PHOTO: © RIJKSMUSEUM, AMSTERDAM, PORTRAIT OF A COUPLE, PROBABLY ISAAC ABRAHAMSZ MASSA AND BEATRIX VAN DER LAEN, DETAIL, BY FRANS HALS

A Dutch master is in the spotlight this autumn at the National Gallery in London 17

COLUMN

Liz Dodd ‘Friendly people were due to talk politely about cluster munitions and missiles’ / 7

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

CONTENTS 16 SEPTEMBER 2023 // VOL. 277 NO. 9519

FEATURES

4 / Transcending boundaries The synodal process launched by Pope Francis has a deeper meaning than merely

the reform of the Catholic Church / BY TOMÁŠ HALÍK

8 / ‘I want to break free’ Escapes like Daniel Khalife’s are rare. But as a former inmate recalls, all

prisoners dream of freedom / BY BEN LEAPMAN

10 / A ray of light in the darkness The extraordinary courage of the Ulma family, murdered for protecting Jews from

the Nazis, is being exploited by some politicians / BY BESS TWISTON DAVIES

12 / Hot off the press The text that preserved Shakespeare’s plays has inspired a contemporary playwright to recreate the link between past and present / BY MICHAEL GLOVER

13 / Purge the plastic

Finding alternatives to the bottled products we use each day gives us something to

sing about in the shower / BY AUSTEN IVEREIGH

NEWS

24 / The Church in the World / News briefing 25 / Rome investigates Swiss bishops over abuse cover-up

27 / View from Rome 28 / News from Britain and Ireland / News briefing 29 / Recruitment in jeopardy as chief constable forced out

COVER: FREEPIK

ARTS / PAGE 17 Exhibition Frans Hals JOANNA MOORHEAD Theatre Next to Normal MARK LAWSON Television The Story of Brighton Rock LUCY LETHBRIDGE Music Mirabilis: The Music of Stephen Hough ALEXANDRA COGHLAN

BOOKS / PAGE 20

Tim Stanley Politics on the Edge: A Memoir from Within RORY STEWART Lucy Beckett High Caucasus: A Mountain Quest in Russia’s Haunted Hinterland TOM PARFITT Chris Nancollas A Life Worth Living: Acting, Activism and Everything Else TOMMY JESSOP Denys Turner Naming God: Addressing the Divine in Philosophy, Theology and Scripture JANET SOSKICE

For more features, news, analysis and comment, visit www.thetablet.co.uk

16 SEPTEMBER 2023 | THE TABLET | 3