Catherine Pepinster (born 7 June 1959) is an English editor,

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

, commentator and writer with a focus on

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, Catholic and

Anglican ecumenism Anglican interest in ecumenical dialogue can be traced back to the time of the Reformation and dialogues with both Orthodox and Lutheran churches in the sixteenth century. In the nineteenth century, with the rise of the Oxford Movement, there ...

, church history, and religion and politics. She was the first female editor of ''

The Tablet ''The Tablet'' is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017. History ''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by a Quaker convert ...

'' in the newspaper's 176-year history. In 2017 she published the book ''The Keys and the Kingdom: The British and the Papacy from John Paul II to Francis''.

Education

Pepinster has a BA in economics and social science from the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

, a postgraduate diploma in journalism from

City, University of London City, University of London, is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, and a member institution of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute, and became a university when The City Univ ...

, and an MA in philosophy and religion from

Heythrop College, University of London Heythrop College, University of London, was a constituent college of the University of London between 1971 and 2018, last located in Kensington Square, London. It comprised the university's specialist faculties of philosophy and theology with soc ...

Career

Pepinster began her career in journalism as a reporter for a newspaper in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

and

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

in 1981. In 1985, she worked as a property correspondent for the ''

Sheffield Telegraph The ''Sheffield Telegraph'' is a weekly newspaper published in Sheffield, England. Founded in 1855 as the ''Sheffield Daily Telegraph'', it became known as the ''Sheffield Telegraph'' in 1938. History The ''Sheffield Telegraph'' was founded i ...

'' before becoming a chief reporter at ''Estates Times'' in 1986. In 1987, she was a news editor for ''

Building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fun ...

'' and in 1989 she began working as a reporter for ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

''. She worked as a news editor for '' Time Out'' until 1994, when she began working as an assistant news editor at ''

The Independent on Sunday ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

''. She was promoted to deputy news editor at ''The Independent on Sunday'' in 1995 and promoted again to news editor in 1997. In 199,8 she transferred to a job as a features editor at ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' before going back to ''The Independent on Sunday'' in 1999 to work as an assistant editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2002. Pepinster worked as the executive editor of ''The Independent on Sunday'' until joining ''

'' as editor in 2004. Upon her appointment, Pepinster became the first female editor in ''The Tablet''s 176 year history. During her period as editor, she was responsible for covering three papacies, those of

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

, and

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

. She led the paper during the death of John Paul II, the election and resignation of Benedict XVI as well as his state visit to the United Kingdom in 2010, and the conclave that elected Francis. While editor, Pepinster helped modernise ''The Tablet'' by redesigning its online presence and creating social media accounts. She led the paper as it marked its 175th anniversary. In December 2016, Pepinster stepped down from the position as editor of ''The Tablet'', after serving in the role for thirteen years, and was succeeded by Brendan Walsh. In 2005, Pepinster edited the book ''John Paul II: Reflections from The Tablet'', which was a collection of written works by members of the staff at ''The Tablet''. On 16 November 2017, Pepinster's book ''The Keys and the Kingdom: The British and the Papacy from John Paul II to Francis'', which focuses on the politics and relationships between the Catholic Church and the British Crown, was published. Since leaving ''The Tablet'', Pepinster has contributed as a religion and politics writer for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', the ''

National Catholic Reporter The ''National Catholic Reporter'' (''NCR'') is a progressive national newspaper in the United States that reports on issues related to the Catholic Church. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, ''NCR'' was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964. Hoyt want ...

'', ''

Catholic Herald The ''Catholic Herald'' is a London-based Roman Catholic monthly newspaper and starting December 2014 a magazine, published in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and, formerly, the United States. It reports a total circulation of abo ...

'', ''

The Christian Century ''The Christian Century'' is a Christian magazine based in Chicago, Illinois. Considered the flagship magazine of US mainline Protestantism, the monthly reports on religious news; comments on theological, moral, and cultural issues; and reviews ...

'', ''

Religion News Service Religion News Service (RNS) is a news agency covering religion, ethics, spirituality and moral issues. It publishes news, information, and commentaries on faiths and religious movements to newspapers, magazines, broadcast organizations and religio ...

'', ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'', and ''

Crux Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for c ...

''. Her work has also been featured in ''

America Magazine ''America'' is a monthly Christian magazine published by the Jesuits of the United States and headquartered in midtown Manhattan. It contains news and opinion about Catholicism and how it relates to American politics and cultural life. It has been ...

''. In April 2017, Pepinster was appointed as the United Kingdom's Development Officer for the

Anglican Centre in Rome Anglican Centre in Rome is an ecumenical organisation which is dedicated to improving relations between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church. It was founded in 1966 with the encouragement of Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canter ...

Personal life

Pepinster is a practising Catholic and describes herself as

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

. She is a survivor of breast cancer. Pepinster supports Brentford Football Club.

References

External links

Catherine Pepinster on Twitter

Catherine Pepinster on WordPress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pepinster, Catherine 1959 births Living people English Roman Catholic writers English newspaper editors English women journalists English women writers The Independent people Catholic–Anglican ecumenism Alumni of the University of Manchester Alumni of City, University of London Alumni of Heythrop College Women newspaper editors Religion journalists