Introducing ‘Issues’

The Catholic Church has a long and complex history. Over 2000 years, a vast building, indeed a whole city, has risen around the baby born in a stable, the baby Jesus. This city is made up of many structures: governance, administration and corporate identity. Yet what makes it one city is an interwoven web of beliefs and customs captured in music, art, stories of saints and sinners, and a liturgy encompassing everything from simple prayers to elaborate public Masses celebrated by popes, cardinals and bishops.

Holding up the entire structure are key beliefs and practices. The following pages, which we’ve called ‘Issues’, are an attempt to summarise some of these in just 300 words. We hope the summaries inspire you to investigate more deeply. You can do this by following links to find out more about the Catholic belief and practice, or by ordering the ten ‘What Catholics Believe’ booklets which sum up what the Catholic Church holds and cherishes.


  1. The art of life

  2. The meaning of life

  3. Give us hope

  4. Forever young

  5. The afterlife

  6. The sacrament of healing

  7. The significance of social sin

  8. The freedom of forgiveness

  9. The act of confession

  10. A Lenten Valentine

  11. The role of church

  12. The meaning of mass

  13. The heart of sin

  14. Standing up to suicide

  15. Who are we to judge?

  16. “The real presence”

  17. The challenge of change

  18. Our bond with blood

  19. United by eucharist

  20. How a growing appetite for technology is changing the way we eat

  21. A new world of learning

  22. The nature of homelessness

  23. The role of the Holy Spirit

  24. The Sacrament of Baptism

  25. The problem with euthanasia

  26. The sacredness of sacrament

  27. The fruits of God’s kingdom

  28. The holiness of the Catholic Church

  29. The value of Catholic Social Teaching

  30. The mystery of the message

  31. The death of Jesus

  32. The power of the Holy Spirit

  33. The role of Paul

  34. Are the Bible and Tradition at War?

  35. Does the Book of Revelation Depict Today’s Events?

  36. Aren’t wars in the world today the result of religious fanaticism?

  37. Why Is Jesus Never Old Hat?

  38. Did Jesus really work miracles? Do miracles happen today?

  39. Should we be embracing victimhood?

  40. Will Biotechnology make us immortal?

  41. What is prayer?

  42. What is the role of law in the Catholic Church?

  43. God wants to speak to you. All you need to do is listen…

  44. How ’true’ is the Bible in today’s scientific age?

  45. What do the gospels tell us about Jesus?

  46. Why is happiness so fleeting?

  47. Are you suffering?

  48. How does the resurrection change the way we see the world?

  49. How can you find consolation in your grief?

  50. What makes the church such a unique community?