Latest Headlines

Bishop backs Tory free school reforms
Bishop McMahon 'greatly interested' in flagship Conservative policy

Pope Benedict XVI baptises a baby during a Mass in the Sistine Chapel on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Photo: CNS)

‘I will always carry this in my heart, my whole life’
Pope Benedict XVI praises role of parents and godparents as he baptises 14 infants in Sistine Chapel

Ministers make concessions on Equality Bill
Government agrees to amend new legislation amid fear of legal action against churches

Gunmen massacre Copts outside church
Vatican expresses sadness at Christmas Eve shootings in southern Egyptian town

Church mourns leading convert
Mgr Graham Leonard had hoped for the corporate reception of Anglicans into the Catholic Church

Older news

The Catholic world mourns Cardinal Cahal Daly
Prominent Irish cardinal and outspoken critic of paramilitary violence is buried

Top school is rebuked for 'unfair admissions'
Cardinal Vaughn Memorial school is told to change its 'unlawful' and 'unfair' admissions procedure after being reported to authorities by its own diocese

Cardinal's Medjugorje visit angers bishop
Bishop of Mostar argues that visit of Cardinal Schoenborn is harmful to 'peace and unity'

Two Irish bishops decide to step down
Two further bishops stand down in the wake of the Murphy Report

Archbishop: secularists 'just as dogmatic'
Bishops plan to discuss rise of aggressive secularism during ad limina visit to the Vatican

Terror fears force cautious Christmas on Pakistani Church

Vatican reviews security after Pope knocked down at Midnight Mass
The Vatican is reassessing its security arrangements after a woman dragged Pope Benedict XVI to the ground

We must act now to save earth, says Pope
Pope Benedict issues message for World Peace Day

John Paul II and Pius XII made Venerable
Benedict XVI's predecessors can now become Blessed once a miracle is attributed to their intercession

Get ready to be sued, Minister tells Christians
Minister predicts a surge in legal actions against the churches under equality laws

Archbishop: Pope's offer is not a solution
Archbishop of Canterbury says Anglicans find provisions 'theologically eccentric'

Pope is outraged by abuse report
Bishop of Limerick resigns over abuse cases mishandling
Theologian says faithful should elect their own bishops

Equality Bill threatens integrity of the priesthood, bishops tell Harman
Church in Britain will be banned from insisting that priests remain celibate single men, say bishops

Leaders press for action on climate
Archbishop Nichols urges world leaders to prioritise the needs of the world's poorest in Copenhagen

Archbishop Longley installed in Birmingham
Archbishop praises Birmingham's rich Christian history and looks forward to a 'remarkable year'

Holy See and Russia agree to upgrade ties
By Anna Arco and Carol Glatz

Cardinal turns down offer of a peerage from Gordon Brown
By Anna Arco

Vatican deplores Swiss ban on minarets
Swiss bishops say vote will not help Christians who are persecuted in Islamic countries

Catholics urged to care for churches
Some Catholic dioceses 'don't get the point' when it comes to preserving historic buildings

Report shows cover-up of clerical abuse
Cian Molloy: Priests used idea of 'mental reservation' to hide scandal
Editorial Comment: The Murphy report is a cry for deep spiritual renewal

Stakes are raised in abortion struggle
By Ed West

Pope: Keep a diary of God's love in Advent
Holy season offers an invitation to see that everyday events are signs of God's care, Pope says

Bishops: chief prosecutor is ignoring will of Parliament on assisted suicide
DPP’s new guidelines would encourage people to break Britain's suicide laws, says bishops

Bishops prepare to receive Anglicans
Commission to prepare the ground for an exodus of possibly thousands of disaffected Anglicans

Archbishop: art reflects 'culture of death'
Archbishop of Glasgow criticises 'incoherent' modern art after Pope holds meeting with artists

Patriarch beatifies nun in Nazareth
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem says nun could be an inspiration for Christians in the Holy Land

Pope Benedict plans to beatify Newman during visit to Britain
By Simon Caldwell

Assisted suicide guidelines pose ‘serious dangers’ to the public
Peers and legal experts say guidelines go against the will of Parliament

Disaffected Anglicans snubbed by committee
By staff reporter

Latin Patriarch launches new charity for Holy Land faithful
By Ed West

Bishop: don’t be fixated with single issues
By Ed West

Columban priest is freed by terrorists
By staff reporter

Rome opens arms to world's Anglicans
Vatican releases details of sweeping provision for Anglican groups seeking full communion

Bishop: Afghan war must end soon
By Simon Caldwell

Deacon recounts miraculous Newman healing
Spinal surgeons expressed 'utter amazement' at sudden recovery after prayer to cardinal

Parents lose right to veto sex education
By Mark Greaves

Scholar: Newman inspired resistance
By Simon Caldwell

Archbishop: we are failing the elderly
The Archbishop of Westminster says that old age is being 'emptied of meaning' in Britain

Cardinal defends Pope's offer to Anglicans
By Anna Arco

European Court: state schools in Italy should not display crucifixes
Judgment strongly criticised by Italian ministers and Vatican spokesman

Exorcist: the devil is afraid of you
The devil cannot 'come and zap' people as he is afraid of the power of Jesus inside them, says retired US exorcist

Bishop appeals against Vatican ruling on church closure
By Andrew M Brown

Anglicans ponder Pope's 'generous' offer
Traditionalists weigh up 'mind-blowing' new provision at annual Forward in Faith assembly

Archbishop: worshipping God is a 'leap into the dark'
By Anna Arco

Archbishop dismisses Knock 'apparitions'
Archbishop Neary says pilgrims flocking to see new 'apparitions' at the shrine is 'not healthy'

Officials meet amid Orthodox protests
By Cindy Wooden

Bishops tell corrupt leaders: repent or resign
After three weeks of discussion, bishops at the Africa Synod pass on their conclusions to the Pope

Pope to allow Anglicans to convert en masse
Archbishop Nichols: 'This is a response, not an initiative'
Editorial comment: The Pope opens a new route to Christian unity

Atheist duo convince crowd that the Church is not a force for good
Stephen Fry and Christopher Hitchens win debate against Nigerian archbishop and Tory MP Ann Widdecombe by more than 1,000 votes

St Thérèse was 'a witness to sanctity of life'
Archbishop Nichols: the example of St Thérèse of Lisieux teaches future generations that assisted suicide is wrong

Ambassador outlines the Pope's vision for Europe
By David V Barrett

Archbishop Nichols visits major London exhibition of sacred art
Counter-Reformation sculptures reveal 'the depths of who we are and who God is'

Thérèse relics tour ends at Cathedral
Archbishop Nichols gives farewell homily: report, and full text

Stephen Fry angers Poles with death camp claim
By Ed West

Blair: Believers face 'challenge of relevance'
Former PM warns American audience of rising threats from secularism and fundamentalism

Synod is asked to promote women
By Cindy Wooden in Rome

Irish priest, aged 79, kidnapped by gunmen in the Philippines
By staff reporter

Pope's surprise choice for Birmingham
Bishop Bernard Longley is 'taken aback' by appointment

Church at odds with doctors over suicide case
By Simon Caldwell

Little Flower tour reaches York Minister
More than 150,000 pilgrims venerate St Thérèse of Lisieux as her relics pass through England

Beware of West's 'toxic waste', says Pope
Pope Benedict XVI opens the Synod for Africa with strong warning about materialism

Condoms will not stop Aids epidemic, says African cardinal
By Carol Glatz in Rome

Benedict's trip to Britain: new details emerge
Papal spokesman says visit in 2010 is 'obvious occasion' to beatify Cardinal Newman

Bishop: synod 'not relevant' to north Africa
Tunisian bishop says themes only focus on sub-Saharan Africa

St Thérèse draws big crowds in the north
Almost 80,000 people travel to see relics as they tour Liverpool, Lancaster, Salford and Manchester

Pope: 'Don't underestimate the legacy of Communism'
Pontiff addresses faithful in the Czech Republic

St Anselm is a model defender of religious liberty, says Holy Father
The Italian Archbishop of Canterbury fought 'courageously' for the Church's independence against interfering Norman kings

Tens of thousands flock
to Thérèse relics
Bishop Hollis says visit of the saint's relics to his diocese was his 'proudest moment as bishop'

Cardinal: Stop bickering and save the planet
Cardinal O'Brien issues warning to politicians on eve of crucial climate talks in New York

New Williamson claims could harm Vatican talks with SSPX
High-level talks could be overshadowed by claims that the Vatican knew of Williamson's Holocaust denial before lifting the excommunications

Irish bishop clashes with pro-life group over treaty
Campaigners criticise bishop who said Catholics could vote 'yes' on the Lisbon Treaty

Christians are 'crucified' in guerrilla raids
Bishop in Sudan appeals for international help to stop the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army

Archbishop: daily prayer 'essential to well-being'
In first pastoral letter Archbishop Nichols points to the examples of St Thérèse of Lisieux, Cardinal Newman and St John Vianney

'I'm no wowser,' says cardinal. 'But Australians drink
too much'
Cardinal Pell says his country's drinking habits are 'long overdue
for a correction'

Vatican: religious education 'at risk'
Vatican warns bishops about schools teaching Catholicism
in a 'neutral' way

Christians are fleeing holy city, says patriarch
Patriarch Twal: Jerusalem's Christian population will halve by 2016

London council bans posters for Catholic green fair
By Anna Arco

Cardinal: 'Don't kill your granny'
Cardinal O'Brien says slogan is a 'new battle cry' in the fight
against legalised euthanasia

Bishop dismisses Pullman's book on Jesus
Atheist author suggests St Paul had 'a fervid imagination' and invented the divinity of Christ

Huge protests over TV abortion adverts delay review
By Anna Arco

Boston cardinal defends public funeral for Edward Kennedy
Cardinal O'Malley says Kennedy's letter to the Pope shows he was aware of his failings as a Catholic

Bishops' editor quits after scandal
Berlusconi insists relations with Church are 'excellent'

Testimony could move nun closer
to beatification
Holocaust survivor gives evidence to support the canonisation of an English nun who hid Jews from the Nazis

German and Polish bishops mark outbreak
of Second World War
Bishops appeal for greater understanding between the two countries

Church harms career women, says Cherie
Tony Blair preaches peace between faiths while Cherie attacks ban on contraception

British actors line up for film about life of Opus Dei founder
Mission Impossible II actor Dougray Scott stars as journalist

Book encourages prayers before sexual intercourse
By Simon Caldwell

Vatican seeks 'reform of the reform'
Major reforms to the new Mass in the pipeline, says report

Archbishop Conti backs release of bomber
By Ian Dunn and Simon Caldwell

Seminaries in Ireland report highest intake for a decade
By Ed West

Bishops' statement alarms Jewish leaders
American Jewish groups say bishops' clarification could make dialogue 'untenable'

Newly ordained priest, 40, killed in car accident
By Will Heaven

Vatican paper: Allies failed to stop Holocaust
The Vatican's newspaper has accused Britain and America of complicity in the Nazi extermination of six million European Jews

Assumption of Mary offers us hope of eternity, says Pope
Pope Benedict, his right arm still in a cast, celebrates the Assumption at a tiny parish church near his summer residence

Vatican criticises bishop over church closure
Official says diocese failed to meet full demands of canon law in closing listed church

American Sisters demand changes to conduct of Vatican investigation
By Anna Arco

Spanish doctors alarmed by abortion proposal
Government minister suggests that refusing to perform an abortion could constitute civil disobedience

Resist suicide law changes, archbishop urges faithful
Catholics asked to defend law forbidding assisted suicide

Benedict reflects on horror of the Nazis
Death camps were places of extreme evil, says Pope

Twitter co-founder: criticisms are silly
The head of Twitter dismisses comments by Archbishop of Westminster

Marriage Care sparks row with NFP claims
Marriage Care's information about NFP described as "seriously inaccurate"

Archbishop backs both forms of Mass
Archbishop Nichols says unity in Christ at the heart of the liturgy

Christians burned to death in Pakistan
Eight dead, 50 homes and two churches destroyed in attacks

MP plans assisted suicide push after ruling
Labour backbencher to table Bill in the autumn after Debbie Purdy wins battle to clarify law

Bishops call equality law an 'instrument of oppression'
The bishops of England, Wales and Scotland say EU directive would force Christians to act against their consciences

'Leave us in peace,' SSPX head urges Jews
The Vatican has 'an excessive sensibility regarding the expectations of the Jewish world', according to head of Society of St Pius X

Archbishop Nichols laments the decline of the traditional English pub
Plus: Archbishop says too much Facebook damages communities

Parents' faith can lead children back to the Church, says Archbishop
The best thing parents can do if their children have lapsed is to remain faithful themselves, says Archbishop Nichols

Read our exclusive interview with the new Archbishop of Westminster
Our leading article: the Archbishop offers great comfort to the Church

Pope gives thanks as he recovers from fall
Pope Benedict thanks doctors who treated his broken wrist and everyone who prayed and expressed concern for him

Oscar Wilde is praised by Vatican paper
Victorian playwright is praised by L'Osservatore Romano as a man who embraced God and trod an existential path to the 'Promised Land'

SNP hopeful attacked for membership of Opus Dei
By Ian Dunn

Church promotes witchcraft 'martyr'
The Cause of a South African man who was 'martyred' in 1990 takes a step forward

Benedict XVI meets Obama
Pope gives president a copy of his encyclical Caritas in Veritate

Treat the suicidal with compassion, urge bishops
This year's Day for Life to focus on suicide

Pope and President enjoy frank discussion
Pope Benedict XVI raised pro-life issues during a meeting with President

Marriage is not better for children, says official
The head of a Church-funded marriage agency has told a conference that marriage is no better than other family set-ups.

CDF given task of reconciling the Lefebvrists
The Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith to take over responsibility for the commission which deals with traditionalists

Pope is ‘not a true Christian leader’, most
British Christians say
Poll suggests two thirds of Christians in Britain do not think the Pope is a true Christian leader

Put God at heart of economy, says Pope
Pope Benedict issues first social encyclical Caritas in Veritate
Read our leading article; see extracts; download the whole encyclical

Pope approves beatification of Newman
Anglican vicar who shocked Victorian England by converting to Catholicism will be given the title 'Blessed'
Beatification fulfils wish of great Newman admirer: the Pope

Obama praises Pope's leadership ahead of his first papal audience
Plus: Former papal theologian compares the president to St Thomas Aquinas

Archbishop clashes with top Vatican official
A Brazilian archbishop who caused controversy by condemning a nine-year-old girl's abortion to step down after reaching retirement age

Five Filipinos die as bomb explodes outside cathedral
Archbishop who was celebrating Mass at the time denies attack was 'about religion'

Pope says bones may belong to St Paul
A scientific investigation seems to confirm the theory that St Paul's bones lie under the basilica bearing his name, the Pope declares

Archbishop Nichols receives the pallium in St Peter's Basilica
New Westminster archbishop says he is 'honoured and moved'

Bishop: disobedience is harming the Church
The disloyalty of some bishops to the Pope has bred a 'conspiracy of silence', says Bishop O'Donoghue

Wimbledon dressmaker on road to canonisation
Florence Catherine Flanagan helped to re-establish an order of nuns wiped out by the Reformation

Bishops: Abortion is a 'bloody falsehood'
Spanish hierarchy confronts Socialist government over plans to liberalise abortion law

Revive devotions for year of priests, urges Archbishop
An extract from the homily: 'Devote an hour to prayer for priests'
Leader: Archbishop Nichols is right to call for renewed devotion

Bishops: Abortion 'is not a medicine'
The bishops of England and Wales strongly criticise proposals to allow abortion advertisements on television

Gay rights law spells end for adoption in archdiocese
The adoption agency of the Archdiocese of Westminster has declared that new gay rights laws have forced the closure of its key services

Glasgow warned of priest shortfall
Archbishop Mario Conti tells flock that in future not every parish will have its own priest

Padre Pio a 'model' for all priests
Pope Benedict XVI visits tomb of Italian saint

Benedict XVI calls for new world economic order
Pope's third encyclical to promote solidarity with poor

Little Flower relics to visit Wormwood Scrubs prison
The relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux are to be taken into a high-security London jail as part of a visit to England and Wales this year

Austrian bishops meet Pope for frank talks about Church crisis
Two-day meeting with the Pope and the Vatican's most senior officials follows months of controversy

Oxford marks Corpus Christi
Feast day shows vitality of Church as celebrations held across England and Wales

Polish archbishop: Keep your papal letters to yourself
Lublin archbishop urges people with letters from John Paul II not to publish them out of respect for the late pontiff

Bishops fear new Bill could force schools to take down crucifixes
Catholic schools and care homes could be forced to remove crucifixes and holy pictures from their walls in case they offend atheist cleaners, bishops have warned MPs

Archbishop: Catholic schools foster virtue
Religion must be allowed a place in schools for a healthy society to flourish, says Archbishop Nichols

Theologians conclude Mary Ward lived a heroic life
The Vatican has taken a decisive step toward declaring a Yorkshire religious sister to be a saint

SSPX ordinations could lead to excommunication, says diocese
Society will go ahead with plans to ordain 21 priests despite opposition from bishops

Margaret Mizen among Catholic Women of 2009
By David V Barrett

Judgment seals fate of adoption agencies
The Catholic Church in England and Wales has lost the legal battle to retain its remaining few adoption agencies

'I don't know why God chose me,' Pope tells children
Pope Benedict XVI offers glimpse into private feelings as he recalls his childhood in Bavaria

Peers seek to legalise doctor-assisted death
Labour Lords table amendment to decriminalise act of helping the sick to kill themselves

'Father Oprah' deserts Catholic Church
Scandal-struck media priest joins Anglicans after he was photographed with his lover

Scholars to meet in Oxford to discuss Cause of Chesterton
By Ed West

Westminster's new archbishop speaks out
The new Archbishop of Westminster signals that the Church
will play an active role in public life under his leadership

Irish bishops apologise for years of abuse
Statement follows publication of shocking abuse inquiry report

Biographer challenges Newman revisionists
Fr Ian Ker says private letters and diaries show that the Victorian convert was heterosexual

Cafod director in MP expenses row
By David V Barrett

Vatican displays King Henry's annulment plea
By Sarah Delaney

Archbishop calls for new dialogue
in Britain
Archbishop of Westminster urges the country 'to go beyond the superficial' at installation Mass

Government to allow vote on assisted suicide
Shock announcement comes in spite of Prime Minister's opposition to change in law

President Obama is heckled at Notre Dame
Barack Obama promises to respect freedom of conscience in the face of pro-life backlash

Papal spokesman: Judge Pope on teaching, not soundbites
By Simon Caldwell

State-funded agency insults opponents of gay adoption
By Anna Arco

'May their suffering never be denied'
Leader: Bringing a message for the ages to the Holy Land
Pope Benedict XVI visits Yad Vashem, Israel's main Holocaust memorial

Death by starvation rising in hospitals
Figures prompt new fears about a burgeoning culture of euthanasia

Christians say television adverts will lead to sharp rise in abortions
By Ed West

Bishop recalls sacrifice of martyrs
By Miguel Cullen

Marriage Care head sees grace in same-sex relationships
By Simon Caldwell

Deacon speaks out about Newman cure
American deacon describes in detail how he was cured from a severe spinal condition after praying to Cardinal Newman

Avoid scapegoating migrants in the recession, urges bishop
Auxiliary Bishop Pat Lynch of Southwark makes plea during homily at Mass for Migrants at Westminster Cathedral

Holocaust nun left out of list of heroes
By Simon Caldwell

Israeli president denies calling for holy sites to be handed over to the Vatican
Papal nuncio says he regrets media confusion over comments

John Paul made jokes until the end, says memoir
By Jonathan Luxmoore

Ed Balls asks Catholics to foot £100m school bill
Report describes move as a 'smash-and-grab raid on the Catholic community'

Pius planned to resign if seized by Nazis
Wartime pontiff advised aides to relocate Vatican departments abroad and to elect new leader

Prince Charles and Camilla present the Pope with dessert plates
By staff reporter

Ed Balls backs sex education in Catholic primaries
By Ed West

Agencies deplore Sri Lanka violence
By Anna Arco

Vatican backs controversial 'anti-Israel' UN meeting
Holy See faces criticism for attending a United Nations racism conference largely seen as an attack on Israel

Bishop O'Donoghue presents Fit for Mission
to Pope Benedict XVI
Lancaster bishop meets Pope just a few weeks before retirement

Archbishop Dolan installed in New York
Archbishop captivates crowd at St Patrick's with a joyful homily that earns two standing ovations

Bishop opposes plan to give girls morning-after pill
Pupils at a Catholic school in Oxford may be given access to the morning-after pill via text messages

Left-wing Catholicism twists Gospel, says novelist
Piers Paul Read says his new novel, The Death of a Pope, targets liberation theology and militant secularism

Archbishop Nichols hits the ground running
Archbishop Vincent Nichols calls on Catholics to protest against planned abortion adverts

Urbi et Orbi: Pope hails light and hope of Resurrection
By Carol Glatz

Church should rethink beliefs, says Blair
Outcry as former PM suggests Church teaching on homosexuality is out of step with ordinary Mass-goers

Cardinal says Scotland is on the brink of social collapse
Cardinal O'Brien: politicians are tinkering with the effects of bad behaviour rather than tackling root causes

Beware the drift into 'deserts of godlessness', says Pope
By Simon Caldwell

Pope sends Archbishop Nichols to Westminster
Anglican and Catholic leaders welcome a 'friend and brother'

Bishops agree to close last seminary
on Scottish soil
Scotus College, the last seminary in Scotland, is to close because of strained resources and reduced student numbers

G20 proposals will not help the poor, says aid agency
Cafod says proposals for fixing the global economy do not go far enough

Christians in India fear new wave of violence during Easter Triduum
'We are back, and we won't be cowed': priests return to parishes they fled six months ago

Child 'able to walk again' after praying at pope's tomb
By staff reporter

Pope chooses Archbishop Vincent Nichols to lead Westminster
Leader: Benedict XVI has made a good choice
Christian leaders welcome the appointment

Woman who defied Hitler 'was inspired by Newman'
New documents show the English theologian had a direct influence on Sophie Scholl, who was executed by the Nazis at 21

PM and Palace discuss Act of Settlement
Leader: We want the Act repealed, but not by Gordon Brown
Mary Kenny: The monarchy is always evolving

University under fire for honouring Obama
American Diary: Uproar among the faithful

Vatican send investigators to probe Legion of Christ scandal
By John Thavis

Abortion adverts 'blow' to sanctity of life in Britain
Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue of Lancaster condemns plans to allow abortion clinics to advertise on television and radio

News Archive