Four hundred and fifty years ago, Pius V issued a papal bull excommunicating Queen Elizabeth I. In this week’s cover story, Jack Scarisbrick asks if it was a mistake. Also in this issue, Jon Anderson examines Cardinal Marx’s shock decision to stand down as leader of the German bishops. Fr James Jackson, FSSP, begins his Lenten series. Bonnie Lander Johnson solves your Lent cooking conundrums. And Stephen Withnell explains how he ended up playing cricket on ice.

Comment & features

Was Pius V right to excommunicate Elizabeth I? – Jack Scarisbrick

Can the German Synodal Path recover from a nightmare week? – The Catholic Herald

Diary: How I ended up playing cricket on ice – Stephen Withnell

Is the dream of Francis as the ‘great liberal reformer’ dead? – Fr Raymond de Souza

One good Lent can change your life – Fr James Jackson FSSP

Orbán’s faux Christianity – Matthew Schmitz

Relationships education: there’s a better way – Edmund Adamus

Prosecutors in the dock – Mary Kenny

Bishop Barron: Where the Church’s three ‘groups’ go wrong – Bishop Robert Barron

It’s surprisingly hard to eat simply in Lent – Bonnie Lander Johnson

Letters: Don’t turn confessors into state agents

News Analysis

After raising expectations, Pope Francis faces a backlash –Christopher Altieri

The story behind the birth of a new Marian icon – Simon Caldwell

Who comes first: the homeless or refugees? – James Jeffrey

Who will succeed Cardinal Marx in Germany? – Jon Anderson

Germany’s ‘next Catholic Chancellor’? Not any more – Jon Anderson

Arts & books

A French Anglophile’s curious path to the Church – Benjamin Ivry

Sanditon: An insufferable take on Austen’s unfinished novel – Carl Curtis

How Donald Trump charmed Evangelicals – Victor Stepien

The Islamic world’s breathtaking contrasts – Alexander Stilwell

Why Sixties America embraced Teilhard de Chardin – Jonathan Wright

Life & soul

Put selfless love at the heart of everything you do – Bishop David McGough

We are made to act like God acts – Fr John Zuhlsdorf

How priests can play a role in healing the wounds of abuse – Fr Dominic Allain

How to… Observe the three pillars of Lent

Heretic of the week: Paul Moore Jr – Charles Coulombe

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