Useless tat has long played a part in Catholic life – and now the Church itself is getting in on the act, says Belinda Webb
Human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson tells Matthew Adams why the Pope must take responsibility for the crisis in his Church
A corrupt priest, an abused child, a knife. The dreadful consequences of clerical child abuse unfold in a specially written short story by Mark Say
Is forgiveness just for the devout? asks Eve Garrad
David Wootton, author of a new biography, uncovers evidence that Galileo really was a heretic
Butchery is always a messy business, but is religiously inspired ritual slaughter really worse than other methods? Physiologist Harold Hillman dissects the evidence
She has won the Pulitzer and Orange prizes for her fiction, and been called the greatest writer of prose in the English language. With her new book she enters the God debate. We talk to Marilynne Robinson, author of Absence of Mind
Blasphemer, failure, hypocrite, comedian – Stewart Lee tells Caspar Melville why he’s so offensive
If you were invited to address Benedict XVI during his UK visit, what would you say to him? Richard Dawkins, Philip Pullman, Claire Rayner, Ben Goldacre and many more take part in our Pope quiz. Illustrations by Ralph Steadman
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and Kenan Malik debate whether the UK should follow the French