Philip Booth, Author at Catholic Herald

Philip Booth

What Pope Francis got right – and wrong – in his attack on libertarianism

May 03, 2017

Mainstream believers in the free market do not think that ‘all relationships that create ties must be eliminated’

February 02, 2017

The Universal Church has not always been a strong supporter of globalisation and certainly not of free trade. In 1967, for example, Pope Paul VI published Populorum progressio. This was a major encyclical on human development which inspired the creation of Cafod and many other charitable organisations. The document was highly critical of free trade,

The next battlefront for religious freedom

December 02, 2016

One reason Donald Trump was able to put together a coalition big enough to get him elected as president was that there were so many single issues about which different groups of people were exercised. They cared much more deeply about that one issue than a whole range of other issues, on which they may

The next battlefront for religious freedom

November 30, 2016

Liberal elites are paying the price for sidelining religious liberty. But Catholics must not leave the fightback to maverick populists

A Catholic politics? There’s a long way to go

July 28, 2016

For British politics to be genuinely influenced by Catholic social teaching, several things would need to change. First, there is a long tradition in the social teaching of the Church in favour of family and civil society institutions resolving problems in economic life rather than the state. Indeed, the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of

There’s a strong Catholic case for sitting on the fence in this referendum

June 22, 2016

The EU has brought many benefits, but sometimes seems to have lost touch with its Christian roots

Philip Booth: The Catholic case for sitting on the fence

June 16, 2016

There is a strong Catholic attachment to the European Union. This is especially so in countries where the faith seems to be waning rapidly, such as Germany and Austria. Such attachment is not surprising. The EU has strong Christian – indeed, Catholic – roots. There was a real optimism when it was founded that it

How Francis misreads the market

December 10, 2015

Pope Francis has frequently described the present global financial system as an “economy that kills”. He often specifically criticises speculation on food prices. Addressing the UN this year, he said: “Beginning in 2008 the trend of food prices has changed: doubled, then stabilised, but always with higher figures in comparison to the preceding period… We

Pope Francis is unduly pessimistic about the world

June 18, 2015

The underlying pattern across the globe is one of improved health and in some cases reduced pollution

A cardinal’s error on poverty and the free market

October 02, 2014

The last six years has been a continuation of a 25-year period that has seen absolute poverty falling more rapidly than at any previous time in history

Comparing Britain with Romero’s El Salvador is insulting

November 08, 2013

Contrary to what Fr Radcliffe says, increasing taxes will not fulfil Catholic Social Teaching to help the poor

The Church, and not the Chancellor, has the answer

July 01, 2010

Religion is a far better provider of happiness than a hugely overgrown state, says Philip Booth

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