Catholic Church
Letters: How to slim down the nation
Peer review Sir: A neat solution to the levels of inactivity of some members of the House of Lords (‘Peer…
How the Catholic church betrayed the dying
Of all the sad and surreal things to happen in the past few months, the Catholic church’s decision to abandon…
Don't close the churches because of coronavirus
Last night, when the Prime Minister made his address to the nation he declared that places of worship would be…
The Pope rebuffs his liberal supporters by rejecting married priests
Pope Francis today issued his official response to October’s ‘Amazon Synod’, which discussed a plan to ordain married men in…
Wildly entertaining Pope-off: The Two Popes reviewed
The Two Popes stars Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce — that’s two reasons to buy a ticket, right there —…
Abba, Twitter vs Instagram, and papal selfies: the modern face of the Catholic Church
As a lifelong Catholic, I’ve often thought that two of the Church’s chief characteristics are a) how weird it is…
An audience with the Pope
Perception and reality, truth and falsehood, black and white; nowadays the salivating chattering classes don’t know their arse from a…
J.S. Bach v. Joan Baez
I was at a funeral the other day at which the music was so inspiring that I struggled to feel…
Pope Francis raises the white flag
Just before Ireland voted overwhelmingly to end the country’s constitutional ban on abortion, Catholics in the fishing village of Clogherhead…
A tale of two Sarahs: the cuddly bishop vs the terrifying cardinal
If you’re looking for a snapshot of the state of global Christianity today, a good place to start would be…
Cathar country
I once spent three months living in the Languedoc, writing my first novel. The highlight was the few days I…
The beginning of the end for Pope Francis
What the Pope didn’t just say about divorce
A film that dares to suggest that paedophile priests may be capable of holiness
Damian Thompson admires a Chilean film about paedophile priests which, unlike Spotlight, dares to explore social and psychological complexities
What conservative gay Christians want
Conservative homosexual Christians want something more radical than marriage
A worthy film that just doesn't fly: Spotlight reviewed
Like The Revenant and The Big Short, Spotlight is yet another Oscar contender ‘based on true events’ — although it…
So the Queen's a Satanist cannibal? I’d still swear allegiance
Roy was a superb mechanic, a methodical master of his trade. For an hour I respectfully watched him work to…
Ireland’s new spirit of gentle maturity
A gentle spirit has survived Ireland’s many changes
Pope vs church - the anatomy of a Catholic civil war
Francis’s haphazard reforms risk sparking a Catholic civil war
Colm Toibin on priests, loss and the half-said thing
Jenny McCartney talks to unstoppable literary force Colm Tóibín about loss, priests and half-said things
In being suckered into climate alarmism, the Pope risks backing policies that hurt the world's poor
In his latest encyclical Pope Francis will apparently describe global warming as a ‘major threat to life on the planet’.…
The benefits of breeding like a rabbit
Why I’m glad to have five children, with a sixth on the way
Sex, lies and El Sistema
An explosive new book uncovers abuse at the heart of one of classical music’s most revered institutions. Damian Thompson investigates
Watch out Pope Francis: the Catholic civil war has begun
Uncertainty over how much reform Pope Francis wants is splitting his church into factions
Spectator letters: St Augustine and Louise Mensch, war votes and flannel
Faith and flexibility Sir: What a contrast in your two articles on religion last week: one liberal atheist parent (Claire…
Philomena is Dame Judi’s film
Philomena is based on the true story of an Irish woman searching for the son stolen from her by the…
