Synod Extraordinary: The Inside Story of the Rome Synod, November/December 1985

Hebblethwaite, Peter

ISBN 10: 038523466X / ISBN 13: 9780385234665

Published by Doubleday (edition First Edition), 1986

About this Item

With dust jacket. The item might be beaten up but readable. May contain markings or highlighting, as well as stains, bent corners, or any other major defect, but the text is not obscured in any way.

Seller Inventory # 038523466X-7-1-29

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Synod Extraordinary: The Inside Story of the Rome Synod, November/December 1985
• Publisher: Doubleday (edition First Edition)
• Publication Date: 1986
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 038523466X
• ISBN 13: 9780385234665
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Fair
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

About this title

Synopsis

Chronicles and analyzes the Extraordinary Synod convened in Rome in November 1985 and offers the author's thoughts on what the Catholic Church should be

Reviews

Hebblethwaite, Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and the London Times, uses his insider's vantage to establish a rationale for the Extraordinary Synod convened, in apparent haste, by Pope John Paul II in the waning months of 1985. Speculation ran high that this gathering of bishops from around the world would accomplish more than mark the 20th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. Little information about the internecine activity was revealed to the public, although denunciations of certain theologians and warnings about misinterpretations were issued. Hebblethwaite's version of an institutionally controlled Synod will interest Vatican watchers, setting the scene as it does for an anticipated Synod in 1987.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Hebblethwaite sees the 1985 Synod convened by Pope John Paul II to evaluate the Church's direction since Vatican Council II as a barometer of the Church's organizational climate. This climate is set by the Pope and by Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the Holy Office, who are conservative, authoritarian, and error-seeking. Their agenda of 13 comprehensive questions dealing with such issues as liturgy, moral teaching, and collegiality exacerbated existing conflicts with many Synod participants, who were also dismayed by the limited time frame. However, the author is hopeful that pastoral-minded bishops, led by the Dutch prelates, will hold to the spirit of Vatican II. Though some laypersons might be intrigued, the book's theological terminology and narrow subject matter make it appropriate for specialized religious collections. Nancy M. Laskowski, Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.