Rating: 
Summary: So What?
Review: Wills's "Papal Sin" is a titillating recital of the misdoings of dozens of men who have ascended to the Throne of Peter. The author is an accomplished wordsmith, and he has succeeded in writing a readable and entertaining volume. One wonders, though: "What's the point?" Is it really a man-bites-dog story that the human being is capable of deceipt? Or is it a great revelation that some who have been given power tend to misuse it. Lord Acton said as much, and much more succinctly. I conclude that Wills wrote this book just for the sake of creating a sensation. He failed. His findings should surprise no one. Nor do they have any bearing on the matter of infallibility. The Church has claimed infallibility of the Pope; she has never claimed impeccability.
Rating:
Summary: Wasted Time
Review: Garry Wills raises issues that need to be discussed. Granted, there are those who do not wish to discuss them. This book, however, will probably not open a conversation. I believe it was Thomas Aquinas who advised disputants to take the opponent's position, so that one's own position could be re-examined and thereby solidified--or recast. Wills does not present a scholarly examination of the issues. I began to flip through the pages. People don't like to be shouted at--even those who essentially agree with the criticisms raised. I was disappointed in the presentation. I had expected argument and found vituperation.
Rating: 
Summary: Well worth reading
Review: I have just finished this book, and have now read the online reviews of it. It really appears that most of those who gave it one star have not actually read it. One reviewer makes his own ad hominem attack on Wills for what the reviewer sees as Wills' ad hominem attack on the Popes. Actually, Wills' arguments are far from ad hominem: he is careful to base each argument on Scriptural authority and on the practices of the early Church. Looking to the early Church is hardly what one would call "PC," as another reviewer does. An excellent and thought-provoking book!
Rating:
Summary: Awful Title: Wonderful Book
Review: Garry Wills is a bit of the angry young man yet his cry must be listened to if intellectual honesty is to take its place in Catholicism. I suspect the title will turn away many people who might otherwise have been intrigued. I'm not so sure it's Papal "sin" that is portrayed. More likely it is intellectual contortion and it makes the Church simply look foolish. The issues are serious and every minute spent with this book will help clear the air for both Catholics and non Catholics. Do read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Some shoddy editing mars an otherwise thoughtful book
Review: Gary Wills has turned his elegant pen to a confusing and trying subject: the recent history of the Catholic Church, and the institutionalized deceit which, according to Wills,has defaced its mission. His arguments are in many ways indistinguishable from what a learned Protestant divine might write on the subject. He argues that neither the bishopry nor the priesthood are biblical. He says that the ordination of married men or women may not be opposed on scriptural grounds. He believes Paul VI sealed the decay of the Church by issuing his enciclical on contraception (Humanae Vitae), and says he did it only to avoid contradiction with previous declarations by Pius XI. He also takes a stab at a popular issue nowadays, whether the Church gave help or not to Jews during the Shoah. His analysis of the hierarchy's handling of the child molestation cases, and his view on the prevalence of gays in the Church are similar to lifting a rock in the field: underneath all sort of writhing forms and decaying bits of food are to be found, and it's not a pretty sight. To the bad guys (the Popes, especially Pius IX, Pius XII, Paul VI and John Paul II), liars and authoritarian cheats, he opposes the humane (John XXIII and John Paul I) and the truthful (Lord Acton, Henry Cardinal Newman and Saint Augustin). I can say Mr. Wills has given plenty of food for thought to this Catholic. I am not certain Mr. Wills is a Catholic at this point, but there is surely nothing wrong with that. It is regrettable that such an interesting review of thought should be marred by shoddy editing. Mr. Wills refers to Pius IX period as a pope as lasting 42 years, when in fact it lasted 10 years less, and he specifically mentions it later on (he refers to the Pope's period as 1846-1878, which is correct). He refers to the founders of Catholic parties hurt by Pius IX hostility to democracy as Luigi Bosco and Gil Rables, when he surely knows the correct names are Luigi Sturzo and Gil Robles. Mispellings abound, and I am sure they are not Mr. Wills'. He should get around to fixing these details in the second edition.
Rating:
Summary: Read the book before you flip out
Review: Wow! This is a provocative book. Gary Wills takes a position and boy does he ever stick to it AND he backs it up with some fascinating history. What I take away from it is a healthy reminder that each one of us individually make up the Church. The Church is not solely the clergy or the clerical hierarchy--they constitute the Church only so much as you and I. Some may find this idea frightening or threatening, but those of you who are not afraid of history-and not afraid to think for yourself-will find this a liberating book.
Rating:
Summary: Faith in spirit and in truth
Review: Of all the marvelous aspects of "Papal Sin," many of which are mentioned in previous reviews, I liked best Wills's emphasis on regaining the sense of the Spirit moving in the church and in the church's people. In topics he is most passionate about -- the meaning of "real presence" and the role of the Spirit -- he urges Catholics to go beyond their old rote understandings and open their lives to the deeper meanings. The popes of the 19th and 20th centuries are not "bashed," but shown as the human beings they were. It seems clear that many of the one-star reviewers have not read this book but are howling in reaction to what they think it says. I encourage them to pick it up and ponder Mr. Wills's obviously deep love for his church.
Rating:
Summary: Papal Sin
Review: Be not afraid! It's worth a serious read. The bottom line (for those who are not polarized by the title) is that this is a solid work of scholarship with a definite point of view. Anyone interested in religion/Catholicism should definitely give it consideration, as it will no doubt become a landmark work. Students of history may also find it worthwhile (particularly if their interest is church history or the Holocaust).
Rating:
Summary: We need to talk . . .
Review: Garry Wills has opened the door, in this Jubilee Year, on issues theological and historical that need to be discussed and reflected upon. For persons of faith, for critics and skeptics, for those who search for truth, Papal Sin offers a carefully wrought argument against the possibility, or desirability of human (i.e., papal) infallibility. Wills's scholarship is imbued with passion, his writing charged with the electricity of knowledge. I approached the book hoping to learn and to be challenged; my expectations were more than met. Faith naturally seeks understanding: witness the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, such as Augustine and Aquinas. I seek to understand better such spiritual issues as anti-Semitism, contraception and abortion, gays in the priesthood, the role of women in the Church, truth and the Holy Spirit -- and as a layman (in need of more education), I discovered important signposts in this book that will remain with me on my journey of faith. Controversial, yes. Not to be dismissed.
Rating:
Summary: A good read.
Review: Every since Lincoln at Gettysburg brought Garry Wills to my attention, I have kept an eager eye out for any new work from him--whether it be reviews in the Times, articles in the NY Review of Books, or new books such as this one. Religion isn't always my reading subject of choice, but Wills' biography of Augustine was a brilliant jewel of a book (albeit a bit short). This new work obviously takes a different path, but in a sense it's a worthy companion to that bio. It's a great overview of a fascinating aspect of world (mostly European) history.
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