Are the Pope’s pleas for forgiveness enough to save the Catholic Church?
After days of speculation, it was during the papal mass in Dublin’s Phoenix Park that Pope Francis chose to address growing anger in the Catholic Church. At the beginning of the Mass, in place of the traditional Penitential Act, Pope Francis asked forgiveness for what some are calling a ‘litany of failures’ from the Catholic…
Cracking on or chaste-ing off? Love Island 2018 brings chastity back
Love Island, ITV2’s answer to Big Brother (but in bikinis) came to a somewhat anti-climactic end with Jack Fincham and Dani Dyer winning the public vote by 79.6 per cent. Seemingly, this anticlimax has been attributed to the fact that the couple have been together since the beginning. What was perhaps more shocking was their…
First Ladies on the border
Published in Christian Today on 19 June 2018 Former first lady Laura Bush and current first lady Melania Trump have spoken out against the controversial policy that is breaking up families attempting to enter America across the Mexican border. The Trump administration’s ‘zero tolerance immigration crackdown works to prosecute anyone who crosses the border unlawfully.…
Fleabag’s “sexy priest” might be what the Catholic brand needs
As a Catholic millennial scrolling through twitter, the last thing that you expect to see trending is ‘sexy priest’. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s superb BBC Three comedy drama Fleabag has taken the UK by storm in its address of London-living, sibling-rivalry, mental health, and the moment that you fall in love with the wrong person. Last Monday,…
How a bad week for the Vatican just got worse
Cardinal George Pell, Vatican treasurer, has been found guilty of sexual offences against children. He is the highest-ranking Catholic figure to have been convicted. Cardinal Pell was charged in June 2017 and was given leave of absence from his work as the Vatican treasurer to defend himself in court.. The Holy See stressed at the…
Iran’s Islamic Revolution: 40 years on
11 February 1979. Blondie’s Heart of Glass reached number one in the UK charts, Jennifer Aniston celebrated her tenth birthday, and Ayatollah Khomeini seized control of the Iranian capital, Tehran. An anniversary of this kind could pass quietly in the international forum, but a public announcement of weeklong celebrations across Iran has brought it to…
Nowruz, New Year, New Life
Coinciding with the Spring Equinox, this year, the first day of the Persian new year often falls on 20 March in the UK. The exact time changes, but in 2019 it is thought that the first sighting of the moon, and therefore, the beginning of celebrations will take place at approcimately 21:40pm on the eve…
The human face of conflict
As seen in Christian Today on Wednesday 23 May 2018. Following the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem last week, clashes broke out between Israelis and Palestinians resulting in the death of some 60 people, including 13 children. Both sides of this battle are entrenched in their own histories, cultures and hostilities. Their governing…
Women helping Women helping Women
[As seen in The Times: Credo] Many of us are familiar with the biblical passage, and perhaps even the hymn, encouraging us to “set the prisoners free”. Whilst this phrase is not to be taken literally, the reality of the situation in England and Wales stands in sharp contrast with the spirit of this image.…
Women of Islamic Republics: The voice of women of faith
As seen in The Independent, IndyVoices, on Sunday 24 March 2019 The world is constantly reassessing women’s place in society: their reproductive rights, workplace equality, safety on the streets, education. We talk about liberation, from the patriarchy, from stigma and from religion; some people believe that the world would be a better place without Islam in particular. We in…
Nina Mattiello Azadeh 