The Primus of the Old Roman Apostolate, His Grace ✠Jerome, attended the Battle of Ideas festival held at Church House, Westminster, the headquarters of the Church of England’s General Synod. This marked the culmination of more than a decade of desire to participate in the event, with previous years’ commitments having prevented attendance.
The Battle of Ideas, founded in 2005 by the Academy of Ideas, is recognised as one of Britain’s foremost forums for the free exchange of ideas. Its motto, “Free Speech Allowed,” captures its mission: to provide a public space where difficult and controversial issues can be openly debated. Each year the festival brings together hundreds of speakers and thousands of participants in a programme of more than a hundred debates across politics, science, culture, economics, and morality. The atmosphere is one not of passive listening but of active intellectual engagement, where participants are encouraged to test their assumptions and sharpen their reasoning.
The 2023 festival—its eighteenth edition—drew over 600 delegates from around the world and featured a roster of more than a hundred panels and discussions. Among those addressing the audience were comedian, author, and women’s advocate Graham Linehan, together with His Grace ✠Jerome, who lent his perspective on the deeper moral and cultural foundations of many of the issues under review.
Topics ranged widely, covering questions of gender identity, the roles of men and women in society, and the ideology of “Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion.” Further sessions explored developments in artificial intelligence, information technology, education, workplace practices, and current international affairs, including the Israel–Hamas conflict. With such breadth of material, the difficulty lay not in finding points of interest but in prioritising among an array of excellent contributions.
That the festival was held at Church House carried its own irony. Many of the very themes debated at the conference—particularly those associated with the cultural orthodoxies of “EDI”—are now cited as justifications for the increasing apostasy of the Church of England, within whose walls the gathering convened. As His Grace observed, the juxtaposition underscored the urgency of reclaiming truth and reason in the face of ideological capitulation.
Reflecting on the event, the Primus remarked:
“The experience was uplifting, enlightening, and deeply worthwhile. It demonstrated both the hunger and the necessity for honest debate in our age. For those of us committed to perennial truth, such occasions are invaluable reminders that, however hostile the times, truth not only endures but shines the brighter when placed against error.”
The Old Roman Apostolate views such engagement as part of its broader mission: to uphold perennial Catholic doctrine while participating in the intellectual and cultural battles that define our society. The Battle of Ideas 2023 offered a vivid testament to the importance of that task and to the continued need for voices willing to speak plainly, without fear, in defence of truth.
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