What we can learn from the decline of the Ottoman Empire
The question of why the Ottoman Empire declined is perhaps not the most burning topic of the moment, but, when you consider that we live in a declining country ourselves, we might be able to learn a...
View ArticleMorning Catholic must-reads: 30/05/11
Benedict XVI called for a renewed effort to evangelise the world in his address before the Regina Caeli yesterday (video). A group of migrant workers has thanked a Franciscan priest for helping to...
View ArticleMorning Catholic must-reads: 21/07/11
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has said that groups in the Vatican and in Ireland are undermining efforts to tackle abuse after the Irish prime minister launched an unprecedented attack on the...
View ArticleDespite the EU’s demands on human rights, Turkey’s persecution of Christians...
To begin with, an interesting story about the doings of an American congressional committee, which I cannot imagine (given the head of steam building up among our own legislators in favour of Turkey’s...
View ArticleWhat is a ‘Christian fundamentalist’? Not Fr Longenecker, surely. But Anders...
The Norwegian mass murderer, Anders Breivik, is being described, I see, as a “Christian fundamentalist” by the Norwegian police. But what does that mean? He has, apparently, been reading...
View ArticleWe must wish the Turks well in their struggle for Islamic democracy
The President of Turkey is paying a Sate Visit to this country, and has been received by the Queen. The Daily Telegraph has a report but otherwise I have not seen much coverage in the media....
View ArticleIf Turkey ever does join the EU, Sarah Ferguson will immediately be served...
Let’s hear it for Fergie. The Duchess of York may have done some toe-curlingly awful things in her life – not the least ghastly of which was trying to persuade someone (who of course turned out to be a...
View ArticleThere are, we are told, 800 million people for whom the ECHR is the last...
The European Court of Human Rights has not had a good press in this country lately, and for very good reasons, many would say. Mostly, we don’t in this country see the need for any judicial system but...
View ArticleTurkey to set up refugee camp for Christians near Syrian border
Christians escaping the two-year civil war in Syria will soon have their own humanitarian aid camp, the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of Turkey has said. AFAD, as the agency is known,...
View ArticleHe might not have stepped foot in England, but don’t denigrate St George
Today is the feast day – or in England the Solemnity – of one of the most popular Christian saints, St George. He is the patron of England and numerous other countries, in fact he seems to have more...
View ArticleCan the BBC handle the awkward truth about the Ottoman Empire?
The fascinating history of the Ottoman Empire is the subject of a new BBC series fronted by Rageh Omaar. The title of the series tries to sneak in a rather contentious point as a given – Europe’s...
View ArticleThe history of the Ottomans highlights the tension in Islam between religious...
I have just watched the second part of Rageh Omaar’s history of the Ottoman Empire on catch up. (You can find it here). It is, I think, a remarkable piece of fairly balanced reportage. We had a lot of...
View ArticleStanding up for Christians in China is about standing up for freedom of...
The persecution of Christianity is flourishing in certain parts of the world – if that is the correct term for it. The Chinese government, no friend to what it cannot control – seems to have embarked...
View ArticlePutin’s anti-Westernism contains within it a profound anti-Catholicism
Nick Clegg has called for the disestablishment of the Church of England, something that has long been Liberal Democrat policy, and in his remarks he has made this telling observation: “In the long run...
View ArticlePope Francis calls for prayers for victims of Turkish mine disaster
Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims of the explosion in the mine in Soma, 120 kilometres from Esmima, Turkey, during yesterday’s General Audience. The explosion on Tuesday caused the pit to...
View ArticleThe Church has offered my non-Catholic wife a wonderfully warm welcome
Fifty years ago, the Catholic Church would probably have warned me not to marry my wife. Lida is the youngest daughter of Iranian immigrants who left Iran after the Islamic revolution in 1979. She was...
View ArticleReports: Pope Francis to visit Turkey in November
Pope Francis will pay an official visit to Turkey at the end of November, according to reports. Catholic News Agency (CNA) have reported that Pope Francis’s visit may take place from November 29 to 30,...
View ArticleLibya’s Christian community is not the first to face extinction in North Africa
Libya, along with other countries in North Africa west of Egypt, was once home to a flourishing Christian community. St Augustine was born in Thagaste, now Souk Ahras, in modern Algeria, but once upon...
View ArticleVatican confirms Pope Francis will visit Turkey in November
The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis is planning to visit Turkey “in the last days of November”, but said the length of his trip and his agenda in the country have yet to be determined. Fr...
View ArticleVatican confirms Pope’s itinerary for Turkey visit
The Vatican has confirmed Pope Francis’s itinerary for his upcoming trip to Turkey. The visit, which will take place from November 28 to 30, will begin at the mausoleum of the founder and first...
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