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 […]
Society
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 […]
Ecclesiastical faculties of philosophy and theology in London: the Bellarmine Institute
This announcement about the Bellarmine Institute comes from Heythrop College: In the last few days, Heythrop College has received copies of decrees of the Congregation for Catholic Education dated 17 September 2013 re-activating the ecclesiastical […]
Christianity in Asia: how to keep informed via AsiaNews
AsiaNews has just celebrated its 10th anniversary and received the blessing of Pope Francis on its newly launched Spanish edition. If you want to keep informed about Christianity in Asia, and especially in China, visit their […]
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 […]
A religious sister reflects on the niqab, wearing the veil as a Catholic woman, and living in the gaze of others
At the airport security in Brittany, we had to remove our veils. This was something new. They are about twice the size of a pocket-handkerchief, and hardly the stuff for hiding a terrorist. And our […]
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 […]
40 Days for Life vigil begins 25 Sept
The 40 Days for Life vigil begins in London soon, and in many other cities in the UK and across the globe. You can read more about the vision of the campaigns here. Do take […]
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 […]
Feedback
Please give us your feedback about the Jericho Tree website, using the comments box below. We welcome both praise and constructive suggestions! Please let us know what we are doing well, and how we could […]
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 […]
Site Under Construction
Welcome to the Jericho Tree website. The site is under construction, and we hope to launch properly in September. Do post any comments or suggestions on the feedback page here. They may not be posted […]
Pope Francis appoints Bishop Alan Hopes as new Bishop of East Anglia
Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Alan Hopes, currently Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, to become the fourth Bishop of East Anglia. Bishop Hopes was ordained priest in the Church of England in 1968 and served until […]
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 […]
40 Days for Life London: Is it a good thing to pray outside an abortion clinic?
I was at the 40 Days for Life vigil in central London during Lent. People gather outside the BPAS abortion clinic in Bedford Square, between Tottenham Court Road station and the British Museum. They pray. They witness […]
