Can We Save the Catholic Church?

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.

‘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 PriestsCan we save the Catholic Church? has both authority and authenticity. Küng’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 Küng 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 FMDMThis 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.