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About Michael Walsh

Michael Walsh is a writer and broadcaster. He was librarian at Heythrop College from 1972 to 2001. Among his books are The Secret World of Opus Dei (HarperCollins, 2004) and The Conclave: A Sometimes Secret and Occasionally Bloody History (Canterbury Press, 2003)

Articles by Michael Walsh

Thursday 24th November

The Vatican and Ireland

Michael Walsh, 24 November 2011

A series of abuse and cover-up scandals within the Catholic church has alienated many in in one of its historic heartlands. But the Vatican remains in denial, says Michael Walsh.

Friday 22nd October

Pope Benedict: the faith of authority

Michael Walsh, 22 October 2010

A delicate papal visit to Britain was in the end a diplomatic success. All the more reason to examine the ideas it advanced, says Michael Walsh.

Tuesday 13th July

Pope Benedict's divisions

Michael Walsh, 13 July 2010

The current form of governance of the Catholic church and the Vatican City State raises fundamental questions about these institutions - and their titular head, says Michael Walsh.

Tuesday 23rd March

The Vatican’s fix: abuse and renewal

Michael Walsh, 23 March 2010

The burgeoning international scandal involving the abuse of children by Catholic clergy is the biggest crisis for the church since the 16th-century reformation, says Michael Walsh.

(This article was first published on 22 March 2010)

Monday 16th February

The Vatican’s debacle

Michael Walsh, 16 February 2009

The pope's decision over an ultra-right bishop reveals chaos in the Catholic church

Friday 25th April

The pope’s mixed signals

Michael Walsh, 25 April 2008

Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the United States was a diplomatic success. But what is he for?

Friday 14th September

Pope Benedict XVI: forward to the past

Michael Walsh, 14 September 2007

A year since Regensburg, as the Latin liturgy is restored, Michael Walsh takes the pope 's measure

Monday 4th December

The Pope and the Patriarch

Michael Walsh, 4 December 2006

Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey was as important for Catholic-Orthodox dialogue as for European-Turkish, says Michael Walsh. But in healing one breach did it open another?

Tuesday 19th September

The Regensburg address: reason amid certainty

Michael Walsh, 19 September 2006

The leading themes of Pope Benedict's Regensburg speech – faith and reason, Christianity and Europe, the emergence of Islam as Christianity's significant "other" – will outlast the furore it provoked, says Michael Walsh.

Tuesday 19th April

From Joseph Ratzinger to Pope Benedict XVI

Michael Walsh, 19 April 2005

The cardinals’ choice of new pope reflects the Catholic church’s crisis of modernity, says Michael Walsh.

Monday 4th April

Cutting the Vatican down to size

Michael Walsh, 4 April 2005

Can democratic reform of the Catholic church escape the stifling influence of the Vatican? Michael Walsh of Heythrop College proposes creative ways forward.