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
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 had already defied protocol by meeting the pontiff at the airport on his arrival, and then compounded embarrassment by hosting a party to celebrate Benedict's 81st birthday, only to find that the pope was otherwise engaged (though several Vatican functionaries turned up to represent him, thus to some degree saving Bush's face).
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 his trip to Austria on 7-9 September, the ostensible purpose of which being a visit to the ancient Marian shrine of Mariazell, and spoke of meeting in Vienna representatives of the diplomatic corps.
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 )
Also by Michael Walsh in openDemocracy:
"Cutting the Vatican down to size" (5 April 2005)
"From Joseph Ratzinger to Pope Benedict XVI" (20 April 2005)
"The Regensburg address: reason amid certainty" (20 September 2006)
"The Pope and the Patriarch" (4 December 2006)
The Pope and the Patriarch
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?
The Regensburg address: reason amid certainty
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.
From Joseph Ratzinger to Pope Benedict XVI
The cardinals’ choice of new pope reflects the Catholic church’s crisis of modernity, says Michael Walsh.
Cutting the Vatican down to size
Can democratic reform of the Catholic church escape the stifling influence of the Vatican? Michael Walsh of Heythrop College proposes creative ways forward.
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Articles exploring the themes of the fourth international Nobel Women's Initiative conference May 28-31. Jennifer Allsopp and Heather McRobie will be reporting for 5050
Articles exploring the themes of the fourth international Nobel Women's Initiative conference May 28-31. Jennifer Allsopp and Heather McRobie will be reporting for 5050
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