About a year ago, I had never heard of Fr. Robert Barron. Now it seems that every time I turn around online, he is there! And this is a good thing, as Fr. Barron is a wonderful explicator of the Catholic Faith today. Fellow blogger Brandon Vogt recently interviewed Fr. Barron on Catholics in the New Media and other topics. I thought the answer to Brandon’s first question was spot on:

Through “Word on Fire”, your podcasts, blogs, writings, and ambitious documentary, “The Catholicism Project”, you are reaching a multitude of people around the world. As someone using New Media to evangelize the globe, what advice would you give Christians on using these technologies in service of the Gospel, and what dangers lurk within their use?

Fr. Barron: My advice to those who would venture into the new media is to prepare yourself by immersing one’s self into the depths of the Catholic tradition. The great danger of the new media is that it seems to relish the superficial. There has been an ethos within the Church for many years to pursue an accommodationist strategy in regards to the culture, and this has resulted in a public presentation of the Faith that is often nebulous or “dumbed down.” Presenting the Faith as intelligible does not mean that we have to compromise the profundity of our great Tradition. We are the bearers of a Faith that inspired one of the most interesting civilizations that the world has ever known. The faithful are the route of access to this culture and its patrimony which is expressed in art, architecture, literature and theological reflection. The world needs to know all this, but we have to be sure that we know it ourselves before we can even begin to share the Faith with others.

Continue reading…

Today is the feast of the first martyrs of Rome, commemorating those Christians who died during the persecution of Nero around 64AD. One cannot overestimate the impact of martyrdom on the early Church, as until the 4th century, the Church was the Church of Martyrs.

During this time there was no formal process of canonization; most of those raised to the altars took a simple, if painful, path: they died for the faith. We can see the central place of martyrdom in Christianity with the account of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, in the Acts of the Apostles. That account is a turning point in that book’s story of the early Church. Fourth century St. Ephrem the Syrian sings the praise of the martyrs in his Hymns on Paradise:

Those who have been crowned for our Lord’s sake
with the martyr’s death by the sword
shine out in glory there
with their crowns
because their bodies despised
the persecutors’ fire.
Like stars do they blossom
in Paradise

We who live our faith in comfort and safety can easily forget the sacrifice others have made to pass on that faith. It is unlikely that any of us will face a “red martyrdom” but we must remember that all of us are called to “white martyrdom,” in which we continually die to self in order to “live in Christ.” This can be done by the mother who does the same tasks every day joyfully in order to serve her family or the businessman who gives up professional advancement or more money in order to spend more time with his family. Every day presents opportunities to die to self – we just need to recognize them and, by the grace of God, unite them to our Lord on the Cross.

Holy martyrs of Rome, pray for us!

Other than Jesus there is no figure more richly drawn in the New Testament than St. Peter, the leader of the apostles whose feast we celebrate today (along with St. Paul). Reading the Gospels and Acts, one really gets a sense of this loyal, impulsive, courageous and flawed man. Much of his personality comes out in the many declarations of his that Scripture records. Thus, I have decided to list here my 10 favorite St. Peter quotes (I would have also done the same for St. Paul, but I’m afraid I would just end up listing his entire epistles).

Favorite St. Peter Quotes

10) “We believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 15:11)

9) “We have given up everything and followed you.” (Mark 10:28)

8 ) “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, (rise and) walk.” (Acts 3:6)

7) “Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20)

6) “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

5) “Lord, you know that I love you” (John 21:15, 16, 17)

4) “Get up. I am only a man myself.” (Acts 10:26)

3) “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” (Luke 5:8)

2) “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)

1) “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Mt. 16:16)

Sts. Peter and Paul, pray for us!

Baseball fans throughout the Roman Empire are excited about this year’s hot team, the Jerusalem Apostles. After a slow start, the Apostles have caught fire and are dominating the league. Here is tonight’s starting lineup:

1: John Zebedee, centerfield
Clearly the fastest man on the team (he once smoked Simon Peter in a foot race), young John has put up some impressive numbers this year in the leadoff spot. And his amazing eyesight (earning him the nickname, “Eagle Eyes”) has helped him in the field as well, as it seems that he catches everything hit his way.

2:Matthew, right field
Another speedster, Matthew has a gun for an arm, which serves him well in right field. Usually overshadowed by the flashier John, Matthew still produces respectable numbers.

3: Thomas, left field
Probably the most underrated player on the team, he still is trying to live down the infamous scene in the ‘33 Series when he questioned his manager’s presence in the clubhouse. But he has always been a strong hitter and proclaims that he would “die” for his team.

4: Simon Peter, 1st base
Team captain Simon Peter has been plagued with inconsistency throughout his career, but management has stuck with him throughout. Although he has a high number of strikeouts, it seems that whenever Peter puts his bat on the ball, it leaves the ballpark for a round-tripper, making him the clear choice for the cleanup role.

5: Andrew, 3rd base
Andrew, brother of Simon Peter, excels at bringing people to home. An RBI machine, he loves to be in the background and allow others, especially his brother, to shine.

6: Philip, 2nd base
Not very well-known outside of a base of hard-core fans, Philip year after year puts up solid, if unspectacular, numbers. Little known fact: Philip actually recruited Nathaniel to play for the Apostles, extolling Jerusalem’s famous manager.

7: Nathaniel, shortstop
Another little-known player, Nathaniel can be counted on to play the game fair. During the sad Steroid Era, no one suspected this player of any shenanigans.

8: Simon the Zealot, catcher
No one, I mean no one, plays with the intensity of Simon. There is fear in the eyes of opposing players when they round third base for a close play at home, and Simon zealously protects the plate like no other catcher. At least three players have gone on the DL after a run-in with Simon.

9: James Zebedee, pitcher
James has been the bulwark of the staff this year. His only weakness is that sometimes he enjoys the limelight too much. He also has a tendency to be sent to the showers early in games.

Bullpen:
Long relief: James Alphaeus, Jude Thaddaeus and Matthias
These guys toil in anonymity, but no team is complete without players like this who are willing to do the grunt work necessary to make a team successful. People are still talking about the game that Jude entered in the 3rd inning down ten runs. Everyone thought it was a lost cause, but behind his strong pitching, the Apostles were able to climb back into it and win in extra innings.

Closer: Paul of Tarsus
A newcomer to the team (replacing the ill-fated Judas Iscariot, who gave up the winning runs in last year’s Series), Paul has been sensational in the closer role. He seems made for building on the foundation of others, and he is a remarkable 33 for 33 in save opportunities this year. There have been reports of friction between Paul and team captain Simon Peter, but both deny it is anything substantial.

Many observers felt that last year’s crushing Series defeat would hang over the Apostles’ heads, but their manager has managed to turn that defeat into the driving force for this year’s success. Combined with the announcement of their manager’s retirement at the end of this year, the Apostles’ inspired play in the first half of the season has resurrected dreams of a championship. But they have a small window in which to work: rumors abound that small-market Jerusalem won’t be able to hang onto all their players hitting the free agent market this winter. There is already talk that superstars Simon Peter and Paul are being wooed by the big-market Rome Imperials to play for them next year. But for now, it seems to be Jerusalem’s year.

Go Apostles!

I don’t often comment on politics on this blog, but I thought the following video sums up my opinion of most politicians pretty nicely:

This week I attended the 14th annual Orientale Lumen conference, held at the John Paul II cultural center in Washington, D.C. This was my third year attending, and it was quite enjoyable and informative this year. I am a very enthusiastic supporter of these conferences, as I believe that they foster, on a grass-roots level, the effort to have the Church breathe with both lungs, East and West. The path to unity is two-fold: official dialogue at the highest levels of the Church, and growing appreciation and acceptance of each other’s traditions in the pews. The OL conference works to make the second of these two objectives happen.

The theme of this year’s conference was “the councils of the church” and each of the speakers reflected on the work of the councils in the life of the Church from different perspectives.

The first plenary speaker was Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, D.C. He began by commenting on Christ’s question to the apostles, “Who do you say that I am?” and then noted that the first four ecumenical councils (Nicea, Constantinople, Ephesus, and Chalcedon) were the Church’s dogmatic answer to that question. One of the key events in Church history, according to Archbishop Wuerl, was Nicea’s decision that truths about Jesus could be expressed in non-biblical language. Today, we take this for granted, but this was a momentous decision at the time.

The next plenary speaker was Metropolitan Jonah of the Orthodox Church in America. I heard His Beatitude at last year’s OL conference, and he is my favorite hierarch today. As someone said to me, he is “charming and disarming.” His talk was a paper on the relationship between conciliarity and hierarchy in the Church. While his talk was interesting, the Metropolitan really shines during question and answer. He never avoids a question and can be quite blunt in his answers. In all his answers, one thing comes out: he is devoted to following Jesus Christ and making him the focus of all his activities. He returns to this focus on Christ constantly no matter the topic, and I found it quite refreshing.

On Wednesday morning, Fr. Robert Taft, S.J. gave the third plenary talk. His presentation was a paper on the development of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and how the councils affected that development. Those who are familiar with Fr. Taft know that he is not shy about giving his opinions and he didn’t disappoint in this regard at the conference. He was actively engaged in all the panels and shared many useful bits of information on a wide variety of topics. However, I will say that I found some of his denigrating comments about what he called “right-wing conservative wackos” (i.e. traditional Roman Catholics) to be uncharitable and stereotypical. One can disagree with other viewpoints without demeaning those who hold them and unity will only come about when we charitably engage all elements in the Church. But Fr. Taft has done a tremendous amount of good in the Church in regards to East-West relations, and we should all be thankful for his work over the years.

The Wednesday afternoon plenary was my favorite. Given by Fr. Peter Galadza, it had the provocative title “How Many Ecumenical Councils? A Test Case for Eastern Catholic Theology.” In his talk, Fr. Galadza contended at the “ecumenical” councils after Nicea II (the 7th ecumenical council) should be considered “general” councils of the West and therefore not on the same level as the first seven councils. This might sound crazy, maybe even heretical, to the ears of many Roman Catholics, but for those who know the history of the councils, he is not as far out on a limb as may initially appear. In fact, the council of Constance in the 15th century (considered ecumenical by Roman Catholics) distinguished between the first eight councils, which they called “ecumenical,” and the next six councils, which they called “general.” Fr. Galadza gave a very balanced presentation, noting reasons why councils such as Lateran I-IV or Constance should not be ecumenical but stressing that they are still authoritative and useful in many respects.

The fifth plenary talk was a bit different, as it was given by a layman, Orthodox iconographer Elias Damianakis. I liked the change, as it gave a different perspective to the issue of the councils. Damianakis concentrated his remarks on how the councils have personally affected him in his faith life, as well as focusing on some lesser-known individuals associated with the councils.

The speaker for the final plenary could not make it, so instead a video from the OL conference held at Seton Hall a few weeks ago was shown. Fr. John Behr, a priest of the Orthodox Church in America, gave a great talk about the differences between “universal ecclesiology” and “eucharistic ecclesiology,” and how the two can be reconciled. While I disagree with some of his conclusions, I thought Fr. Behr was incredibly insightful in his analysis. I only wish he were there to take questions. Fr. Behr also noted the fact that the Pope was absent at all the universally-recognized ecumenical councils. While this may have started as a historical accident, Fr. Behr thinks it might have more meaning than that. By not attending, the Pope remained “above the fray” and was therefore able to remain a court of appeal, even to a council. Fr. Behr then gave a great quote: “Perhaps we Orthodox have not called an ecumenical council in over 1200 years not because we don’t have an emperor to call it, but because we don’t have a pope who won’t be there.”

All in all, the talks were all fascinating and informative. But the OL conference is not just about the talks, it also consists of liturgical services and fellowship. And on this count, this year’s conference was exceptional as usual. The liturgical services (Matins, Vespers and an Akathist) were beautiful and prayerful, and the opportunity to talk with other participants and speakers is always a highlight of the conference. I was actually one of the few Roman Catholics there, so it was great to speak to many Eastern Catholics and Orthodox about their perspectives on East-West relations. I especially enjoyed an afternoon discussion with Elias Damianakis over a range of topics. You should make an effort to visit his website, www.orthodoxiconography.com.

Next year’s conference is the 15th annual, and director Jack Figel has big plans for it. Metropolitan Kallistos Ware already has committed to it, and Jack is working to get some (very) big other figures in East-West relations to come as well. Make an effort to attend next year!

Tomorrow, June 26th, is the feast of St. Josemaría Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. St. Josemaría died on June 26th, 1975 (thus making him the most recently deceased canonized saint) and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

St. Josemaría is of course best known for founding Opus Dei, but paradoxically that fact has in some ways worked to make him less well-known among “ordinary” Catholics, the very people he was most trying to reach. In my experience, many Catholics seem to think that you have to be a member of Opus Dei to have a devotion to St. Josemaría, or that you have to support every single thing Opus Dei has ever done. But the truth is that St. Josemaría is a wonderful teacher for all Catholics, and his teachings and spirituality are perfectly suited for Catholics of all stripes.

The reason St. Josemaría is a great saint for today is that he calls us to strive for holiness in the midst of the modern world. Forty years before Vatican II declared a universal call to holiness, St. Josemaría was preaching this belief throughout Spain, insisting that every man and woman can become holy in – and through – everyday, ordinary life. I am not a member of Opus Dei, but I have found his teachings and spirituality to be quite helpful in my own pursuit of holiness and I encourage everyone to learn more about this great modern Saint.

I am currently in the preliminary stages of writing a book about St. Josemaría and his spirituality that is intended to be directed towards non-Opus Dei members. Until that project is completed, let me give some resources for learning more about St. Josemaría Escriva:

The writings of St. Josemaría

Information about St. Josemaría

Opus Dei website

St. Josemaría, pray for us!

An awesome discovery (along with some of my comments):

Art restorers in Italy have discovered what are believed to be the oldest paintings of some of Jesus Christ’s apostles.

The faces of Apostles Andrew, John, Peter and Paul were uncovered using new laser technology in a catacomb in Rome.

The paintings date from the second half of the 4th Century or the early 5th Century, the restorers and Vatican officials believe.

The images may have influenced later depictions of Christ’s early followers. [I think it more likely that these images reflected what had been handed on; they didn't "invent" what the apostles looked like.]

“These are the first images that we know of the faces of these four apostles,” said Fabrizio Bisconti, head of archaeology for Rome’s numerous Vatican-owned catacombs.

The frescoes in a tomb of a Roman noblewoman in the Santa Tecla catacomb were known about but their details came to light during a two-year restoration project funded by the Vatican.

The images were uncovered using new laser technology that allowed the restorers to burn off thick white calcium carbonate deposits caused by extreme humidity and lack of air. [That is pretty cool.]

“The laser created a sort of mini-explosion of steam when it interacted with the calcium carbonate to make it detach from the surface,” said Barbara Mazzei, who was in charge of the project.

“It was very, very emotional to discover this,” she added.

Andrew, Peter and John were among Jesus’ original 12 apostles.

Paul was an influential early Christian who travelled widely in the Mediterranean area in the 1st Century. [Isn't it sad that they felt the need to include the previous two sentences in formerly 'Christian' Britain?] His letters to the early churches, found in the Bible’s New Testament, are arguably some of the most influential on Christian thinking. [Arguably? I don't think that word is needed in this sentence.]

I always love stories about God working outside what we might consider the “normal” way of things. Here is a great example:

Back in 1920, a 43 year old German man was getting desperate that he had not met the right woman, so he placed an advert in the newspapers. Although a policeman, he worded the ad as follows:

Middle-ranking civil servant, single, Catholic, 43, immaculate past,from the country, is looking for a good Catholic, pure girl who can cook well, tackle all household chores, with a talent for sewing and homemaking with a view to marriage as soon as possible. Fortune desirable but not a precondition.

A woman named Maria Peintner answered the ad. She was 36 years old, a trained cook, and had been born “out of wedlock”. While carrying her, her mother, whom it is suggested was also born out of wedlock, spent some time in a home for pregnant girls. She later married a baker named Rieger with whom she had five more daughters. Maria did not have a fortune, but even so, they married four months later. In spite of their somewhat advanced years they had three children – two boys and a girl. The youngest child recieved the same name as his father : Joseph Ratzinger. He is better known today as Pope Benedict XVI.

After his election, someone dug up the “wife wanted” ad and showed it to the new Pope who, of course, smiled. His parents really loved both one another and their three children. Pope Benedict often speaks about that love. In fact, his first encyclical is entitled, “God is Love”, and it describes marriage as the preeminient figure of God’s love for us.

Meanwhile isn’t it worth reflecting on the fact that the mother of Pope Benedict was “illegitimate”. At the time, her conception and birth were possibly the source of scandal and condemnation, but she was to become the mother of the present Pope.

God is good!

I just returned from the Orientale Lumen conference and I’ll give a report in the next few days. But I wanted to post some pictures from the conference (click on any picture to enlarge)

Archbishop Donald Wuerl

Metropolitan Jonah (OCA)

Vespers at St. Mark's Orthodox Church

Archbishop Wuerl and Metropolitan Jonah discussing a topic

Fr. Robert Taft, S.J.

Fr. Peter Galadza (Ukrainian Catholic)

Orthodox iconographer Elias Damianakis

Panel discussion

Orientale Lumen Director Jack Figel

A few days ago I was on the Son Rise Morning Radio Show discussing some summer reading picks. This is a popular segment on the show where regular guests share some good books that would be worthwhile reading this summer.

My picks were:

Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende
This is the story of an M.I.T. graduate who decides (along with his wife of 10 days) to live among a strict Amish community for 18 months with no electricity and no telephones. It is a fascinating read and quite thought-provoking. Brende is not anti-technology, but he instead is trying to remind us that we should evaluate new technologies before blindly embracing them.

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
This is my all-time favorite C.S. Lewis book. It is a fable of a man who finds himself among denizens of Hell making a day-trip to the outskirts of heaven. The key insight of Lewis here is that Heaven has an “open-door” policy, but those in Hell choose not to go there. This may sound like heresy, but it is in keeping with the insights of some past Saints (such as St. Catherine of Genoa).

Saint Among Savages: The Life of Saint Isaac Jogues by Francis Talbot
I just finished this in anticipation for a recent pilgrimage to the Shrine of the North American Martyrs (I should have some reflections on this trip in the near future). The book is a bit dated (it was written in the 1930’s) and a bit long (over 400 pages), but it is worth the read. The story of this great saint and his companions who gave their lives for the conversion of the Native Americans is quite inspiring.

The Orientale Lumen conference here in DC begins in earnest today, and I am attending. The theme of the conference is the Councils of the Church, and there are some great speakers. Today promises to be especially interesting, as the Washington bishop of both the Roman Catholic Church (Archbishop Donald Wuerl) and the Orthodox Church in America (Metropolitan Jonah) will be speaking.

I hope to have some commentary and pictures up later this week. Pray for all those involved!

A question you will sometimes hear when debating Protestants on the role of the Pope in the Church is “Why Rome?” In other words, even if Peter himself did have primacy (which just about every Protestant will deny), why does the bishop of Rome have that primacy now? After all, Jerusalem was clearly the center of the Christian church at the beginning (and Peter was the leader of that community before going off on missionary trips) and Peter was also the bishop of Antioch before he went to Rome, so why does not one of those two have primacy in the Church? Why did the leader of the Roman church receive his primacy?

Some Catholics might argue that this is simply what the Christians decided when Peter died, or even before he died. But I don’t think it was that simple, nor do I think that is how God usually works in this world. As I have written before, the Church’s understanding of God and His works develops over time, and I think the primacy of Rome was no exception. Over time, many factors came into consideration in the Church’s deepening understanding of Rome’s place in the universal Church. Here are a few of the factors:

The martyrdom of Peter and Paul in Rome
The first, and most important, reason Rome gained primacy in the early Church was that it was the location of the martyrdom of the apostles Peter and Paul. Martyrdom was central to the faith of the early church, and the places where martyrdoms occurred were considered sacred places. Thus, the location where the two greatest apostles died was considered of supreme importance in the Church. Irenaeus in the 2nd century said that the church in Rome was “founded” by Peter and Paul even though everyone knew that there was a church there before either of those two arrived. But their deaths there established them as the “founders” (by their blood) of that local church, and the leaders in that church gained their authority.

Thus, this sacred connection to Peter and Paul “transferred” their privileges to the church in Rome. Peter clearly has been given a unique – and authoritative – role in the Church by Jesus (according to Matthew 16:17-19, Luke 22:31-32 and John 21:15-17), and his death in Rome cements Rome’s position as the church which receives that primacy. Furthermore, Paul’s death there also grants Rome Paul’s mission to preach the Gospel to the whole world. (Note: the pope was most commonly seen as the successor of BOTH Peter and Paul in the early church, not just Peter. The death of both of these apostles bestowed both of their missions on that church). All the other factors listed below find their foundation in this most important factor; in other words, if Peter and Paul had not died in Rome, it is highly unlikely that Rome would be the primacy see of the Church.

Rome’s reputation for orthodoxy
During the first centuries of Christianity, Rome had a great reputation for orthodoxy. While bishops of other great Christian cities such as Alexandria or Antioch or Constantinople fell into heresy, it was known in the early Church that never was heresy embraced in Rome. This reputation grew over the centuries, and many saw it as a special protection granted to the church of Peter and Paul. Rome could be counted on, when other churches embraced heresy, to always teach the True Faith.

Rome’s charity to other churches
Another reason for Rome’s primacy was due to its role in charity in the early Church. As a “rich” local church, it was known to help other local churches throughout the empire when in need. Ignatius of Antioch in the early 2nd century said that the church in Rome “presides in love,” which many scholars believe references their great charity towards the rest of the Church. This charity, of course, would also give them a certain prestige within the universal Church and link those churches to Rome in an intimate fashion.

The destruction of Jerusalem
In 70A.D. Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman armies, and then in 135A.D. it was wiped out again by the Romans. These two events not only removed the Jewish population there, it removed any real Christian presence there as well. For all intents and purposes, there was no church in Jerusalem after 135 A.D., so its bishop could not have any real authority over the universal Church.

Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire
Another reason for Rome’s preeminence is the fact of it being the capital of the Roman Empire. This was more important in the East, but it was a factor in the Roman church’s rise, nonetheless. Many Christians saw the Roman Empire as the boundaries of the Christian world, and the capital of that Empire was seen as the “capital” of the Christian world as well. This was not the common view in the West, who saw Rome’s prerogatives in a more spiritual light, but it was an influential view in the East.

Some might see the above as proof that there is no “real” reason for Rome to be the primary church in Christendom. After all, Peter and Paul just happened to die in Rome, which just happened to be a conservative church and therefore not in danger of falling into heresy, and which just happened to be a rich church and could therefore help others, and which just happened to not be destroyed by the Roman armies, and which just happened to be the capital of the Empire. But to a Catholic, that would be like saying that the Roman emperor just happened to hold a census when Mary was pregnant with Jesus, thus leading to the fulfillment of Scripture that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem. God works through the reality of our human world, and so nothing in salvation history “just happens.” All of the factors listed above allowed Christians to better understand the role that God wanted for the church in Rome in the universal Church.

Note: today, most Catholics and Orthodox would agree in general with what I have written above, although of course they would disagree with exactly how Rome’s primacy should be practiced in today’s Church.

This is an edited version of a post I originally wrote on a Protestant apologetics forum.

Since 2002, Catholics have been hit with the sexual abuse crisis in the Church. First it was uncovered in the United States, then revelations of abuse and cover-ups spread to other countries, reaching a crescendo this past Spring with many media outlets trying to tag Pope Benedict with accusations of misconduct. One of the problems with this slow drip, drip of sordid revelations is that it is hard to get a “big picture” perspective of the problem and the Church’s response to it. Instead, it just appears as if nothing is changing and nothing is being addressed. News story after news story just seem to repeat the same allegations over and over.

Because of this, Greg Erlandson and Matthew Bunson have done Catholics a great service by writing the book “Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis” (full disclosure: Erlandson is the President and Publisher of Our Sunday Visitor, which is publishing my book this Fall). In this book, the authors do two things: recount the details of the crisis and note what the Church – and particularly Pope Benedict – has done to respond to it. They are not afraid to criticize church officials when they need to be criticized, but they also note the leading role Pope Benedict has taken to rid the Church of sexual predators, dating back to his days as a Cardinal.

This book is split into two parts: the first is the analysis of Erlandson and Bunson, and then the second part includes a large number of official writings and documents from the Pope and other church officials related to the crisis. This second section serves the same purpose as the first: to gather together in one place a “big picture” of what church officials have been doing since 2002 to address abuse within the Church.

I do wish that the book addressed critically the results of some of the U.S. bishops’ actions since 2002 to protect children. There seems to be no question that predator priests are becoming more and more rare because of the bishops’ actions since 2002, but there is legitimate concern that some of the actions taken (such as mandatory and possibly inappropriate “Safe Environment” training in Catholic schools) can have long-term negative consequences. But frankly, that is not really a criticism of this book, as that was not a topic Erlandson and Bunson were covering. I do hope someday that someone does study those issues and writes a comprehensive book about it.

However, if you want to get a great overview of the abuse crisis in the Church and the Church’s – and Pope’s – response to it, I would recommend buying a copy of Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis. And for those particularly interested in this topic, OSV has set up a blog associated with this book and the issues surrounding it.

As a Roman Catholic who has often attended Divine Liturgy at a Melkite Catholic church, I found this motivational poster quite funny and a bit too close to the mark: