bible. Since the reform of the system of readings used in the liturgy in the late 1960s, we have…Read more
We’re off the train and walking through rather grubby, graffiti lined streets. I’m still not quite sure where we’re going, but after a large lunch, we’re off again and eventually arrive in an unassuming piazza full of irate drivers…Read more
The Diocese of Westminster welcomes very warmly the news that Blessed Carlo Acutis will be canonised by Pope Francis on Rome on 27th April. Blessed Carlo’s bonds with Westminster run deep. Born at the Portland Clinic in 1991, he was baptised in…Read more
By Deacon Roger Carr-Jones, Marriage & Family Life Coordinator for the Diocese of Westminster In a good music album, all the songs flow together well, providing a cohesive theme or narrative. When a couple first meet, they bring with them their…Read more
The assisted suicide bill being brought to Parliament – framed by its supporters as a loving response to the suffering caused by terminal illness – calls into question a fundamental aspect of our faith: the nature and meaning of love. And I…Read more
St John Paul II is widely accepted as having made a major contribution to the 1989 downfall of the Soviet regime. For him this was the victory of the Christian vision of the human person, over the Marxist one. The truth about Man ‘will out’…Read more
In his slim volume, Clear & Simple: How to Have Conversations that Lead to Conversion, seasoned evangelist and author, André Regnier lays out ‘the essential elements of Jesus’ disciple-making strategy in a step-by-step process.’ His clear,…Read more
Human beings are good beings. This is true even if they do bad actions, but especially if they have bad suffering. To be alive is to have an importance. This basic value is not earnt but received along with life itself. Love of someone affirms…Read more
In meetings with students and other ministry-based organisations I feel there is a consensus that the Church’s primary role is larger and broader than as a political campaigner or pressure group. This perspective aligns with the passion…Read more
Music has always meant a great deal to me. My parents met through a shared love of musical drama, and growing up in the Caribbean I was lucky enough to perform onstage with the Jamaica Amateur Operatic Society. However, it was only when I arrived…Read more
The name of St Thérèse of Lisieux is almost synonymous with her well-known ‘Little Way of Spiritual Childhood’. To many, this could only sound sentimental. However, to those who explore this ‘way’ soon find that Thérèse had understood…Read more
Jerome would not, it must be said, be everyone’s ideal partner for a walking tour. He was fiercely quarrelsome, and battled with many of his contemporaries, sometimes using language that would make you blush. He seems to have lived a fairly…Read more
Wenceslaus, Vaclav, in Czech, is one of my names. As my mother had two brothers, Vladimir and Jan, and the priest who christened me (executed by the Nazis in Auschwitz) was Antonin Dohalsky and to underline that though under German control since…Read more