Papal Sin : Structures of Deceit

Rating:
Summary: Flawed... but still a compelling, important read
Review: Garry Wills' "Papal Sin: Structures of Deceit" is a riveting, important read. The book is about truth and the all-too-frequent lies of the top leadership of the Roman Church. The book is full of scholarly notes, and it is obvious that Wills is a well-read and intelligent man, as well as a compelling writer.

The book is well-worth reading. I could not put it down.

Wills is creating his own Inferno here. And much of the critique is well-deserved.

But research can be twisted to your own ends - especially in a book on truth. This Wills does. He separates pepper from fly poop in reviewing canonization claims under Pope John Paul II. He uses indirect, even tortured evidence that contradicts the plain reading of scripture to make the case for homosexuals in the priesthood. His case for women in the priesthood caricatures the traditional view - essentially setting up a straw man to defeat.

Wills also demonstrates an unwavering faith in the flawed techniques of modern textual criticism - always (even knee-jerkingly) choosing the latest dates for authorship of New Testament writings and accepting the most liberal, anti-miraculous explanations of those Biblical events.

He can also be irritating. He was overly critical of Popes who stood for a position they believed in. In fact, much of the book is a set-up in that his real target is the current Pope John Paul II. And though he claims to advocate conscience, he can be frequently caught decrying it in the papacy. And most egregious of all, he absolutely opposes the proselytizing of Jews, seeing it as an act of anti-Semitism.

Lest you think I overstate this final point, check out his telling of the story of Edith Stein (particularly page 50 in the hardcover), and then ask yourself, "If you had the Truth wouldn't you want to persuade others of it?" This is not anti-Semitism, but love.

But for all those shortcomings, the book is still filled with important information. And Wills has such a great writing style that a relative novice to the subject matter could still dive in and follow along; which is perhaps the best reason to recommend this book.

Wills' marshaling of evidence from early church fathers was especially impressive and convincing. Augustine, in particular - the subject of a previous work by the author - is presented in such an interesting way that I want to get to know him better. And it is obvious that the prolific Father Raymond Brown is also a large influence on Willis.

But what Wills got right, boy did he get right. I learned a ton from the sections that dealt with the sexual abuse scandals and the ensuing cover-ups.

And Wills even changed my mind on a subject I'd been struggling with - a topic I had done some serious research on.

So what, in my opinion, did Wills get right?

The most shocking part of the book dealt with the sex scandals. There's a serious problem here that the church is refusing to confront.

The evidence presented against the celibacy of the priesthood, and the non-existence of the priesthood in the early church, are both right on the mark. Going one step further, the priesthood is shrinking dramatically. Wills not only blames celibacy (wrongly, in my opinion), but the very method by which priests are selected, which he demonstrates is in contradiction to the practice of choosing a pastor as it was done in the early patristic period.

The replacements and diminishment of the Holy Spirit, both in a monarchy of the Pope and the elevation of Mary are well-covered. Wills demonstrates bravery in stating the true gender of the Holy Spirit, and depth of understanding in showing how this confusion has aided-and-abetted distorted doctrine. For example, this denial has aided in the elevation of Mary's status to well-beyond disciple, the role demonstrated in scripture. Wills shows that it is the rise of Mary that was used as the foil to make the Pope infallible - an innovation that is only a century-and-a-half old.

In making these points Wills introduces the reader to Pope Pius IX. Pius IX is an especially interesting character in the book. His criminal behavior and eccentricities are the stuff of good novels, and thanks to Wills' story-telling style I found myself wanting to learn more about him as well.

There are other points that my mind could not yet fully digest. Wills' take on the sacrament serves as an example.

Even if you hate everything Wills stands for, you cannot honestly deny his writing ability. In fact, I'd hate to be stuck on the other side of an argument with him. However, I was left wondering, why is Wills a Catholic? He very clearly disagrees with many of the traditional Catholic distinctives.

Maybe if you read this book, you'll be able to answer that question.

Rating:
Summary: Devastating indictment
Review: Gary Wills is a practicing and committed catholic as well as a rightly celebrated author (Nixon Agonistes et al). It is important to bear this in mind as you read this scholarly, well-researched and devastating indictment of the Catholic hierarchy up to, and very much including popes ancient, modern and current. Wills builds his case methodically, chapter by chapter, and presents a vision of the structure of the catholic church as committed to defending its past no matter how tortuous the reasoning. Whether focused on the church's responsibility towards the jews and in particular its behavior before and during world war II, or on the current pope's near medieval obsessions that may make John Paul II's principal legacy, according to Wills, a "gay clergy", the analysis is relentless and unanswerable. His passages on Humanae Vitae and its predictably tragic consequences are particularly compelling as are his descriptions of the rank manipulation of Vatican Councils in the 19th century and the origins of papal "infallibility". Although completed before the current wave of pedophilia scandals, it prefigures this massive problem with an analysis of cases in Texas. Whether on the status and contribution of women, on the rise of Marianism, or the fuller involvement of the laity in the church, Wills is unerringly perceptive --- and right. This should be required reading for every cardinal and bishop in the United States, in fact the entire hierarchy of the church. It is neither an easy subject nor an easy book to read, but it demands your attention from the moment you start. (I was slightly stunned to find a copy at Costco -- when I looked again, it was no longer there).

Rating:
Summary: Honesty in the Catholic Church
Review: Gary Wills is professor of history at Northwestern University and also a practicing, notably liberal Roman Catholic. "PAPAL SIN" is a popular book which draws selectively on scholarship both solid and speculative, biblical, historical and theological, using up to date sources. It dashes angrily across too many topics: contraception, abortion, a celibate priesthood, the role of Catholics in the Holocaust, freedom of expression and on and on.

Professor Wills complains that the Roman Catholic church has become needlessly over centralized and administered top down. This makes the church too prone to the book's subtitle, "structures of deceit." These structures predispose clerical leaders to mislead rather than admit that the church has been seriously wrong at any time on any issue.

Wills does, nonetheless, identify individuals who stood out against boneheaded errors by top officials and who were later judged correct by the consensus of the faithful. The list of heroic deeds begins with Paul publicly rebuking Peter in Antioch for backsliding on what Jewish practices pagan converts to Christianity must practice (Galatians 2: 11-14). St Augustine of Hippo took on St Jerome of Jerusalem over this very passage. In 1870 Lord Acton, John Henry Newman and many bishops were appalled by Pope Pius IX's deceptive and dishonest tactics promoting papal infallibility .

Garry Wills argues that the entire Church must follow Jesus who is Truth and be led by a Holy Spirit breathing the New Testament Greek grace of parrhesia: etymologically "pan-rhesia" or "speak all," i.e., "holding nothing back." For spiritual sins are vastly worse than bodily: lying more soul-killing than fornication.

In moral situations the church should stop teaching with false precision when solutions are not apparent, notably in key areas of sexuality. Wills offers the following principle from Epistle 190 of St Augustine:

"When a thing obscure in itself defeats our capacity, and nothing in Scripture comes to our aid, it is not safe for humans to presume they can pronounce on it."

Both Augustine and Newman fought for a church in which God speaks to everyone: clergy and laity alike. Our knowledge is always provisional, in unceasing outreach for ultimate truth.

Rating:
Summary: Some good points, some nonsense
Review: I am a conservative Roman Catholic. However, rather than dismissing this book out of hand, I decided to read it. I do agree with Professor Jenkins' assesment of it. It is an example of anti-Catholicism by Catholics.

Wills is certainly in favour of the ordination of women. However, I do believe that Wills is fully open to the ecumenical ramifications. For instance, the Orthodox Churches do not ordain women, and their likelihood of so doing is slim to none. In addition, large numbers of Anglicans are unhappy with the ordination of women. The existence of the Continuing Churches (Anglican Church in America, Anglican Catholic Church, etc.) bears this out, as does the presence of Anglican Use parishes in communion with Rome, and those Anglicans who've found a home in Orthdoxy. In addition, the Church of England has bishops who minister to those faithful who reject the ordination of women.

His writing on Marian devotion is likewise unbalanced. He does not take into account the sophiology of St. Louis de Montfort and the role that the Holy Spirit plays in Marian devotion. Marian devotion should lead us to the triune God. Marian devotion should not lead us away.

His writing on priestly celibacy is likewise flawed. He would seem to jettison anything of the church's traditional disciplinary norms that seems too hard or demands too much. Our society has lost the ability for sacrifice. It is precisely the witness of the celibate committment that is needed today.

Gary Wills is an intelligent man and a gifted writer. However, one wonders whether he can or should in good conscience call himself a Catholic.

Rating:
Summary: Challenging Book
Review: The final chapter of "Papal Sin" redeems the book. It presents a noble vision of a Catholic Church whose leaders do not lie and deceive and whose people are open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

"Papal Sin" contains some provocative discussions of Pius IX and the First Vatican Council; the church and the Holocaust; Paul VI and "Humanae Vitae;" the priesthood and women in the church. All is not well, but we should not want to shoot the messenger, as some would like to.

Nevertheless, one can disagree with some of Wills' positions while accepting his thesis that the Catholic Church contains "structures of deceit." For instance, why was Maximillian Kolbe not motivated by his faith when he gave his life for another during World War II? Can Paul VI's papacy be fairly summed up by "Humane Vitae?" Can not Mary be a model for the church without being used as a weapon against women?

Sometimes Wills cites Aristotle to show how the church has been wrong to rely on his thinking, however Christianized. Sometimes Wills cites Aristotle to support his own position on an issue. He seems inconsistant in this respect, because he doesn't tell us his criteria for evaluating ancient writers. This can be a bit irritating.

Although some reviewers had said that "Papal Sin" covers too many topics, I wish Wills would have written in detail about the Vatican banking scandal. Deceit was working overtime in that situation.

"Papal Sin" seems to have been written in haste, and like many books today, sloppily edited. Yet, it is worth reading and sharing with Catholics, especially young Catholics.