By Catherine Pepinster in HE TABLET 12 June 2023 Reforms to the way bishops are appointed and managed and to disciplinary processes in the Church are needed, the chair of Catholic safeguarding has said, after a damning report into the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. The report shows how its former bishop ignored advice in…
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Spears of Joy
We wait a long time for the British vegetable season to begin, which kicks off in May with – yes – asparagus, but what an entry. It’s a time to feel especially alive. Best of all, asparagus is an excuse to eat butter. Asparagus and butter are the Fred and Ginger of good food. This…
Pride at next generation’s audacity of hope
At my daughter’s wedding, I reflected on the life-affirming act of taking a chance on someone in an uncertain world by Gerard Baker in THE TIMES, 5 May 2023 “You must be very proud.” The kindly, repeatedly proffered observation to the father of a new bride is true, of course. There is nothing like the…
Executive Summary of Diocesan Investigation
At the request of the Dicastery for Bishops a thorough investigation has been made into the events leading to the resignation of Bishop Robert Byrne from the office of Bishop of the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. Bishop Byrne resigned from office because he felt unable to carry out the duties of his office. During…
Catholic Church can curb carbon emissions by returning to meat-free Fridays
Even a small dietary change by a minority of UK Catholics had significant environmental benefits, say researchers, who argue that a papal decree reinstating meatless Fridays across the global church would save millions of tonnes of carbon a year. If the Pope was to reinstate the obligation for meatless Fridays to all Catholics globally, it…
Homily, Third Sunday of the Year (A) 2023
Just over 12 months ago, on Christmas Day 2021, the James Webb telescope was launched into space on a rocket from French Guiana. It eventually reached its destination in space nearly 1m miles beyond the earth. It’s the largest optical telescope in space and allows astronomers to view objects too old, distant or faint for other…
Homily, Baptism of the Lord 2022
It is generally understood that his baptism was the moment when Jesus became fully aware of his true identity – that is, who he truly was and what God was calling him to do. It may have taken some time for him to develop this understanding but it appears that his baptism was THE moment,…
Homily Christmas 2022
Christopher Reeve was an unknown Hollywood actor when he was chosen in 1978 to play the leading role of Superman in the films of the same name. Originally, Superman was a comic strip serialised in newspapers in the USA and beyond. (I read it every morning before going to Junior school and discussed it with…
Homily, Fourth Sunday of Advent A 2022
(Some of the details in this homily are provided the Biblical commentator John J Pilch in his ‘The Cultural World of Jesus’. He died in 2016.) Very few families in our day can be immune from the misunderstandings, tensions, divisions, breakdown, hostility or bitterness that can beset family relationships. Sadly, as we have seen in…
Homily, Third Sunday of Advent (A) 2022
There is a question, I think, that most of us ask ourselves at some stage in life and how we answer it shapes our lives. It is: “Is Jesus Christ who He says He is?” Many people respond with either Yes, he is, or No, he is not. However, for some of us there is…
Sunday Mass: Saturday 4pm, Sunday 10am 