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)

The Vatican, the planet, and America

Pope Francis's document on the earth's future has become entangled in Vatican politics. But its most fraught reception will be in the United States.

By Michael Walsh

/ 22 Jun 2015

Pope Francis: a theology for change

Pope Francis's fresh, informal style has been met with popular acclaim during his first year in office. But his planned reforms will be hard for many in the Catholic Church to accept, says Michael Walsh.

By Michael Walsh

/ 20 Jan 2014

The Vatican on trial

The trial of the pope's former butler and the letter of a senior archbishop are but two episodes revealing the deep dysfunction at the heart of Pope Benedict's city-state, says Michael Walsh.

By Michael Walsh

/ 8 Oct 2012

The Vatican and Ireland

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.

By Michael Walsh

/ 24 Nov 2011

Pope Benedict: the faith of authority

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.

By Michael Walsh

/ 22 Oct 2010

Pope Benedict's divisions

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.

By Michael Walsh

/ 13 Jul 2010

The Vatican’s fix: abuse and renewal

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.

By Michael Walsh

/ 23 Mar 2010

The Vatican’s debacle

For Pope Benedict XVI it has been a disaster. On 21 January 2009, the very day a decree was signed revoking the excommunication of four bishops, Swedish television broadcast an

By Michael Walsh

/ 16 Feb 2009

The pope’s mixed signals

A minor feature of Pope Benedict XVI's trip to the United States on 15-20 April 2008 was to highlight the awkwardness of George W Bush. The embattled president

By Michael Walsh

/ 25 Apr 2008

Pope Benedict XVI: forward to the past

Just in case then point had not been picked up, Pope Benedict XVI repeated it on 12 September 2007 at his customary Wednesday general audience in Rome. He reflected on

By Michael Walsh

/ 14 Sep 2007

The Pope and the Patriarch

Pope John Paul II visited Turkey in late November 1979, little more than a year after his election as bishop of Rome. Pope Benedict XVI had to wait a little

By Michael Walsh

/ 4 Dec 2006

The Regensburg address: reason amid certainty

"Should the Pope apologise further?" asked the young man from the BBC. "The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has said his apology was sufficient", I responded, relying

By Michael Walsh

/ 19 Sep 2006