Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy, and the Splendor of Truth

Millions of people journeyed to Rome in April 2005 to say farewell to Pope John Paul II. As televisions beamed these images into American homes, it became undeniably clear that Catholic matters really matter, and not only to Catholics. In Catholic Matters, Father Neuhaus addresses the many controversies that have marked recent decades of American Catholicism: the battles over the meaning of the Second Vatican Council, the "destabilizing" of the liturgy, the declining number of priests, and the sexual abuse scandals. Looking beyond these troubles to "the splendor of truth" by which the Church is constituted, he proposes a vibrant, forward-thinking way of being Catholic in America. Drawing on his personal encounters with the late John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, Father Neuhaus describes their hope for a springtime of world evangelization, Christian unity, and Catholic renewal. Catholic Matters shows a vibrant Church-one strengthened and unified by hardship-that is on the cusp of a great revival in her spiritual vitality and an even greater contribution to our common life.

Richard John Neuhaus is acclaimed as one of the foremost authorities on religion in the contemporary world and is President of the Institute on Religion and Public Life. He is the editor-in-chief of the Institute's monthly publication First Things. He is the author of many books, including Freedom for Ministry, The Naked Public Square, The Catholic Movement, Believing Today, Death on a Friday Afternoon, and As I Lay Dying. A priest of the Archdiocese of New York, he lives in Manhattan.