To Change the Church

November 1, 2016
As conservative New York Times columnist Douthat clarifies, when Pope Francis raises issues like communion for the divorced and the remarried, he begs the dangerous question of how the church should respond to the modern world.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2018
A balanced look at the struggle for the future of Catholicism.New York Times op-ed columnist Douthat (Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics, 2012) delves into the decadeslong struggle between liberal and conservative forces within Catholicism. Starting with the Second Vatican Council, the author then covers the turbulent 1970s, during which the church struggled to find its way in the post-conciliar world. With the election of Pope John Paul II, a conservative interpretation of the Council took precedence and found its fullest interpretation in John Paul's successor, Benedict XVI. With Benedict's surprising retirement in 2013, however, the church had a rare opportunity to change direction, and it did so with the choice of Jorge Bergoglio as Pope Francis. Despite the many issues facing Catholicism, Douthat chooses to focus mostly on the question of how the church views divorce and remarriage. Some of this work centers on remarriage and the pope's sometimes-ambiguous teachings and statements on the matter. While Francis is the central figure in such debates, most of the author's commentary has to do with the many cardinals, and other clergy, whose activism on one side or another fuels the fires of division within Catholicism. Perhaps the book's greatest attribute is the level to which it introduces average readers to the infighting among the Roman Curia and the larger family of bishops and cardinals who steer the church. Though largely sympathetic to Francis and Catholic liberalism, Douthat does play devil's advocate on many occasions and, in his conclusion, provides some criticisms of the pope. However, the author is prone to an overabundance of speculation, often bogging down his otherwise solid analysis with a series of what-ifs. His attempt to see the current church through historical lenses--e.g., comparisons with controversies over Arians, Jansenists, and other heresies and schisms--is laudable but overdone.An imperfect but certainly fascinating look at the church under Pope Francis.

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February 12, 2018
In this balanced investigation, Douthat (Bad Religion), columnist for the New York Times and convert to Catholicism, wonders whether Pope Francis will ultimately be helpful or harmful to the Catholic Church. The author describes his religious worldview as “conservative, in the sense that it assumes the church needs a settled core of doctrine, a clear unbroken link to the New Testament and the early Church, for Catholicism’s claims and structure and demands to make any sense at all.” Douthat explores the pontiff’s early days as a Jesuit in South America and his rise through the ranks of Church leadership. The former Cardinal Bergoglio chose the name Francis after the saint from Assisi who lived a simple life dedicated to the poor. This choice has set a tone for a papacy that has become increasingly progressive and more concerned about persons than strict doctrine. Douthat writes that many in the Church view Francis’s unprecedented choices as at odds with church tradition. For example, many have become alarmed at Francis’s statements about divorced Catholics who have not had their marriages annulled still being able to receive communion. His main concern is that Pope Francis is stirring up ambiguity regarding Catholic teaching on divorce, remarriage, and homosexuality. Douthat is never shy about sharing his staunch beliefs, but he is able to temper them with modesty and asks more questions than he answers. Those interested in contemporary Catholicism and how it might develop will be pleased with this look at the liberalizing policies of Pope Francis.