Letter to The Tablet editor, 27 February 2020 Has the Holy Father made a mistake in not permitting the ordination of women, even initially only to the diaconate? The exclusion of women from ministry can be traced not only to tradition but also to an erroneous reading of the evolution of “church” and its ministries. In common…
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The only column you need to read about COVID-19
By Garrison Keillor The beauty of COVID-19 is how shiny clean everybody looks since the panic set in. I’m in New York City this week and the stores are completely sold out of hand sanitizer, Hi-Lex, alcohol, antibacterial wipes, every kind of cleaner, and when you get on the subway at rush hour and stand…
Weinstein verdict is far from a triumph
By Alice Thomson in THE TIMES, 26 February 2020 This is the age of empowerment for women,” the attorney Gloria Allred said when the American jury finally found Harvey Weinstein guilty of two charges, of sexual assault and rape, after more than 100 women said that the Hollywood producer had harassed them. Even the pussy…
How dare they call care workers unskilled
By Janice Turner in THE TIMES, 22 February 2020 The carers at my mother’s nursing home did a course on dying this week. They learnt not just how to nurse a fading old person, about pain relief and legal protocols, but delicate matters I’d never considered: if a family is fractured, siblings not speaking, how…
Homily, Seventh Sunday of the Year (A) 2020
For the second Sunday running the Gospel features the moral teaching of Jesus. We encounter two of his best known and most difficult teachings which concern nonviolence and the love of enemies. Jesus first gives his teaching on nonviolence, starting with the ‘eye-for-an-eye’ rule in the Book of Exodus (21:24) and quoted in the First…
Sitting in a boat on the Niagara River
By Garrison Keillor I was brought up by evangelicals so I can understand the fervent campaign to elect a revolutionary socialist to the White House. My people believed that we alone knew the mind of God and that He loved us more than the ignorant pagans around us. So when I see the old revolutionary…
Britain’s relationship with booze is beyond abusive
By Camilla Tominey in 'The Spectator', 1 February 2020 I’m not one of these teetotallers who frowns on people who imbibe, like an angsty ex-smoker who petulantly swats away vape fumes. It would be rather hypocritical because for years, I was what you would describe as a ‘problem’ drinker. In the sense that, every time…
Did Britain commit a war crime in Dresden? A conversation
In February 1945, the Allies, led by Sir Arthur Harris and Bomber Command, destroyed the historic city of Dresden, killing 25,000, most of them civilians. For the 75th anniversary, Sinclair McKay, author of a recent book on the bombing raid, and A.N. Wilson discuss whether it should be regarded as a ‘war crime’. From 'The Spectator', 8 February…
Homily, Sixth Sunday of the Year (A) 2020
I am not a fan of the Love Island TV series – I may have watched about 10 seconds of it – but I am sad to learn that that another young person associated with it – this time its former presenter Caroline Flack – has taken her own life. As we will pray later…
Why willpower is the secret to a happier life
By Edward Lucas in THE TIMES, 3 February 2020 My 14 years as a foreign correspondent were stressful, physically and mentally. So I created routines to compensate. In Moscow, I always ate lunch at the same restaurant: the Scandinavia (now sadly closed) was central, clean, quiet and unpretentious. Not only that, I always ate the…
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