Is it right to fear God? What is the difference between a destructive fear and a “holy trepidation”? An Advent homily by Fr Stephen Wang: Look around you at the chapel walls. Look at the […]
Ethics
Abby Johnson’s pro-life conversion
On Friday last week, fresh from the studios of Women’s Hour, Abby Johnson spoke to the Catholic Voices Academy in London about “Changing Minds on Abortion”. Abby is a former executive at Planned Parenthood in Texas […]
True happiness and the real meaning of the moral life
If you are looking for a wonderful introduction to Catholic moral theology, you need look no further than William C. Mattison III’s Introducing Moral Theology: True Happiness and the Virtues. I have been working through it […]
The question is not whether we will die – but how we shall live
An address given by Fr Martin Boland at the St Francis Hospice “Light up a Life” Service, on the 2nd Sunday of Advent Last year, I went to visit a man, a parishioner from the Cathedral here […]
How going to Confession can transform your life
A sermon about the importance of the Sacrament of Confession during Advent, that should be helpful even outside of the Advent season.
Reason, Morality, and Law: The Philosophy of John Finnis
John Keown, one of the Jericho Tree contributors, talks about his new co-edited volume on renowned legal philosopher, and leading authority on the law and ethics of medicine, John Finnis. Why did you decide to take on this […]
The attempt to impose abortion-on-demand via Brussels
The European Parliament recently voted against an attempt to make abortion a ‘human right’ in the EU. So far, so reassuring. But the margin was narrow. And the debate exposed the growing hostility to freedom of conscience […]
A ‘just war theory’ or a ‘theory of peace’? St Augustine’s real contribution to the debate
Most books will tell you that Augustine was the first Christian just war theorist. This is misleading, for two reasons. Firstly, he was far from the first Christian to accept that a war might be […]
Prisoner voting rights: what should Catholics think?
In the UK there is a ban on all prisoners from voting in elections. This applies to all prisoners who have been convicted, i.e. are not on remand awaiting trial or detained without conviction in […]
Modern-day slavery and human trafficking
Today, 18th October, is Anti-Slavery Day, which was created by Act of Parliament ‘to raise awareness of modern slavery and to inspire people to eliminate it.‘ As the Anti-Slavery Day website explains: The Anti-Slavery Day Bill became […]
Pope Francis, his vision of social justice, and what it means for us
I gave a talk in Brentwood on Saturday on the topic ‘Pope Francis, his vision of social justice, and what it means for us’. This was part of a conference organised by The Commission for Justice […]
What women want: a monthly abortion pill?
What women want is a question pored over and pondered by many women and men. Films, psychology journals, women’s magazines, politicians, the ‘bloke down the pub’, as well as scientists, have flirted with and failed […]
What kind of loyalty do we owe to political authority?
If you haven’t seen the picture of Manu Tuilagi giving ‘bunny ears’ to David Cameron you’re not spending enough time online. Was it a puerile gesture? Certainly. But it was pretty hilarious too, in my […]
The human embryo: “One of Us”
Archbishop Peter Smith renews call to sign up to ‘One of Us’ as the petition collects its millionth signature: You may recall that earlier in the year, I invited people to sign up to the […]
The decision not to prosecute gender-specific abortions shortens the path to a eugenic society
The early twentieth-century movement in favour of abortion was led by eugenicists — enlightened, progressive, scientifically-minded people who sought to create a society free from disability, racial inferiority and poverty by means of the selective […]
The perfect size for a community is…
The perfect size for a community (whether a village, a religious congregation, or a military unit) is… 150. How do we know? Primates live in groups, which allows them to solve problems together and reduce the […]
EU’s religious freedom guidelines need improving in key areas
Among the bodies welcoming the publication of the EU’s new religious freedom guidelines are COMECE, the Catholic Church’ Brussels lobby (its statement is here), and the campaign group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW; its statement is here). Both recognise that the […]
Where the Strasbourg religious freedom judgement leaves the UK
The judgement handed down in January in four high-profile UK religious freedom cases by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has strengthened the freedom to manifest belief (Article 9). The judges disagreed with the UK courts in […]
If This is a Man and human suffering
Can we write about human suffering in a way that does not reduce it to the poverty of an indulgence? Do words exist with a tensile strength that can hold the pain of one soul, […]
