There is no room for prejudice, for “security” zones separating us from our neighbours, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms
Pope Leo XIV, sermon preached at mass on Pentecost, in St Peter’s Square, 8 June
The ineptitude of this England men’s football team is surely a slow-burn Tuchel masterplan. We throw easy friendlies, creep into the World Cup as underdogs and only at that stage reveal our staggering brilliance as we bring it home
Philip North, Bishop of Blackburn, X, 10 June, after England lost 3-1 to Senegal
Debilitating financial anxiety makes it harder to care for others. I often hear suggestions that clergy should be “hospitable”; yet clergy cannot model charitable and hospitable habits if they themselves are dependent on charity
Emma Thompson, The Times, 7 June
In an age of rampant individualism, the particular discipline of a choir demands its members sacrifice something of their own self-expression for the common good
David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, Thought for the Day, Radio 4, 9 June
Atheists who announce they don’t believe in an angry “sky-god” (Richard Dawkins’s term) invite believers to reply that they, too, are sceptics with respect to straw-man models of the divine. Likewise, the humanist who says you don’t need to believe in God to lead a good life can be reminded of the principle that grace operates well beyond the visible Church
Rupert Shortt, The Spectator, 7 June
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