Can We Save the Catholic Church?
-
-
3.0 • 2 Ratings
-
-
- $0.99
-
- $0.99
Publisher Description
The Catholic Church has been nearly destroyed by its resistance to change, censured for its abuses. Pope Francis has promised reform: radical theologian Hans Küng here presents what Catholics have long been yearning for: modern responses to the challenges of a modern world.
In 1962 the Second Vatican Council met in the hope they could, in the words of Pope John XXIII, ‘open the windows of the Church and let some fresh air in.’ Hans Küng and Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope, were both there.
In Can We Save the Catholic Church? Kung relates how after fifty years the Church has only grown more conservative. Refusing to open dialogue on celibacy for priests; the role of women in the priesthood; homosexuality; or the use of contraception even to prevent AIDS, the Papacy has lost touch. Now, amid widespread disillusion over child abuse, the future of Catholicism is in crisis.
Pope Francis seems sincere in his wish for a more compassionate Church. The time is ripe for reform, and here Küng calls for a complete renewal of the Church. As grassroots support grows Can We Save the Catholic Church? makes an inspiring and compelling case for offering a new Catholicism to the modern world.
Reviews
“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
About the author
Hans Küng 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 Küng for his rejection of Papal Infallability. Küng is a professor at the University of Tübingen and the founder of the Global Ethic Foundation. A a prolific author and respected commentator on Church matters, he is 84 years of age.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The Catholic Church is hemorrhaging members and is in dire need of assistance, proclaims Kung, prominent theologian at the University of Tubingen and founder of the Global Ethic Foundation. According to the author, in the decades following the second Vatican Council, the church's hierarchy became more entrenched, ossified, and resistant to change. Droves of faithful are leaving Catholicism for other denominations, and young people do not consider organized religion relevant to their lives. This assessment is highly credible, as it comes from a man with a strong intellectual voice and a wise heart, who was present at Vatican II and who has been fighting for reform for five decades. The author's response to the question posed in the title is, "Yes," but only if the hierarchy, along with the people in the pews, return to the foundational message of Jesus and discard the trappings of power, pomp, and prestige. These were never meant to define the Church, which needs to embrace its initial mission to spread God's word.
Customer Reviews
Insane
As usual, this apostate of Vatican II, says the Vatican II “Church” is too conservative! Are you out of your mind??? Everything is allowed now! The modernists and Freemasons are in total control of this false church. Is antipope Francis not destroying what is left fast enough for you?