In a series of articles and interviews published this month, British intellectual A. N. Wilson, who became an atheist two decades ago, has announced his return to practising the Christian faith. He says he grew up in a culture that was overwhelmingly secular and anti-religious, and lost his faith as a result.

"Watching a whole cluster of friends, and my own mother, die over quite a short space of time convinced me that purely materialist 'explanations' for our mysterious human existence simply won't do - on an intellectual level. The phenomenon of language alone should give us pause... No, the existence of language is one of the many phenomena - of which love and music are the two strongest - which suggest that human beings are very much more than collections of meat.

"They convince me that we are spiritual beings, and that the religion of the incarnation, asserting that God made humanity in His image, and continually restores humanity in His image, is simply true. As a working blueprint for life, as a template against which to measure experience, it fits."

Islamic law threatens growth and minorities

Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore has written to the country's president and prime minister expressing concern over a regulation that allowed Islamic law to be implemented in northwest Pakistan. The new regulation brings six districts, including the Swat Valley, under the Pakistani Taliban's strict interpretation of Shariah, or Islamic law.

Archbishop Saldanha's letter said that "besides jeopardising the socio-economic and cultural growth in Swat and Malakand (division)", the decision also has given legal sanction to the "dictates of the trigger-happy Taliban". The letter added that the resolution "erodes constitutional protections for minorities and women".

Vatican objects to Ahmadinejad

The Vatican has criticised Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remarks about Israel at a UN conference on racism as "extremist and unacceptable" and said the comments promote an atmosphere of conflict.

At the same time, Vatican officials, including Pope Benedict XVI, emphasised the importance of participation in the conference, which was boycotted by the US and several other Western countries.

The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi, told Vatican Radio last Monday that "statements like those of the Iranian president do not go in the right direction, because even if he did not deny the Holocaust or the right of Israel to exist, he expressed extremist and unacceptable positions".

'Sex abuse report will shock'

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has warned Irish Catholics to brace themselves for the release of a report on sexual abuse by priests.

"The report of the Commission on Child Sexual Abuse will shock us all," he said, indicating that the scope of clerical misconduct uncovered by the study will be much greater than generally expected.

The report, detailing clerical abuse over a 30-year period beginning in 1975, is due to be made public soon.

Compiled by Fr Joe Borg