The Tablet
Encyclopedia
The Tablet is a Catholic
international weekly review published in London. Contributors to its pages have included Evelyn Waugh
, Graham Greene
, Pope Benedict XVI
(as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) and Pope Paul VI
(as Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini).
, just 10 years before the restoration
of the Catholic hierarchy
in England and Wales. It is the second-oldest surviving weekly journal in Britain after The Spectator
(which was founded in 1828).
For the first 28 years of its life, The Tablet was owned by the Catholic laity
. In 1868, Fr (later Cardinal) Herbert Vaughan, who had founded the only British Catholic missionary society, the Mill Hill Missionaries
, purchased the journal just before the First Vatican Council
that defined papal infallibility
. At his death he bequeathed the journal to the Archbishops of Westminster, the profits to be divided between Westminster Cathedral and the Mill Hill Fathers.
The Tablet was owned by successive Archbishops of Westminster
for 67 years. In 1935, Archbishop (later Cardinal) Hinsley
sold the journal to a group of Catholic laymen. In 1976 ownership passed to The Tablet Trust, a registered charity.
, a historian and reputed wit whose hero was Hilaire Belloc
. His wide range of contacts, and his knowledge of international affairs, made the paper, it was said, essential reading in embassies around the world. He restored the fortunes of The Tablet, which had declined steeply. For many years (1938–1961) he was assisted by Michael Derrick
, who after the Second World War was often acting editor.
Woodruff was followed as editor by the publisher and, like Woodruff, part owner Tom Burns
, who served from 1967 to 1982. Burns, a conservative in his political views, was a progressive on church matters, firmly in favour of the Vatican II
church reforms. A watershed came in 1968, when The Tablet took an editorial stance at odds with Pope Paul VI
's encyclical Humanae Vitae
, which restated the traditional teaching against artificial contraception.
Burns was followed by the BBC producer John Wilkins, who had been Burns's assistant from 1967 to 1971. Under his editorship the journal's political stance was seen as centre-left. The paper continued to have a distinctive voice, consistently advocating further changes in the Church's post-Vatican II life and doctrine. Circulation climbed steadily throughout Wilkins's 21-year tenure. He retired at the end of 2003.
Catherine Pepinster, formerly executive editor of The Independent on Sunday, was appointed as the first female editor of The Tablet at the beginning of 2004. She has said that the journal will continue to provide a forum for "progressive, but responsible Catholic thinking, a place where orthodoxy is at home but ideas are welcome".
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
international weekly review published in London. Contributors to its pages have included Evelyn Waugh
Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...
, Graham Greene
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
, Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
(as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) and Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
(as Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini).
Ownership
The Tablet was launched in 1840 by a Quaker convert to Catholicism, Frederick LucasFrederick Lucas
Frederick Lucas was a British religious polemicist and founder of The Tablet. His brother Samuel Lucas was a newspaper editor and abolitionist.-Biography:...
, just 10 years before the restoration
Universalis Ecclesiae
Universalis Ecclesiae is the incipit of the papal bull of 29 September 1850 by which Pope Pius IX recreated the Roman Catholic diocesan hierarchy in England, which had been extinguished with the death of the last Marian bishop in the reign of Elizabeth I. New names were given to the dioceses, as...
of the Catholic hierarchy
Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales is the episcopal conference of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.-About:...
in England and Wales. It is the second-oldest surviving weekly journal in Britain after The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
(which was founded in 1828).
For the first 28 years of its life, The Tablet was owned by the Catholic laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
. In 1868, Fr (later Cardinal) Herbert Vaughan, who had founded the only British Catholic missionary society, the Mill Hill Missionaries
Mill Hill Missionaries
Mill Hill Missionaries is a society of Catholic missionaries founded in 1866.-External links:* * * http://www.vocationsireland.com/missionpriests/millhill.html...
, purchased the journal just before the First Vatican Council
First Vatican Council
The First Vatican Council was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This twentieth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, held three centuries after the Council of Trent, opened on 8 December 1869 and adjourned...
that defined papal infallibility
Papal infallibility
Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, by action of the Holy Spirit, the Pope is preserved from even the possibility of error when in his official capacity he solemnly declares or promulgates to the universal Church a dogmatic teaching on faith or morals...
. At his death he bequeathed the journal to the Archbishops of Westminster, the profits to be divided between Westminster Cathedral and the Mill Hill Fathers.
The Tablet was owned by successive Archbishops of Westminster
Archbishop of Westminster
The Archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the Metropolitan of the Province of Westminster and, as a matter of custom, is elected President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, and therefore de facto spokesman...
for 67 years. In 1935, Archbishop (later Cardinal) Hinsley
Arthur Hinsley
Arthur Hinsley was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1935 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1937.-Biography:...
sold the journal to a group of Catholic laymen. In 1976 ownership passed to The Tablet Trust, a registered charity.
Editors since 1935
From 1936 to 1967 the editor was Douglas Woodruff, formerly of The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, a historian and reputed wit whose hero was Hilaire Belloc
Hilaire Belloc
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc was an Anglo-French writer and historian who became a naturalised British subject in 1902. He was one of the most prolific writers in England during the early twentieth century. He was known as a writer, orator, poet, satirist, man of letters and political activist...
. His wide range of contacts, and his knowledge of international affairs, made the paper, it was said, essential reading in embassies around the world. He restored the fortunes of The Tablet, which had declined steeply. For many years (1938–1961) he was assisted by Michael Derrick
Michael Derrick
John Michael Derrick was the son of the artist, illustrator and cartoonist Thomas Derrick, and older brother of the writer Christopher Derrick...
, who after the Second World War was often acting editor.
Woodruff was followed as editor by the publisher and, like Woodruff, part owner Tom Burns
Tom Burns (publisher)
Thomas Ferrier Burns , publisher and magazine editor, was an important figure in mid-20th-century Catholic publishing in Britain.-Life:...
, who served from 1967 to 1982. Burns, a conservative in his political views, was a progressive on church matters, firmly in favour of the Vatican II
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
church reforms. A watershed came in 1968, when The Tablet took an editorial stance at odds with Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
's encyclical Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and issued on 25 July 1968. Subtitled On the Regulation of Birth, it re-affirms the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church regarding married love, responsible parenthood, and the continuing proscription of most forms of birth...
, which restated the traditional teaching against artificial contraception.
Burns was followed by the BBC producer John Wilkins, who had been Burns's assistant from 1967 to 1971. Under his editorship the journal's political stance was seen as centre-left. The paper continued to have a distinctive voice, consistently advocating further changes in the Church's post-Vatican II life and doctrine. Circulation climbed steadily throughout Wilkins's 21-year tenure. He retired at the end of 2003.
Catherine Pepinster, formerly executive editor of The Independent on Sunday, was appointed as the first female editor of The Tablet at the beginning of 2004. She has said that the journal will continue to provide a forum for "progressive, but responsible Catholic thinking, a place where orthodoxy is at home but ideas are welcome".