Tag Archives: Vatican II

How was it for you?

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Quentin

“At the heart of this reform (as expressed by Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium) are synodality (the entire Church walking, discerning and evangelizing together), episcopal collegiality (shared governing responsibility between pope and bishops) and subsidiarity (decentralization of decision-making authority) — … Continue reading →

Posted in Church and Society, Moral judgment, Pope Francis, Quentin queries | Tagged , , | 76 Comments

Pope for a day

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Quentin

I run a philosophy group (under the auspices of the University of the Third Age) which meets fortnightly. The majority of its 10 members are best described as agnostic. Last year I posed for them this question: If you were … Continue reading →

Posted in Church and Society, Moral judgment, Quentin queries, Scripture, Spirituality | Tagged | 194 Comments

Facts we have to face

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Quentin

Statistics for the Catholic Church in England and Wales are sometimes difficult to find. As I discovered, when I tried to hunt down the repeated claim that 90 per cent of Catholic young have lapsed by the time they leave … Continue reading →

Posted in Bio-ethics, Catholic Herald columns, Church and Society, Moral judgment | Tagged , , , | 121 Comments

Did the window slam shut?

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Quentin

Everyone remembers John XXIII’s gesture of throwing open a window to symbolise his forthcoming Council which would bring the Church out of the shadows and open it to the world. That was some 50 years ago. At that time my … Continue reading →

Posted in Church and Society, Quentin queries | Tagged , , | 122 Comments

The right to be wrong

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Quentin

Let’s go back this week to pre-history – that is, the 1950s, before Vatican II. At that time, I was a junior member of a large, international, financial company, and I had been asked to say grace at a company … Continue reading →

Posted in Quentin queries, Scripture, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , | 42 Comments

Paul VI versus Pius X

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Quentin

On June 9th, Milroy Joseph, concluded his contribution to Second Sight with the words: “Vatican II succeeded greatly in the creation of disenchantment and ‘squabbling’ at all levels; and the fundamental reason – as I see it – is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Herald columns, Moral judgment | Tagged , | 79 Comments