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Who are the new priests in our society? They’re our writers, our therapists, or maybe even the stranger on the train

Leonard Cohen: singer, poet, and perhaps the closest thing we had to a secular pope

I never thought I’d say this, but sometimes I miss having priests in my life. Or, to be more specific, I miss getting the occasional nuggets of truth contained in the sermons given by priests.

It’s a strange thing for me to admit, because I’m not religious, and I never have been. As a child, I spent my time in Mass daydreaming and fantasising about swinging from the chandeliers until I could propel ...