PHOTO: PA/©PHOTOPQR/LE PARISIEN, JEAN-BAPTISTE QUENTIN

Catholics gathered outside Saint-Sulpice in Paris to protest against the ban on Mass and church closures during lockdown 25

COLUMNS

Christopher Howse’s Notebook ‘Yes, books can be washed. They unpick the binding and give them a good old soak’ / 5

Sara Maitland ‘I am finding – to my genuine surprise – that I very much miss the singing at Mass’ / 13

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

CONTENTS 21 NOVEMBER 2020 // VOL 274 NO. 9378

FEATURES

4 / Sex, lies and the Church The finger of blame for the rise of Theodore McCarrick should not be

pointed at Pope John Paul II / BY FRÉDÉRIC MARTEL

6 / Waugh’s favourite heroine Helena is the least-known of Evelyn Waugh’s novels – but he

always insisted it was his best work / BY SARA HASLAM

8 / Abuse: learning the lessons Why did the Church pay so much attention to its reputation, and to the support of

the priests who abused children, and so little to victims? / BY CLIFFORD LONGLEY

11 / Repairing our common home If we are to restore a broken world to wholeness, governments and agencies must

recognise that religion is part of the solution / BY PATRICK WATT

12 / Loss and gain

The woman who founded the first female retreat house was born 400 years ago. She provides a spiritual model for our turbulent and uncertain times / BY VICTORIA BIGGS

NEWS

23 / The Church in the World / News briefing 24 / Bishops call for immediate ceasefire in Tigray region

26 / View from Rome 27 / News from Britain and Ireland / News briefing 28 / Cardinal and diocese to be sued over abuse case

30 / Obituary: Baron Sacks of Aldgate

COVER: STEPHEN REID

ARTS / PAGE 17

Television The Night NotreDame Burned LUCY LETHBRIDGE Radio Catholic women and the US elections D.J. TAYLOR Theatre What A Carve Up! MARK LAWSON Music Stile Antico ALEXANDRA COGHLAN

BOOKS / PAGE 20

Nicholas Vincent Edward the Confessor: Last of the Royal Blood TOM LICENCE Pamela Beasant Grimoire ROBIN ROBERTSON James Moran That Old Country Music KEVIN BARRY Sue Gaisford The Magic Hour: 100 poems from the Tuesday Afternoon Poetry Club CHARLOTTE MOORE

21 NOVEMBER 2020 | THE TABLET | 3