Can We Save the Catholic Church?

Description

As the Year of Faith closes, during which the new Pope Francis promised to reform the Curia, radical Catholic theologian Hans Kung presents the Church with an urgent diagnosis and set of recommendations. Can We Save the Catholic Church? promises what Catholics have long been yearning for: modern responses to the challenges of a modern world. Fifty years ago, the world's bishops gathered for the Second Vatican Council in the hope they could, in the words of Pope John XXIII, 'open the windows of the Church and let some fresh air in.' It was a gathering of real optimism; Hans Kung and Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope, were both there. In Can We Save the Catholic Church? Kung relates how after fifty years and three Popes, the Church has only pulled the shutters back down, becoming ever more conservative. Refusing to open dialogue on celibacy for male priests; the role of women in the priesthood; homosexuality and gay marriage; or the use of contraception even to prevent AIDS in Africa, the Roman System is losing touch. Now, amid widespread disillusion over child abuse, the future of Catholicism is in crisis. Since his election, Pope Francis has made more signs than ever before that the Church can present a more compassionate vision of Christianity to the world. The time is ripe for reform, and Kung calls for a complete renewal of the Church, setting out a radical and inspiring programme of action. As grassroots support grows - in the UK and internationally - Can We Save the Catholic Church? makes a compelling case for structural reform and for a proper dialogue on the modern world.

Hans Kung is a Catholic priest and theologian. Together, he and Joseph Ratzinger were the youngest advisors at Vatican II, subsequently adopting opposite stances on the Church, with Ratzinger and the Vatican eventually trying to silence Kung for his rejection of Papal Infallability. Kung is a professor at the University of Tubingen and the founder of the Global Ethic Foundation. A a prolific author and respected commentator on Church matters, he is 84 years of age.

'An impassioned critique of the centrist-absolutist DNA of the Catholic Church' New Statesman "It is such an easy and accessible read, and at the same time it is a marvellous synthesis of the problems facing the Church at present. It shows how much he cares for the Church and for the Christian message." Fr Tony Flannery, C.Ss.R. Founder of the Association of Catholic Priests Can we save the Catholic Church? has both authority and authenticity. Kung's authorship is its own guarantee of impeccable scholarship and research. Working within the Catholic framework, his expertise and vast learning support his suggestions for examination and reform. British readers will, perhaps, reflect that the full title of the Opposition in the UK Government is that of the 'Loyal Opposition': disagreement is not necessarily disloyalty. It is this very quality which differentiates Can we save the Catholic Church? from the many books which can only be described as 'Catholic-bashing'. This book makes for frequently uncomfortable reading, but it is worth noting that Kung has submitted a copy to Pope Francis, who has promised to read it. It calls for the Church to embrace the spirit and teachings of Vatican II and fits into the time-honoured framework allotted to Catholic academics who, sometimes at personal cost, strive to make the Gospel meaningful and relevant in their own society. Sr Janet Fearns FMDM This latest book is incisive and sharp; it is also a very accessible read. He examines, over a text running to some 350 pages, the historical background detail that precedes our present circumstances. He honestly confronts the Church as it is and yet lays out a future that continues the Gospel mission of the Church if only we recognise our present reality and respond to it. Chris McDonnell, retired headteacher and member of A Call to Action UK.