Jesus wept Seven popes and the battle for the soul of the Catholic church

Journalist Shenon (The Commission) delivers a dense history of the modern Catholic church. Covering the past 75 years, he depicts an institution caught between the competing ideals of authority versus tolerance, or what Pope John XXIII referred to as the "medicine of mercy." During WWII, Shenon notes, Pope Pius XII promulgated "dire warnings about sinful practices" and ignored "irrefutable intelligence" about the deaths of millions of Jews at the hands of the Nazis. Later, he centralized power in the Vatican with a 1949 decree that reinforced strict divisions between Catholics and Protestants. In the 1960s, John XXIII permitted worship in Latin to be replaced with vernacular language and pursued reconciliation efforts with the Jewish people. Subsequent popes were drawn into debates over birth control, sexuality, and relations with the world's religions. Shenon digs most deeply into the church's child sexual abuse scandals, arguing that John Paul III and Benedict XVI helped to cover them up by sitting on reams of evidence and failing to investigate accused clergy members. Drawing on prodigious research, the author paints a richly detailed portrait of a complex, hierarchical, and secretive institution as it grappled with a modernizing world. Unfortunately, the profusion of detail sometimes precludes broader meditations on the long-term implications of the crises described. Still, devoted Catholics and scholars of Catholicism will want this on their bookshelves. (Feb.)

The crises affecting the papacy of Pope Francis have roots extending back decades. To better understand the current pope, investigative journalist Shenon (A Cruel and Shocking Act: The Secret History of the Kennedy Assassination) tells the story of the modern papacy through the eyes of the last seven men who have held the office. Beginning with the reign of Pope Pius XII and the aftermath of World War II, the book explores the personalities, politics, and conflicts that marked each pope's reign. The popes confronted pleas to rescind the ban on the use of contraception, the declining number of priests, and calls to end the requirement of celibacy, along with pleas for women's ordination and an increased role for the laity. Demands for reform usually ended with the pope reaffirming traditional church teachings, Shenon shows. The clerical sex abuse scandals that erupted during John Paul II's and Benedict XVI's reigns were often ignored by earlier popes, even as credible allegations mounted and reassigning offending priests failed to prevent abuse. VERDICT Readers interested in the Catholic Church and religious history will enjoy this insightful work. Contributions from top theologians about the roles that various women played in papal households add considerable depth and detail to the stories of the popes.--Chad E. Statler

Highly critical assessment of the modern papacy. Journalist Shenon provides a detailed, well-researched, and quite frankly epic examination of the Roman Catholic popes of living memory. Beginning with a brief treatment of Pius XII, who led the church through World War II and the early Cold War, Shenon recounts each succeeding pope up to today's Francis. His assessments are honest and, at times, brutal. Aside from John XXIII, who called together the Second Vatican Council, the author finds many reasons for fault among these spiritual leaders. Even Pope Francis, with whom the author seems to agree on most topics, is portrayed as highly lacking in the courage, will, and ability to reform the church. Speaking of Francis, he notes: "His greatest failure, like that of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, was his refusal to grapple with the clerical sexual abuse crisis." Indeed, the sexual abuse scandal acts as a prime focus of criticism through much of Shenon's work, as these modern popes display utter incompetence in handling the issue, decade after decade. However, many other aspects of the post--World War II papacy also give the reader reason to pause. The unending political maneuvering of the Vatican, its secrecy, and its bureaucratic gamesmanship color nearly every page of this study. The reader finds the Vatican led by popes who display misogyny, hypocrisy, and downright pettiness toward rivals. Shenon especially spotlights these issues by following critical voices for reform, such as theologian Hans Küng, as they struggled with the church through time. Apologists for the church will doubtlessly find plenty of reason to argue with Shenon, but he also gives them a great deal of material to defend. An extraordinary accomplishment: controversial, but crucial for discussions in today's Catholic Church. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.