JESUS WEPT

Highly critical assessment of the modern papacy.

Journalist Shenon provides a detailed, well-researched, and quite frankly epic examination of the Roman Catholic popes of living memory. Beginning with a brief treatment of Pius XII, who led the church through World War II and the early Cold War, Shenon recounts each succeeding pope up to today’s Francis. His assessments are honest and, at times, brutal. Aside from John XXIII, who called together the Second Vatican Council, the author finds many reasons for fault among these spiritual leaders. Even Pope Francis, with whom the author seems to agree on most topics, is portrayed as highly lacking in the courage, will, and ability to reform the church. Speaking of Francis, he notes: “His greatest failure, like that of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, was his refusal to grapple with the clerical sexual abuse crisis.” Indeed, the sexual abuse scandal acts as a prime focus of criticism through much of Shenon’s work, as these modern popes display utter incompetence in handling the issue, decade after decade. However, many other aspects of the post–World War II papacy also give the reader reason to pause. The unending political maneuvering of the Vatican, its secrecy, and its bureaucratic gamesmanship color nearly every page of this study. The reader finds the Vatican led by popes who display misogyny, hypocrisy, and downright pettiness toward rivals. Shenon especially spotlights these issues by following critical voices for reform, such as theologian Hans Küng, as they struggled with the church through time. Apologists for the church will doubtlessly find plenty of reason to argue with Shenon, but he also gives them a great deal of material to defend.

An extraordinary accomplishment: controversial, but crucial for discussions in today’s Catholic Church.