Reviews for Conflict and change in the Catholic Church

The average rating for Conflict and change in the Catholic Church based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-12-06 00:00:00 Tabatha Silk This book reports on the contemporary state of the institutional church. It includes the author's own confessional statements which help us to understand his perspective and criticisms of the Roman Church. It is a good assessment of the Church without the sensational overtones which I have so often found in books written by journalists examining the Roman Catholic faith. Cornwell introduces the notions and issues that surfaced at the time of the so-called Modernist Crisis. He does so wisely and reveals that his personal convictions are in sympathy with the thinking of these theologians. This gives the work philosophical credibility as opposed to mere opinion. The following passage, found on pp 215/216, is typical of the observations and insight Cornwell shares with the reader throughout the book. "Pluralist, multicultural societies are a fact, and Catholics have to live in such societies by according more than mere tolerance for the convictions of their fellow citizens. After all, Catholics expect the same respect of others. Moreover, how can the world avoid destroying itself if its religionists cannot find a way of living together in harmony?...But Christian theologians rightly object that theirs is a Trinitarian God, a God that essentially expresses the truth of creation and salvation, and which is profoundly distinct from that of the God of Israel, or of Islam, or the Gods of the Hindus, or Buddhism. All the same, brave attempts have been made by Catholic theologians to find a basis for genuine respect." To my mind, in our time, a basis for such genuine respect may be found via an existential philosophy with roots in the thinking of the "modernist" theologians. I recommend this book to any serious philosopher or theologian.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-03-12 00:00:00 Angela Keith The author spent 7 years as a seminarian, then left the Church only to return after 20 years. He has written several books on the papacy. This book is his look at the Catholic Church in current times and the problems it faced in the new century. The Church had a divide between conservative and progressive factions. The conservative wing wants the Church to be a top down hierarchy with the pope as the sole determinant in all facets of the Church. The progressive wing wants more decentralization of the Church giving bishops and laity more say in doctrinal issues and how the Church operates. The main issues of division are the power of the Curia, the role of women including becoming priests, intellectual freedom to question doctrine and the issues of sexual nature. This last category has many facet: the sex abuse scandals, divorce, gay rights, contraception and premarital sex. The current pope has ruled against the use of condoms even to prevent the spread of HIV/ AIDS. This has severely contributed to the spread of the disease in Africa and other third world countries. The refusal to accept divorce has lead to the banning of the sacraments to divorced or remarried laity. The Church is also suffering from the reduced interest in becoming priests or joining religious orders. This is a problem facing many denominations today. The author suggests that the Church must change how it operates if it is to continue as a universal body.