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PHOTO: CNS/AGENCJA GAZETA, ADAM STEPIEN Polish church leaders’ unprecedented apology for clerical sexual abuse 25 COLUMNS Melanie McDonagh’s Notebook ‘The catechists are charming, but don’t have the knowledge and authority of a nun’ / 5 Peter Hennessy’s The Lion and the Unicorn ‘A Brexit inquiry would plainly need to be a fully open process and a relatively swift one’ / 9 Sara Maitland ‘I really am not able to convince myself that this is just a coincidence’ / 12 REGULARS Word from the Cloisters 14 Puzzles 14 Letters 15 The Living Spirit 16 CONTENTS 25 MAY 2019 // VOL 273 NO. 9303 FEATURES 4 / The search for beautiful harmony As a new emperor is enthroned, old ghosts are coming back to haunt Japan. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to change the constitution / BY KEVIN RAFFERTY 6 / Not rocket science A Cistercian abbot explains that the story of the Ascension is very much more attractive and mysterious than is often understood / BY ERIK VARDEN 8 / ‘If that’s what God calls you to do, you can’t say no’ The third in our series in which six priests share their fears and concerns, their hopes and dreams / BY ANTHONY CHO AND BLANCHE GIROUARD 11 / Did the Council fail? A theologian and sociologist argues that Vatican II was intended to meet the challenges of modernity – and that it has largely failed / BY STEPHEN BULLIVANT NEWS 24 / The Church in the World / News briefing 25 / Acquittal of Vatican official a ‘scandalous verdict’ 27 / View from Rome 28 / News from Britain and Ireland / News briefing 29 / Tribute to Vanier’s ‘revolution of tenderness’ COVER: CHRIST’S ASCENSION. MINIATURE FROM THE RABBULA GOSPELS, SYRIA, SIXTH CENTURY. BIBLIOTECA MEDICEA LAURENZIANA, FLORENCE. BRIDGEMAN BOOKS / PAGE 18 Chris Patten Maoism: A Global History JULIA LOVELL Chris Nancollas Let Me Not Be Mad: A Story of Unravelling Minds A.K. BENJAMIN Piers Plowright Autumn Light: Japan’s Season of Fire and Farewells PICO IYER Jane Thynne The Porpoise MARK HADDON ARTS / PAGE 21 Ar chitecture The Wall of Answered Prayer JOANNA MOORHEAD Television Gentleman Jack LUCY LETHBRIDGE Theatre Rosmersholm; Ghosts MARK LAWSON Radio Heart and Soul – Kaka’i: Our fight to survive D.J. TAYLOR 25 MAY 2019 | THE TABLET | 3

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PHOTO: CNS/AGENCJA GAZETA, ADAM STEPIEN

Polish church leaders’ unprecedented apology for clerical sexual abuse 25

COLUMNS

Melanie McDonagh’s Notebook ‘The catechists are charming, but don’t have the knowledge and authority of a nun’ / 5 Peter Hennessy’s The Lion and the Unicorn ‘A Brexit inquiry would plainly need to be a fully open process and a relatively swift one’ / 9 Sara Maitland ‘I really am not able to convince myself that this is just a coincidence’ / 12

REGULARS Word from the Cloisters 14 Puzzles 14 Letters 15 The Living Spirit 16

CONTENTS 25 MAY 2019 // VOL 273 NO. 9303

FEATURES

4 / The search for beautiful harmony As a new emperor is enthroned, old ghosts are coming back to haunt Japan. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to change the constitution / BY KEVIN RAFFERTY

6 / Not rocket science A Cistercian abbot explains that the story of the Ascension is very much more

attractive and mysterious than is often understood / BY ERIK VARDEN

8 / ‘If that’s what God calls you to do, you can’t say no’

The third in our series in which six priests share their fears and concerns,

their hopes and dreams / BY ANTHONY CHO AND BLANCHE GIROUARD

11 / Did the Council fail? A theologian and sociologist argues that Vatican II was intended to meet the challenges of modernity – and that it has largely failed / BY STEPHEN BULLIVANT

NEWS

24 / The Church in the World / News briefing 25 / Acquittal of Vatican official a ‘scandalous verdict’

27 / View from Rome 28 / News from Britain and Ireland / News briefing 29 / Tribute to Vanier’s ‘revolution of tenderness’ COVER: CHRIST’S ASCENSION. MINIATURE FROM THE RABBULA GOSPELS, SYRIA, SIXTH CENTURY. BIBLIOTECA MEDICEA LAURENZIANA, FLORENCE. BRIDGEMAN

BOOKS / PAGE 18

Chris Patten Maoism: A Global History JULIA LOVELL Chris Nancollas Let Me Not Be Mad: A Story of Unravelling Minds A.K. BENJAMIN Piers Plowright Autumn Light: Japan’s Season of Fire and Farewells PICO IYER Jane Thynne The Porpoise MARK HADDON

ARTS / PAGE 21

Ar chitecture The Wall of Answered Prayer JOANNA MOORHEAD Television Gentleman Jack LUCY LETHBRIDGE Theatre Rosmersholm; Ghosts MARK LAWSON Radio Heart and Soul – Kaka’i: Our fight to survive D.J. TAYLOR

25 MAY 2019 | THE TABLET | 3

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