The Wise and the Wherefores

Sister Liz Dodd CSJP and writer Rhidian Brook both have Lent books out. Easter in Disguise by Liz and Notes on an Execution by Rhidian have both been picked up by parishes around the country to study and think about at Lent group gatherings. Ruth Gledhill is assistant editor of The Tablet, and her own parish is studying Rhidian’s book. Here, she talks to both authors about the enduring Lenten prac...

In this bonus episode of The Wise and the Wherefores, Ruth Gledhill and The Tablet’s Plater Trust intern Aili Winstanley Channer went to Archbishop’s House, Westminster to interview Archbishop Richard Moth ahead of his installation as Archbishop of Westminster at the cathedral on Saturday. ‘There’s a word I always put with leadership, which is service,’ Richard Moth told The Tablet in an interview...

This is our first podcast of 2026 and we start by discussing Sister Liz’s Lent book, Easter in Disguise, published by Bloomsbury. There will be more on this in our next podcast as well, but basically, Liz believes there is more, lots more, to Lent than giving up chocolate! For the first time also, we have a guest and we hope that this will be a regular feature of The Wise and the Wherefores as we...

In the latest episode of The Tablet podcast, The Wise and the Wherefores, Ruth Gledhill and Liz Dodd discuss the Westminster succession as well as the latest pronouncement on women deacons. They also talk about how they are both responding to the season of Advent. Takeaways The delay in appointing a new Archbishop of Westminster reflects broader vacancies in the church. Rumours about potential can...

In this conversation, Ruth Gledhill and Liz Dodd discuss the recent developments in LGBTQI inclusion within the Church, particularly focusing on the findings from a conference in Amsterdam. They explore the impact of Pope Francis on the acceptance of LGBTQI individuals in the Catholic Church and delve into the implications of Pope Leo's new document, Dilexi te. They also touch on the intersect...

Ruth Gledhill of The Tablet and Liz Dodd, a sister of St Joseph of Peace, discuss the visit to the UK this week of US President Donald Trump, the Royal family, a recent Star Wars retreat in Ireland – and why people are still attracted to the Religious life.

Ruth Gledhill and Sister Liz Dodd discuss the recent election of Pope Leo and the implications of his leadership style for the Catholic Church. They explore initial reactions to his election, the challenges he faces, particularly regarding the Latin Mass, and the significance of women's roles within the Church. The conversation also touches on Sister Liz's upcoming travels, the influence of Chicag...

Ruth Gledhill, assistant editor of The Tablet and Liz Dodd CSJP discuss for the latest Tablet podcast, The Wise and the Wherefores, the legacy of Pope Francis and who might emerge as his successor in the coming conclave. See all our coverage of this hugely significant moment for the Catholic Church and the wider world and sign up for our twice-weekly free newsletters at https://thetablet.co.ukSubs...

In this episode of the Tablet podcast, Ruth Gledhill of The Tablet and Sister Liz Dodd CSJP discuss the recent health concerns surrounding Pope Francis and the implications for the Catholic Church and the world. They explore the transparency of the Vatican regarding the Pope's health, the significance of his leadership in the current political climate, and the role of faith in addressing socia...

Ruth Gledhill and Liz Dodd kick off the first podcast in our new season, a series of ten, with a discussion on women in the Catholic Church, Donald Trump – and top Catholic movies. Ruth Gledhill, assistant editor of The Tablet and former religion correspondent of The Times and Liz Dodd, a former Tablet journalist who is now a sister with St Joseph of Peace (CSJP), discuss the latest developments o...

Earlier this year, Lorraine Currie was appointed the new chief executive of Sciaf. In this podcast for The Tablet, assistant editor Ruth Gledhill talks to Lorraine about her story of how she progressed into international development, of the work being done in the field by Sciaf and of exciting plans for the future. You can find out more about Sciaf, including how to donate to the charity’s Advent...

To the surprise and disappointment of many on the left, Donald Trump won the US election. What part did Catholics play in this? And what does this mean for the Democrats, going forward? In our latest podcast, and the first of a series on this subject, Ruth Gledhill, assistant editor of The Tablet , talks to Michael Sean Winters, The Tablet ’s US correspondent and senior journalist at National Cath...

The environment is a key platform of the papacy of Francis and his encyclical will form a significant part of his legacy over decades if not centuries. So why has Laudato Si’ not taken root in the US as it has in the UK and elsewhere? Could one reason be the polarisation of society and Church where climate change has itself become so politicised? Yet the lack of engagement with Laudato Si’ is not...

In September, with JC Journeys , we are going on pilgrimage to Patmos, led by Fr Nicholas King SJ. In this podcast, Ruth Gledhill of The Tablet talks to Fr King about this beautiful island and its place and meaning in the Bible. On this trip, pilgrims can visit the Cave of Revelation, the Monastery of St John and there will be a daily Mass, celebrated outside wherever possible.

Catholic bishops have called for new treaties to regulate weaponised drones and lethal autonomous weapons systems. In a new paper, “Called to be Peacemakers”, the bishops of England and Wales also call for a “global moratorium” on lethal autonomous weapons systems. In this podcast, Ruth Gledhill, assistant editor of The Tablet, talks to Bishop William Kenney, one of the authors, about the challeng...

Ruth Gledhill, assistant editor of The Tablet, discusses with Fr Alban McCoy OFM Conv the question of Pope Francis and his approach to the war in Ukraine, and where this fits in the context of just war theory.

Following on from Plato and Socrates, in the second in our series on why truth still matters, Fr Alban McCoy, OFM Conv, and Ruth Gledhill, assistant editor of The Tablet, discuss St Thomas Aquinas, 750 years after his death.

Journalist Ruth Gledhill is in conversation with Catholic priest, philosopher and theologian Fr Alban McCoy OFM Conv in the first in a new series of podcasts. Subscribe to The Tablet.

Award-winning writer and former Financial Times journalist Jimmy Burns’ latest book A Faithful Spy, based on previously undisclosed personal private papers of former MI6 and MI5 officer, Walter Bell, gives a remarkable insight into the working of British Intelligence. In this Tablet podcast, Emily Buchanan of the BBC talks to Jimmy Burns about the book and some of the startling things that he unco...

The 2023 synod summit in the Vatican ended with a series of openings for reform, including on the role of women, training of priests and a re-think of the church’s sexual teaching.  For those in the hall, a vast majority agreed that the synod process and style — which saw cardinals and lay people gathered around tables listening to each other — is how church business should be done in the future. ...

In October 2023 we began a series of articles on Family Matters, the first of which was by our very own Editor, Brendan Walsh.  Brendan wrote movingly and candidly about his experience of first-time fatherhood in his early 60s. Other articles followed covering themes of adoption , welcoming strangers  into your family, the death of a child , being a mother with cancer, an unconventional upbringing...

In this podcast, from a Tablet webinar on the Synod on Synodality, Ruth Gledhill, assistant editor, The Tablet – talks to Professor Renee Kohler-Ryan, National Head of the School of Philosophy and Theology and Rev Professor Eamonn Conway, Professor of Integral Human Development, both of the University of Notre Dame Australia. This was one of a Tablet series of webinars on Synodality, in partnershi...

The reflections of Fr Timothy Radcliffe have been one of the highlights of the October 2023 synod assembly in the Vatican. The English Dominican friar led the synod participants on a retreat before the synod gathering and offered wise reflections and spiritual guidance. Some have called him the “spiritual father” of the synod.  In this episode, I sat down with Fr Timothy to discuss the synod proce...

In Losing a Kingdom, Gaining the World,  Dr. Ambrogio A. Caiani tells the story of the Catholic Church in the modern age. Beginning with the aftermath of the French Revolution and the democratic rebellions of 1848, Caiani follows the Church's evolution that sees three popes being forced out of Rome, the secular power of papacy being destroyed, a disastrous series of concordats with fascist sta...

The October 2023 synod assembly in the Vatican is adopting a very different process to the one used by previous gatherings, which is demonstrated by the arrangement of round tables in the Pope Paul VI audience hall.  The sight of bishops and cardinals seated around tables with lay delegates is deliberate and designed to foster what Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the synod co-ordinator, described...