Loyal Dissent

Charles E. Curran, a Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Rochester, New York, is Elizabeth Scurlock University Professor of Human Values at Southern Methodist University. He was the first recipient of the John Courtney Murray Award for Theology and has served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the Society of Christian Ethics, and the American Theological Society. In 2003, Curran received the Presidential Award of the College Theology Society for a lifetime of scholarly achievements in moral theology, and in 2005, Call to Action-a reform movement of 25,000 Catholics-presented him with its leadership award. He is the author of The Moral Theology of Pope John Paul II and Catholic Social Teaching, 1891-Present, both published by Georgetown University Press.

To some Fr. Curran is a radical progressive; to others, and angry dissident. The truth is that he is neither ... Read the book. National Catholic Reporter For an intellectually gifted young man like Curran, there could be no going back to a time when theologians simply submitted to ecclesiastical censorship. Whether one ultimately agrees with Curran or not, his story is a reminder that when ideas lose their intrinsic power to command assent, authority can only do so much. Commonweal An inspiration. It is the story of a man totally dedicated to his vocation as theologian and priest, one who was treated harshly and unjustly and harbors no slightest touch of bitterness ... His book is entertaining, enlightening, challenging and hope-filled. Doctrine & Life Readers here encounter both an autobiographical work and a reflective memoir chronicling Curran's evolving moral reasoning. He adroitly confronts established moral tenets with the brilliance of a scholar and the sensitivity of a seasoned pastor. Library Journal Curran is a clear and engaging writer, and Loyal Dissent introduces us to many compelling personalities in the American Catholic Church, in its Roman guard, and in Catholic higher education, even as it provides us with a familial invitation into the lives of priest-professors from the 1950s to the present time. Journal of Religion [Curran] thinks laypeople ought not to be powerless within their own church. In short, he believes in freedom of thought and speech within his own religion. Fort Worth Weekly As this newly released memoir recounts, at a relatively young age Curran became, by choice and circumstance, the most infamous American Catholic theologian of his time. America A compelling look into the machinery of one of the world's largest religious communities. Curran reflects on both his ongoing commitment to the church that condemned him and his responsibility to challenge its positions. Science & Spirit The book deserves a wide readership, if not for learning about a critique of US Catholicism after Vatican II, then surely for drawing inspiration from the narrative of one moral theologian's fidelity and commitment to the best in the Catholic tradition. The Jurist

• PrefaceAcknowledgments 1. Beginnings 2. CUA: The Early Years 3. The Uproar over Humanae Vitae 4. Growing Tensions and Maturing Theology: The Seventies 5. Investigation and Condemnation 6. More Trials 7. Life after Condemnation 8. My Moral Theology 9. The Development of Theology in the Past Fifty Years 10. My Relationship to the Catholic Church NotesPublished Works of Charles E. CurranIndex