Now that we can move onto other interesting parts of the Pope s interview in Light of the World I haven t seen any comment on what Pope Benedict says about the Church in China It seems poignant in the light of today s news -- a powerful Vatican condemnation of a state-appointed Catholic bishop In

I ve written here often about the Archbishop of Canterbury s game-plan for saving the Anglican Communion known as the Covenant It is his response to the fallout over the 2004 consecration of Gene Robinson which saw the 70m-strong Anglican Church worldwide begin what has seemed at times an inexora

Yesterday s Vatican clarification -- one that quite exceptionally was made by its spokesman Fr Lombardi by reporting the Pope s answer to his question leaving no room for doubt nbsp -- is as Fr Jim says a gamechanger in Fr Tom Reese s words it blasts out of the water the notion that condom

This morning I e-mailed some questions to Father Matin Rhonheimer in Rome and received his kind reply a few minutes ago I asked him if Pope Benedict were aware of his controversial position on church teaching and the use of condoms in 2004 s Tablet He responds I published my article in The Tabl

Austen Ivereigh discussed this a few days ago but I suspect the import of it is getting a little lost in the media kerfluffle over the church s shocking about face on condoms My apologies to those who argue this is not new but seriously you ve got to be kidding at least insofar as how church