The Holocaust and Christian Theologies of Sin and Forgiveness: Imperative Need for Christians to Listen to Jews

Elizabeth Johnson, The Quest for the Living God (London: Bloomsbury, 2007)

Ruth Krall's recent sounding of various ecclesial responses to the sexual abuse of minors and how they raise profound questions about theologies of sin and forgiveness has made me think about the valuable contribution of Jewish thinkers to Christian theological reflection about these matters. Ruth's essay includes a paragraph surveying some Jewish thinkers on the topic of sin and forgiveness.

"A Broad, Deep, Clerical Conspiracy" and "Bishop Accountability Has Proved a Contradiction in Terms": More Commentary

And there's more: here's another diptych from recent commentary that I want to offer for your consideration — about a totally different topic than the one discussed in the diptych I just provided in my previous posting:

Joanna Moorhead in The Guardian on Pope's Letter re: Sexual Crimes of Clergy and Cover-up by Church Officials — "[H]ow Dare You Ask Ordinary Catholics Like Me to Atone?"

Joanna Moorhead for The Guardian on papal letter about clerical abuse crimes and their cover-up by church officials:

Robert Mickens on Bread, Circuses, and Dressed-Up Enbalmed Corpses for the Year of Mercy (and John Allen's Counter-Analysis)

Robert Mickens on bread and circuses (and dressed-up enbalmed corpses) for the Year of Mercy:

How the Confederate Battle Flag Is Like the Tridentine Mass: What Sister Never Knew and Father Never Told You Speaks Out

At the What Sister Never Knew and Father Never Told You site, blogger Consolamini minces no words as he compares the Confederate battle flag to the traditional Latin Mass, as it has become a shibboleth and organizing symbol of Catholics opposed to Vatican II at this point in history: 

Robert Blair Kaiser's Inside the Jesuits: How Pope Francis Is Changing the Church and the World — Jesuit DNA and the Papacy

Some weeks back, Rowman & Littlefield kindly sent me for review a copy of Robert Blair Kaiser's book Inside the Jesuits: How Pope Francis Is Changing the Church and the World (Lanham, MD: Rowan & Littlefield, 2014). The book has now, I believe, appeared in print, but the copy I received was an advance reading copy, a point I mention as I start this brief review because the page numbers I'm citing are from the page proofs, and both they and the text itself may have altered somewhat when the book was published.

Hans Küng's Can We Save the Catholic Church? on Anti-Vatican II Decision of John Paul II and Benedict XVI to Wage War Against Secular Culture

Three more passages from Hans Küng's book Can We Save the Catholic Church? (London: William Collins, 2013) that leap out at me as the U.S. Catholic bishops prepare to stage once again their Fortnight for Freedom freak show that is all about keeping the culture war alive in the U.S. to serve the interests of their anointed political party, the GOP:

Hans Küng, Can We Save the Catholic Church? Casts Cold Eye on "Monstrous Triumphant Rallies Staged for the Predecessors of Pope Francis"

In his book Can We Save the Catholic Church? (London: William Collins, 2013) Hans Küng casts a very cold eye on the massive PR-savvy rallies that began to be a hallmark of the contemporary papacy with the actor-pope John Paul II, who was convinced that focusing media attention on the papacy through massive well-staged (and lavishly funded) rallies, especially featuring young Catholics who were familiar with rock stars from popular culture, would save the Catholic church.

Hans Küng, Can We Save the Catholic Church?: Küng's Diagnosis of a Church Sick Unto Death

I'm nearing the end of Hans Küng's book Can We Save the Catholic Church? (London: William Collins, 2013), about which I began blogging several days ago. Before I provide any kind of overview of the book or summative statement about it, it occurs to me that it might be helpful if I identify the premise from which Küng's analysis flows. 

Hans Küng, Can We Save the Catholic Church?: An Excerpt re: President George W. Bush and Pope Benedict XVI

I've mentioned in the comboxes here in the past several days that I'm now reading Hans Küng's new book Can We Save the Catholic Church?, trans. Dr. Herrlinger of Tübingen, with reworking by Thomas Riplinger and Andrew Lyon (London: William Collins, 2013). Kathy Hughes, a faithful reader of and contributor to this blog, kindly sent me a copy of the book.*

The Day of the Four Popes: Pope Francis and the Reform (??) of the Church

The day of the four popes, they're calling it.

Catholic Moral Theologian Lisa Fullam: An Argument for a Catholic Moral Obligation to Support Civil Marriage for Same-Sex Couples

At Bondings 2.0, Catholic moral theologian Lisa Fullam takes a careful look at the U.S. Catholic Bishops' argument that Catholics must oppose civil marriage for same-sex couples. She concludes that, in fact, Catholics appear to have a strong moral obligation to support civil marriage for same-sex couples.

United Nations Releases Scathing Report on Handling of Abuse Crisis by Catholic Authorities

The United Nations Committee on Protection of the Rights of the Child has now released its report (pdf file) following the Vatican's grilling (and here) by that committee in mid-January. The report is scathing. The committee report urges the Vatican to act immediately to remove from ministry all priests known to have abused or suspected of having abused children, and to report them to civil authorities.

Two Video Discussions of Pope Benedict's Defrocking of 400 Priests Who Had Abused Minors: "They've Been Kicked into Society with No Repercussions Whatsoever"

Two video interviews discussing the AP report that, in 2011 and 2012 Pope Benedict defrocked some 400 priests who has abused children: in the first, Judy Block-Jones, Midwest Director of SNAP, speaks to Al Jazeera, and in the second, Father Thomas Reese and Joelle Casteix (also of SNAP) speak to Milissa Rehberger of MSNBC:

Another Prediction for 2014: Talk of the Dying of Catholicism Even as Lay-Led Catholic Movements Flourish

Another prediction I'd be willing to go out onto a limb and make as the new year begins: we will be hearing more in this year about the death of the Catholic church in this culture and that culture--though counter-indicators in many of these cultures will indicate that Catholicism is alive and well within the culture. But the Catholicism that is flourishing in these cultures is often a new (and simultaneously old) expression of the Catholic tradition.

Catholic Ethicist Daniel Maguire on Pope's Interview as End of the Catholic Church's "Pelvic Zone Orthodoxy"

Catholic ethicist Daniel Maguire on Pope Francis's comments in the interview released yesterday:

My Theological Reflection on Pope Francis's Jesuit Interview: "God Is Encountered Walking, Along the Path"

Where is God?

Richard Sipe on Culture of clerical Narcissism, Eugene Kennedy on Francis and Mount Hierarchicus, Joan Chittister on Mary and Women Religious

Frank Douglas has uploaded an important article to his Voice from the Desert website. It's a well-documented multi-part study entitled "Spirituality and the Culture of Narcissism," by A.W. Richard Sipe, Marianne Benkert, and Thomas P. Doyle. This morning, I'd like to take note of part one of the essay, Richard Sipe's "The Clerical Sub-Culture." (I plan to comment on the rest of the parts of the essay down the road.)

Eugene Kennedy on John Paul II's Beatification: The Saint Who Kept Looking Away (A Re-Posting)

I published this piece back in January 2011. With the announcement this past week by Pope Francis that he is moving the canonization of John Paul II forward, Eugene Kennedy's fine statement is on my mind again, and I want to share this item again. Here's what I wrote in 2011:

Eugene Kennedy's reading at National Catholic Reporter this week of what the beatification of John Paul II will signify for many Catholics is thought-provoking.  And, as with everything Kennedy writes, masterfully written.

Reforming the Catholic Church Today: Three Perspectives

Steve's surgery seems to have gone well, and he has spent the day sleeping. Thank you, all who have asked about this and have told us you'll be praying. We both appreciate it very much.