by N.O.Phile, The Tablet's wine writer. He is also a senior Catholic priest. Supermarket sales of champagne used to soar during December, returning to normal only after new year celebrations, but champagne’s cachet is not quite what it was. The shift was signalled in recent changes to the UK’s duty regime. Tax on alcoholic drinks…
Author: Fr Michael Campion
An assisted dying law will complicate life
Unlike Diana Rigg, my mother had no interest in death — a right to die could have made her last years worse for all of us - By Hugo Rifkind in THE TIMES, 12 December 2022 My mother, Edith, passed away in 2019, after living with multiple sclerosis for a little over 20 years. Her…
Charity Organisation at Holy Name
Holy Name is a generous parish. There are many demands from the diocese and various charitable organisations which up to now have always fallen to Fr Michael to manage. To relieve him of this pressure we have created a Charity Committee to deal with requests both from inside and outside our community. There are obligatory…
Crisis in Gaza – who will stand for universalism?
by Conor Gearty in THE TABLET 11 November 2023 A human rights lawyer argues that its uncritical support for Israel’s collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza for the crimes of Hamas reveals the Global North’s descent into moral vandalism. On Sunday, 10 minutes early for Mass, my five-year-old asked to light a candle. With this dangerous…
Moral Combat – Can the killing of innocent civilians ever be justified?
By Paul Wood in The Spectator 4 November 2023 Israel has made the first, rather tentative, moves of its ground operation against Hamas – but there’s nothing tentative about its aerial bombing. Here’s a report of one incident: at 4.30 p.m. on 10 October, an explosion collapsed a six-storey building in Sheikh Radwan, a district of…
Homily by Bishop Stephen Wright on the Feast of St. Chad and St. Cedd at the Diaconate Ministries Mass at Holy Name 26 October 2023
As a diocesan family we have a double celebration of brothers today. We celebrate the lives and ministry of the brothers, Saints Chad and Cedd. We also celebrate the life and growing ministry of our brothers in formation for the diaconate, Ted and Jeremy. Supported in prayer, at today’s Mass, Ted and Jeremy take the…
Inequality ‘embedded’ in Catholic Church says McAleese
by Sarah Mac Donald in THE TABLET, 13 October 2023 Professor Mary McAleese has criticised the Church for failing to reform its “out-dated internal structure of governance, teachings and laws” in which, she said, “inequality is embedded”. This, she said “routinely restricted” the human rights of members especially the fundamental intellectual freedoms of expression, opinion, conscience…
The Decline of Christianity in Britain Should Be Mourned
As faith wanes, other structures arise to fill the vacuum with conspiracy theories, political tribalism or health fads By Juliet Samuels, 30 August in The Times The bells still ring out on Sunday morning, just as they have for hundreds of years, at the church nearest my house. It’s one of the few in London…
Abuse survivors speak out at bishop’s installation
Steven Wright was installed as the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle on Wednesday, one month after he was appointed to replace Bishop Robert Byrne. Members of the hierarchy including Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of Liverpool, apostolic administrator of the diocese since Bishop Byrne’s resignation in December, attended the Mass of Installation in St Mary’s…
The case for building more roads
Suella Braverman was completely wrong to ask her civil servants to investigate the possibility of arranging a one-on-one speed awareness course. This is not because this was in breach of the ministerial code. That aspect of the affair was one of the worst examples of contrived, sanctimonious outrage I have ever seen; it pains me…
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