PHOTO: ALAMY, MARTIN BRAYLEY
The recent funeral of Queen Elizabeth II showcased the anachronistic pomp of Britain 10
COLUMNS
Maggie Fergusson ‘I always reckoned Hilary had exceptional qualities … She was a thrilling writer’ / 5
Melanie McDonagh’s Notebook ‘A woman who has done more to change perceptions of Tudor history than most historians’ / 11
REGULARS
Word from the Cloisters 15 Puzzles 15 Letters 16 The Living Spirit 17
CONTENTS 1 OCTOBER 2022 // VOL 276 NO. 9471
FEATURES
4 / The paradoxes of Bernadette The humble saint whose relics are touring Britain was once at the centre of a religious and political storm that shook France / BY PATRICK MARNHAM
6 / ‘Jesus governs Brazil’ An unlikely alliance of evangelical Protestants and ultra-conservative Catholics could hold the key to tomorrow’s presidential poll/ BY FRANCIS MCDONAGH
9 / Because of … and in spite of … A survey of female voices from across the Catholic world reveals both a deep love for the Church and a deep yearning for change/ BY TINA BEATTIE
10 / Lament for a land lost in delusions of grandeur The late Queen was loved and respected but her long reign fostered illusions that have had catastrophic consequences / BY NICHOLAS BOYLE
12 / Serene and humble everyman Cardinal Zen faces his Hong Kong prosecutors with the same mildness and calm with which he has always conducted his ministry / BY MICHAEL SHERIDAN
NEWS
24 / The Church in the World / News briefing 25 / Flemish bishops back gay couple blessings
27 / View from Rome 28 / News from Britain and Ireland / News briefing 29 / Carfin Grotto named national Marian shrine of Scotland
COVER PHOTO: WOMEN OF PARADISE BY FARWA MOLEDINA, IKON GALLERY
BOOKS / PAGE 18
Patrick Hudson On Every Tide: The Making and Remaking of the Irish World SEAN CONNOLLY Lucy Popescu Speed reading on love and loss Ian Thomson Written in Water: Keats’s Final Journey ALESSANDRO GALLENZI Sarah Hayes Shrines of Gaiety KATE ATKINSON
ARTS / PAGE 21 Exhibition Women of Paradise LAURA GASCOIGNE Theatre The Snail House MARK LAWSON Cinema Mrs Harris goes to Paris ISABELLE GREY Television Make Me Prime Minister LUCY LETHBRIDGE
1 OCTOBER 2022 | THE TABLET | 3