Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 7 March 1274), was a Doctor of the Church, Philosopher, Theologian, Jurist, Dominican Friar, and Priest. Known as Doctor Angelicus "Angelic Doctor," and the Doctor Communis "Universal Doctor" his writings serve as a defense and proof of the validity of Christ's authority over all. The Summa contra Gentiles (also known as Liber de veritate catholicae fidei contra errores infidelium, "Book on the truth of the Catholic faith against the errors of the unbelievers"). The Summa contra Gentiles consists of four books. The structure of Saint Thomas's work is designed to proceed from general philosophical arguments for monotheism, to which Muslims and Jews are likely to consent even within their own respective religious traditions, before progressing to the discussion of specifically Christian doctrine.
Book II is dedicated to the Creation (in other words, the physical universe, everything which exists).
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24 July 2026
Summa Contra Gentiles, Book II: XXXII Arguments of Whom Want To Prove an Eternal World by God
From Contemplating History
AI, Humanity, and the Church | Magnifica Humanitas Part 1
From Crash Course Catholicism
In this first episode of our series on Pope Leo's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, we explore what the Catholic Church has to say about artificial intelligence, the digital revolution, and what it means to be truly human.
Pope Leo argues that AI is not simply another technological innovation. Instead, it is reshaping the way we work, communicate, think, and understand ourselves. Drawing on the biblical stories of the Tower of Babel and Nehemiah, he challenges us to build a future rooted not in pride or efficiency alone, but in human dignity, communion, and the common good.
This video covers:
- Why Pope Leo compares aspects of the digital age to the Tower of Babel
- How AI is changing society and human relationships
- The difference between unity and uniformity
- Why technology is neither inherently good nor evil
- The Catholic understanding of artificial intelligence and human dignity
- How Christians can remain deeply human in an increasingly digital world
Has Facial Recognition Identified Anne Boleyn in a Hans Holbein Drawing? Anne Boleyn’s Appearance
From History Calling
Has facial recognition identified Anne Boleyn in a Hans Holbein drawing by comparing it to pictures of her family members, including her daughter Elizabeth I and have the researchers also identified pictures of Anne Boleyn’s mother, Lady Elizabeth Howard and Anne Boleyn’s sister, Mary Boleyn? In this Tudor history documentary from History Calling I look at the new journal article by Karen L. Davies, Hassan Ugail and David G. Stork to ask if their research holds water and if we have finally solved the mystery of what Anne Boleyn really looked like. Above all, is this a Hans Holbein drawing of Anne Boleyn?
The article claims that by comparing an image of an unknown woman with brown hair and eyes and a striking flat topped hat, drawn in the 1530s or early 1540s by Hans Holbein the Younger, to known images of some of Anne’s relatives, facial recognition software gives a high probability that this is the second wife of Henry VIII. What about the holes in the research though? How reliable is facial recognition software when used on drawings and paintings instead of photographs? How can we be confident this is Anne when we have no confirmed, contemporary images of her to compare it too and the team discounted a 1534 medal of her due to its damage? Why did they compare this image to NPG 668 of Anne Boleyn, but not the Hever Rose portrait of Anne Boleyn? Why did they opt to compare this drawing to only one image of Anne’s daughter and why didn’t they include the only image we have of her father, Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond, in their analysis? Are there other Tudor women who could be depicted in this drawing and what did they say about an image long labelled as Lady Vaux?
If you love Tudor art history, the history of Anne Boleyn or historical mysteries, then this is the video for you. Make sure to subscribe and switch on the bell icon for more.
Andy Burnham: UK’s First Catholic Prime Minister? Yes and No
If he were to actually act like a Catholic in No. 10 Downing Street, the Red Socialist Labour Party would turf him out in just a few minutes!
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From Aleteia
By Joanne McPortland
Labour Party's Andy Burnham says Catholicism is an important part of his life and his politics -- though he no longer practices the faith.When Andrew Murray Burnham became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom this month, news stories were quick to call him the first Catholic to hold this office. It's true that Burnham, who was born to an Irish Catholic mother in the Liverpool area, identifies himself as Catholic. That's big news in the UK, where the established church is Protestant and until the early 1800s, Catholic were barred from any Parliamentary office, not to mention that of Prime Minister.
Today's Britain is deeply secularized, with 37% of those surveyed in England and Wales recently claiming "no religion," and less than half calling themselves Christian. But past tensions between Catholics and Protestants were not limited to clashes in Ireland. As the New York Times explained in a profile of Burnham's faith:
The English church originated in King Henry VIII’s long-ago break with Rome. The story in other parts of Britain was different, but religious rivalry and fear were widespread.
English Protestants regarded a Catholic leader as a threat to their sovereignty, a fear that eventually led to the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which saw the overthrow of the last Catholic king, James II. Anti-Catholic laws followed. Legislation passed in 1829 and then 1858 removed many, but not all, of those legal barriers.
The UK has had one prime minister who was Jewish by birth -- Benjamin Disraeli was raised in the Church of England from his early teens -- and one practicing Hindu, Rishi Sunak. Boris Johnson was baptized Catholic but received into the Anglican Church as an Eton student. Tony Blair was married to a Catholic and often attended Catholic services while prime minister, but did not officially convert until after leaving office. The Catholic Tudor Queen Mary I appointed a Catholic as her chief advisor, but there was no such formal role as prime minister at the time.
So Andy Burnham is a first.
Cultural identity, Catholic social teaching
Burnham himself, however, admits his Catholicism is more a part of his cultural identity than a devotional practice. He attended Catholic grammar school and high school, and with his brothers was an altar server. His mother, Eileen, who carried her rosary beads openly as her son's family took up residence at 10 Downing Street, remembers: "You should have seen the fights he and his brothers had on Sundays. They were all altar boys, but Andy had to be the one at the front holding the Communion plate.”
In 2009, Burnham told The Guardian:
“Three things are important in my life, apart from family. Everton F.C., the Labour Party and the Catholic church — in that order.” (Everton, which is based in Liverpool, is the soccer club he has long supported.) “The reason I say that is, it all comes back to cultural identity,” he added.
But while his practice of the faith lapsed as an adult, one strong influence shaped Burnham's political life. Even as an altar boy he had listened avidly to the messages of Liverpool's Catholic Archbishop Derek Worlock, who spoke forcefully against the social injustices of Thatcherist Britain. Today Burnham describes Catholic social teaching as the bedrock of his work: “I was brought up in the belief in Catholic social teaching and that was hugely formative. As I saw it, the closest thing to what I was told there was Labour politics," he told Britain's The Telegraph.
While serving in Parliament and as Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham often clashed with Church teaching on contraception and homosexuality while upholding the option for the poor and homeless.
Catholic leaders watching
Pope Leo XIV, who is rumored to be planning a visit to Great Britain, will certainly be watching how Burnham's Catholic background might shape his policy directions. It's a question Catholic leaders in the UK will be keeping an eye on, too, as NCR reports:
Catholic leaders will no doubt watch how the new prime minister might deal with contentious issues such as assisted dying, considered anathema to the Catholic Church, or funding for faith schools.
The leading Catholic cleric in England and Wales, the archbishop of Westminster, Richard Moth, told the BBC earlier this month that being a Catholic and Christian as Burnham is, "informs conscience, the way you think about things."
Under Burnham, he said he hoped "we are going to see that real concern for humanity, not just on the grand scale but for the needs of families and the homeless." And outside Downing Street on Monday, Burnham said his first task as prime minister is to end "rough sleeping in our country," referring to unhoused people sleeping on the street.
At this historic moment, all Catholics might want to do what Eileen Burnham is surely doing for her son every day: say a prayer that his Catholic roots may yield good things for his country and its people.
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