Book Review: Norwich’s Absolute Monarchs: A History Of The Papacy’
There have been 265 Roman Catholic popes, 266 if you count Pope Joan, who existed only in the popular imagination in the Middle Ages, and these don’t count various usurpers, interlopers and antipopes. To paraphrase Longfellow, some of the real popes were good, some were bad and some were horrid.
Regular readers of this blog are aware that my view of the modern Roman Catholic church and is somewhere south of horrid. The Holy See has utterly failed in dealing with its twin crises of the new millennium — the pedophile priest scandal and homosexuality in the priesthood and among the laity — while raising the church’s hypocrisy, and in some cases criminality, to unholy levels.
But I approached John Julius Norwich’s recently published Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy with a semi open mind and the prayerful hope that this esteemed British historian would provide an overview that might soften my animus. If you stick around to the end of this review, you’ll find out what I concluded.
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2 Responses to “Book Review: Norwich’s Absolute Monarchs: A History Of The Papacy’”
FYI, Dr. E notes in an exchange with me — and I was unaware of this — that the photo atop my post is typically cropped to take out the Nazi soldiers and this is the first time that she has seen the image in its entirety. Oh, that Vatican spin machine.
But would Jesus approve?
The Catholics have given answers for this pope. If you ask them formally I’m sure they will provide you with their official response. I know they will because I have heard it. Does it answer all the questions adequately? Depends upon your perspective.
I for one forgive the Catholics, but I also acknowledge their transgressions against God, as I do my own. Now if only the world could forgive us both along with the German people.