Viewpoint

English-speaking Catholics might have expected some benefits from a Native English-speaking Pope: a return to the good English of the old pre-2011 Missal, nothing lost in translation, promises of visits. But Leo has seemed reluctant to communicate in English. And the British are notoriously bad at foreign languages. We need to try harder. Perhaps going to Mass on holiday abroad might help. The wor... Read More

When Israel closed the borders to aid in March, humanitarian organisations warned of an impending human-made famine in Gaza. Five months later, the images of skeletal and listless children are heartbreaking. I look at those images and think that in different circumstances, this could be my child. Even if I can't do anything, I need to see. Irrespective of how upsetting it is to look into the eyes ... Read More

During World War II, historical accounts vary as to how much German citizens knew about Nazi subhuman prisoner work and extermination camps. The evidence seems to reveal that some Germans had a clear understanding of the horrors that were happening, while others knew very little. According to Wikipedia, after the war a common German response to the Holocaust - the mass execution of Jews - and the ... Read More

At the United Nations General Assembly in September, three members of the G7 are set to recognise the State of Palestine joining the 147 of the 193 UN member states who already recognise a Palestinian State. The UK's own announcement of support on 29 July was influenced both by France and by pressure from the Parliamentary Labour Party as well as Labour's own members. Canada followed suit. Japan m... Read More

Protests from authoritative sources at the horror in Gaza are growing. A number of professors in genocide and holocaust studies, a handful Jewish, are now condemning as genocide the conduct of Netanyahu's government and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). There has been reluctance to do so. The majority have not come to this conclusion. The memory of the Holocaust plays a unique role in Jewish and W... Read More

Deacon William T Ditewig, PhD, from the Archdiocese of Washington, DC, writes in his blog: Deacons Today: Servants in a Servant Church: "Non Sibi Sed Patriae": A Reflection on Patriotism 4 July 2025 Commander William T Ditewig, United States Navy (ret.) Most citizens of the United States are disheartened by the current state of political affairs in our country. There appears to be no gradation of ... Read More

When Orla Guerin, the distinguished BBC foreign correspondent, broadcasts from a distant land, and Pat McFadden MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, is interviewed here in Britain, you know things are bad. But at least you can begin to understand them. And Pat McFadden has that gift for making you think everything is all right: you should go to bed and it will be better in the morning. Everyt... Read More

There would not now be a war between Israel and Iran without President Trump. It has been evident for two decades that there were only two ways of stopping Iran going nuclear: either diplomacy or war. On 14 July 2015 the USA, France, China, Russia, Germany, and the EU/UK agreed a Joint Plan of Action, (JPCOA), a nuclear deal to limit and monitor Iran's stockpile and enrichment of uranium in exchan... Read More

No-one who has looked at the images of extermination of six million Jews in the Holocaust Memorial of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem will underestimate the impact of the appalling 7 October 2023 Hamas attack and hostage-taking on Israelis and Jews worldwide. No-one watching the daily TV coverage of the civilian dead and dying amongst the rubble of Gaza, and listening to radio reports of attacks on Palest... Read More

A while ago, sticking to his imposition of tariffs, President Trump evoked stirring political pronouncements. We are entering a 'new era' Sir Keir Starmer declared. It still looks that way. A Treasury Minister announced the end of globalization. Perhaps splitting into two trading networks is underway. But where is guidance for alternatives to the current hijacking of the global economy to be found... Read More

The new Pope is inaugurated in St Peter's on Sunday. Then the great wave of public and media interest in the Catholic Church will subside. A few more people can now tell a pallium from a chasuble. A few more young men will no longer have to hide their admiration for the great gear worn by the Swiss Guard. And a few more detectorists will know not to look for the fisherman's ring on the beach. Decl... Read More

Friday, 2 May sees the release of a bonus episode of the All Kinds of Catholic podcast. Guests from four continents discuss Pope Francis' legacy in their lives and share their hopes for the next pope. Peter, from the Philippines, happened to be in Rome and was able to say a last farewell in person. Matthew has Nigerian heritage but stresses that the ethnicity of the new pope is something to "look ... Read More

Dr Philip Booth writes about Pope Francis and fraternity. This is a theme, he argues, that unites Pope Francis's social and pastoral teaching and can also unite people who come from different political perspectives as we consider how to promote a more fraternal society. In the coverage of the passing of Pope Francis to eternal life, surprisingly little has been said about an important aspect of P... Read More

What similarities are there between the rise of Adolf Hitler and the rise of Donald Trump? How are we as Christians being called to act when the whole basis of freedom and justice is being threatened by the current US administration? US-based Catholic Church Reform International launch a series of discussions on the subject on 9 April. They say: 'As the current US administration's policies unfold ... Read More