In the dramatic solitude of the secularised West, we have deluded ourselves into thinking we can do without it. But the finiteness of life always raises the question of meaning, from which it is impossible to escape. A conversation with Cardinal Robert Sarah

From Sixtus III, who settled the theological debate on the human and divine nature of Jesus, to Stephen IX, who was not a bishop at the time of his election. And then Ormisda, who had the canons of the Eastern Church translated into Latin

At the June congress of Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), a proposal was put to the vote aimed at replacing Christian holidays with German neo-pagan celebrations, starting with the winter and summer solstices. These would be proper public holidays, with shops, schools and offices closed and celebrations taking place across the country.

The Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Homs, Monsignor Jacques Mourad: “We thought we had finally achieved freedom. Instead, we have had to start fighting for it all over again.” The Christian population is at an all-time low: down from two million to three hundred thousand

Interview with the Bishop of Bayonne, Monsignor Marc Aillet: “It is certainly true that words no longer have the same meaning, even amongst some Catholics who are more influenced by the spirit of the world than by the teaching of the Magisterium. For them, human dignity is synonymous with absolute freedom: the freedom to decide on one’s own life and death”

Three weeks at the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo, on Lake Albano. Prayer, reading and “let’s hope for a bit of sport”, he had said. To tackle schisms, malicious gossip and underhand tactics, one needs to recharge one’s batteries

From Paul II, who commissioned the construction of Palazzo Venezia, to Nicholas II, who excluded secular authority from the appointment of the Pope, right up to Urban VIII, who only abandoned geocentrism following the condemnation of Galileo

What options does the Pope now have regarding China? This is a serious matter; we’re not in Ecône, after all. At stake are the lives of the faithful and even of the bishops forced to swear allegiance to Xi Jinping

There are “situations in which genuine dialogue and real negotiations become possible only when the aggressor (or those who keep him in power) realises not only that his attempts at conquest are doomed to failure, but also that the continuation of the aggression entails unsustainable costs”, writes John Paul II’s biographer, George Weigel