Primary and Secondary staff from Denominational Schools across East-Ayrshire came together on Thursday 15 February 2018 for a special Mass of thanksgiving. This was to acknowledge the contribution Catholic schools […]
God is not indifferent! God cares about mankind! God does not abandon us! At the beginning of 2016, I would like to share not only this profound conviction but also […]
Lord Alton of Liverpool gave the following statement at a meeting held in the House of Lords on October 13th 2015, organised by the charity Aid to the Church In […]
This article first appeared in the Scottish Catholic Observer on 21st February 2014 to mark the start of Catholic Education Week. Education is all about shedding light on things that […]
This article first appeared in the Scottish Catholic Observer on 7th February 2014. Did you know that Catholics in Scotland belong to “an outpost of a foreign power – the […]
As I write this column in the days before Christmas 2013, I am caught up as usual in the last hours of frenzied preparations: buying and wrapping gifts, opening cards […]
This article appeared in the Scottish Catholic Observer on Friday 6th September 2013. This is the time of year when it begins to dawn on us that we have left […]
In recent weeks and months some of us may felt disturbed by some of the things we have read and heard being said about our faith and about the Church. […]
Year of Faith catechesis by Pope Benedict XVI 16th January 2013 The Second Vatican Council, in its Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, affirms that the intimate truth […]
To Live As Saints by David Edward Rocks O.P. (This text is provided as one of a series of ‘sermons’ offered by priests of the Domincan order on the website […]
Ignorance of the faith puts Christians at risk of following a “do-it-yourself” religion, Pope Benedict XVI has said. People need to become more familiar with the Creed because it is […]
The challenge of the Incarnation Sarah Broscombe As we enter the season of Advent, we begin to contemplate how we respond in our daily lives to God’s gift of himself […]
An Advent Narrative Dominic Robinson SJ “Our Advent hope is assured and joyful, because Christ longs to be one with us.” Dominic Robinson SJ offers a reflection on the season […]
Has Europe lost its soul to the markets? by Chief Rabbi Lord Sachs (Published in The Times, 12th December 2011) The British Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks called for […]
Familiar as the words of the Sermon of the Mount may be, the standards that it sets for Christian living continue to pose a radical challenge to followers of Christ. […]
Fr Jack Mahoney looks again at the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel, describing how the structure of the sermon can help us to understand what Jesus wanted to […]
In this artice, published in Thinking Faith, Jack Mahoney SJ explores the significance of this famous discourse and its place in the moral teaching of Jesus. The moral teaching of […]
This is the text of a note issued by Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. on 2st November 2010 concerning certain remarks by the Pope on the […]
This is the address of Pope Benedict XVI, given on Sunday 31st October before praying the midday Angelus together with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square. The evangelist St. Luke […]
“The Crown’s Oldest Diplomatic Relationship Is With the Papacy” This is the text of an address given on 14th October 2010 by Francis Campbell, the U.K. ambassador to the Holy […]
A new series on BBC2, beginning on Friday 22 October, explores the journey of five people from very different backgrounds who decided to step back from their hectic lives and […]
This article, written by Phil Lawler, appears on the website CatholicCulture.org Most of the reporters writing about the papal visit are clearly surprised by this outcome, and more than a […]
Fr Peter Griffiths SJ, parish priest of St Aloysius in Glasgow, was among the celebrants at the Bellahouston Papal Mass. The event – and especially its organisation – made a deep […]
An article on ThinkingFaith.org by Oliver Rafferty SJ The carefully choreographed ecumenical aspects of the Pope’s second day in Britain were a triumph not just for the public perception of […]
An article on ThinkingFaith.org by Michael Barnes SJ Where has interreligious relations been in the Pope’s visit? At the pastoral end or the political? The answer, of course, is both. […]
An article in ThinkingFaith.org by Michael Holman SJ is the Provincial of the British Jesuits It is often said, with much justification, that education in Britain has in recent years […]
An Article in ThinkingFaith.org by Thomas P. Rausch SJ Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, has long been interested in the theology of the Church. His doctoral dissertation, Volk und […]
ThinkingFaith.org provides this article by Philip Endean SJ who is a tutor in theology at Campion Hall, University of Oxford. As we were preparing to welcome Pope Benedict to the […]
Scotland’s First Minister has highlighted the Catholic Church’s historic role in shaping the nation and its continuing contribution to society as he hosted a reception at the Great Hall of […]
The Vatican Infrmation Service reported on Wednesday 8th September that, during his general audience, Benedict XVI read an English-language message for his forthcoming visit to the United Kingdom, due to […]
Pope Benedict XVI is recommending that everyone have devotion to a particular saint — he suggested, for example, a namesake — so that the saint can offer closeness through intercession […]
The BBC Radio 3 programme ‘Sunday Feature’ gave an interesting insight into the life of Cardinal John Henry Newman whose Beatification will be clebrated by Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday […]
Zenit reports that on 18th August 2010 the Vatican publicised the itinerary for the Pope’s Sept. 16-19 apostolic journey to the UK. Thursday Sept 16 He will leave Rome at […]
ZENIT reports on 19th August 2010 that a Vatican spokesman said that Benedict XVI’s trip to the United Kingdom in September 2010 will be an opportunity to effectively present a […]
As the feast of St Ninian of Galloway gets closer, choirs and musicians throughout Scotland are intensifying their preparations for the Papal Mass at Bellahouston Park. As with any celebration […]
by Roderick Strange At the start it might help to remember that those who are canonised are not, therefore, to be thought of as holier than those who have been […]
This text was delivered by Pope Benedict XVI in his General Audience during the Octave of Easter 2010. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today the customary Wednesday General Audience is bathed […]
“In the Church, Christ Is Never Absent” This is a translation of the address Pope Benedict XVI gave on Wednesday 14th April 2010 during the general audience in St. Peter’s […]
Pope Benedict XVI’s Homily for the Chrism Mass of Holy Thursday, celebrated in Saint Peter’s Basilica on the morning of April 1, 2010, with the blessing of the oils for […]
Biblical Reflection for Good Friday by Father Thomas Rosica, CSB Each year on Good Friday we relive the tragic chain of events of the Passion of our Savior leading to […]
Next Generation Faces Challenges and Opportunities by Carl Anderson Twenty-five years ago, Pope John Paul II inaugurated the celebration of World Youth Day — to be celebrated on Palm Sunday […]
I would like to talk about hope and about how we help each other to hope. Three priests, a Dominican, a Benedictine and a bishop, were on a boat sailing […]
“Being a Servant of the Eucharist Is … a Depth of the Priestly Mystery” This is Part 2 of the “Lectio Divina” delivered by Benedict XVI to the parish priests […]
It is always a very joyful as well as an important tradition for me to be able to begin Lent with my Presbyterium, the Priests of Rome. Thus, as the […]
Pope Benedict XVI spoke at the General Audience on Wednesday 17 February 2010 to the significance of the Lenten season. He emphasized the importance of daily conversion for swimming “against […]
Speaking to the Scottish Bishops during their Ad Limina visit to Rome on 5th February 2010, Pope Benedict XVI urged the Bishops to present the Church’s vision as a message […]
“Shining the Light of Christ” is the theme for Catholic Education Week this year and is intended to encourage us all to think about how we can make best use […]
Biblical Reflection for 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time C by Father Thomas Rosica, CSB The Sea of Galilee is a fresh water lake about 12 miles long and six miles […]
According to Sandro Magister, a stir was made recently by Bishop Mariano Crociata’s criticism of the shoddy quality of many Sunday homilies. Crociata is the secretary general of the Italian […]
Getting Beyond a Hope-Killing Culture by Carl Anderson NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, SEPT. 14, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A couple of years ago, when Benedict XVI visited with some students, two of them […]
Michael McGrath, Director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service, presented a paper at Research Seminar organised by the Department of Religious Education University of Glasgow‘s Faculty of Education. The seminar took […]
In this essay Fr. Vincent Twomey, SVD, a former student of Joseph Ratzinger, examines the central role conscience has played in the life and writings of Pope Benedict XVI Attached […]
Address to Diocese of Paisley Association of Catholic Head Teachers (CHAPS) 27th November 2008 After pondering this matter since I became Bishop of Paisley, […]
On 29 October 2008, Pope Benedict XVI continued the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the figure and thought of St. Paul, explaining that St. Paul put the cross at the […]
“Our Thinking Must Conform to God’s Thinking”Click below to read or donwload a translation of the homily which Pope Benedict XVI gave on Sunday 26th October 2008 to mark the […]
Comece, the Commission for the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, has issued this paper by its Bioethics discussion group. The report examines the ethical issues around many of the […]
“In Our Name, Mary Said Yes” ZENIT provides the text of the address Benedict XVI gave before and after praying the midday Angelus, at the end of the World […]
“May This 23rd World Youth Day Be Experienced as a New Upper Room” ZENIT provides the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day closing […]
Let Us Pray for the Resolve to Nurture Unity ZENIT provides the text of the address Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day vigil at the Randwick Racecourse […]
Pope Benedict XVI Homily at 49th Eucharistic Congress, Quebec, June 2008 Dear Brothers and Sisters, While you are gathered for the 49th International Eucharistic Congress, I am happy to join […]
“The Resurrection of Jesus Is Essentially an Event of Love” Resurrexi, et adhuc tecum sum. Alleluia! I have risen, I am still with you. Alleluia! Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus, […]
Gospel Commentary for the Baptism of the Lordby Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap Jesus himself gives an explanation of what happens to him in the baptism in the Jordan. Returned […]
Living the Catholic faith within our cultureby Bishop Tod D Brown We now live in a society quite different from what we had when most of us grew up, […]
Rewarding Failure: Executive Pay Settlements Raise Eyebrows Father John Flynn writes in ZENIT:Lavish wage and benefits packages for executives have been the target of increasing criticism in the last few […]
Coming in the week that the Chief Rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks, talked about the Bible as foundational to our national culture, journalist and broadcaster Libby Purves chaired a Theos debate […]
In our secularist society there is a popular, but erroneous notion of what it means to follow one’s conscience, often reduced to the idea, “if it feels right, how can […]
CHRISTOPHER WEST writes: The twentieth century witnessed significant developments in the Church’s theology of marriage, beginning with Pope Pius XI’s 1930 encyclical Casti Connubii, passing through the Second Vatican Council […]
The sexual revolution promised to give people greater freedom and joy in their sex lives; but has resulted in record levels of sexually transmitted diseases, the legitimization and […]
Marriage still the best way to play happy, healthy families, by Polly Curtis, Guardian, Friday October 5, 2007 Children whose parents live together but are not married get worse results […]
The Dictatorship of Relativismby Cardinal George Pell Relativism is powerful in Western life, evidenced in many areas from the decline in the study of history and English literature, through to […]
Speaking to members of an international theological commission on 5 October 2007, , Pope Benedict XVI indicated that the doctrine on natural law “achieves two essential aims: on the one […]
ZENIT provides this translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on the readings from 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Amos 6:1, 4-7; 1 Timothy […]
Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the crisis of the West as a “crisis of truth” in his holiy at a Mass in the pilgrimage shrine of Mariazell, in Austria on 8th […]
In a sermon delivered at the special pilgrimage held on Sunday, September 2, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Papal Visit to Scotland, Archbishop Mario Conti urged Scots Catholics […]
ZENIT provides this translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on the readings from the liturgy of Sunday 2nd September 2007 .* * * Be Modest […]
Cardinal Keith O’Brien on 28th August 2007 wrote to the Director of Amnesty International in Scotland advising him that he intends to resign his membership of the organisation following the […]
George Weigel’s article was originally published in the Washington Post:“To some the recent document from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, clarifying once again the self-understanding of the […]
George Weigel defends the new translations of the Mass being developed by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. While some bishops worry that the participation of the “average […]
Roger Scruton writes in Prospect magazine:It is not surprising that decent, sceptical people, observing the revival in our time of superstitious cults, the conflict between secular freedoms and religious edicts, […]
Religious litigants seem to be increasing in number. The most recent argument was over Shambo the Hindu bull, now deceased, but there have also been cases brought by Muslims over […]
The task of the Church is to develop the human person’s God-given ability to listen to the voice of truth, said Pope Benedict XVI during a question-and-answer session with 400 […]
http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?id=7628 http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?id=7635 http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?id=7636 http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?recnum=7672 Attached read more
Many predict a bleak future for Christianity in Europe, but in his latest book Philip Jenkins argues that the situation is not all bad. “God’s Continent: Christianity, Islam and Europe’s […]
This is the text of a commentary on the June 29 document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The commentary, by the same dicastery, explains the intention […]
This is the text of the June 29 document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding clarifications regarding the Second Vatican Council’s teaching that the Church founded […]
Pope Benedict XVI says that the crisis of modernity arises from an attempt to separate the human person from his “full truth,” which includes his “transcendent vocation.” The Pope said […]
Bishop Urges Protection of Muslims, Jews and Christians Discrimination against religions is an “open wound” in society, a Holy See representative said at the opening session of a conference […]
Pope Benedict XVI dedicated two recent trips in Italy, to Pavia and Assisi, to two saints of the highest calibre and of exceptional influence in the Church’s history: Augustine and […]
This is a non-official English translation, issued by the Vatican Information Service, of Benedict XVI’s apostolic letter “Summorum Pontificum,” issued “motu proprio,” on one’s own initiative, concerning the use of [&heread more
Attached files 2012cardinalwinninglecture.pdf (9.9 MB)
Religious Liberty Goes Beyond Worship, says PrelateLONDON, MARCH 29, 2007 Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor of Westminster signaled his concern about the kind of culture British society is producing as religion is […]
An “Apostate” from Itself: The Lost Europe of Pope Benedict by Sandro Magister Even before its separation from God, Joseph Ratzinger sees the old continent withdrawing from itself, from “its very […]
An “Apostate” from Itself: The Lost Europe of Pope Benedict by Sandro Magister Even before its separation from God, Joseph Ratzinger sees the old continent withdrawing from itself, from “its very […]
In the introduction to the book he co-authored, McGrath admits that in the 1960s he was, as Dawkins is now, an atheist. Dawkins is an expert in evolutionary biology; similarly, […]
