2.06.2005 | "Cornwell loves the Church"

What can you say when an extreme liberal reviews a book on Pope John Paul II by an even more extreme liberal? The liberal author is John Cornwell -- creator of the anti-Church screed "Hitler's Pope", and now, a new (likely) attack on the church in the person of JPII, "The Pontiff in Winter."

The liberal reviewer is himself an author, James Carroll ("Constantine's Sword" and most recently "Crusade: Chronicles of an Unjust War" (referring to our current war against Islamic terror). Don't you just wonder what side of the political fence Carroll is on? Just kidding; of course we know -- the review by Carroll of his fellow Church-hater Cornwell was in the January 30, 2005 Washington Post's Book Review. So what do you think?

Carroll loves the Pope for being against war. Carroll hates the Pope for exercising his papal authority. Carroll equates the fight against totalitarianism with women's rights to become priests. Consider this pairing of supposedly contradictory things that His Holiness is supposed to favor

The conventional assessment of John Paul II contrasts the pope's liberalizing work outside Catholicism with his profoundly anti-liberal governance of the Church itself. Thus his support of pro-democracy movements against totalitarian regimes stands in stark relief to the rigid authoritarianism with which he has squelched not only theological dissent but also the regional autonomy of bishops (which, in part, accounts for the bishops' grievous failure to act against priestly abuse of children). John Paul II's global promotion of human rights is seen against his rejection, say, of the demands of Catholic women for equality (which contributes to the astounding collapse of the Church's moral authority on all matters having to do with sex).

The Pope just can't win. As a Protestant, I've my own thoughts on the Catholic Church, and in Christian charity I won't put them down here. But I'm a Protestant, and owe no allegiance to Rome. However, I also happen to greatly admire John Paul II and know that where I disagree with him (as on the war on terror or on the supremacy of the Roman Church) that he comes to his positions out of prayerful consideration of the issues.

One must wonder about those who are on the inside, such as Carroll and Cornwell, who supposedly love their church yet seem to have such an abiding hatred for its structure and dogmas. "Cornwell loves the Church." writes Carroll. I wonder if Cornwell wrote the same about Carroll?. Regardless, on the subject of "Hitler's Pope", it might be a useful palate cleanser to take a look at what a true Catholic has to say on the subject of Pio XII (review in First Things by Fr. John Jay Hughes).

| technorati tag | evangelism|