The Catholic Church has been nearly destroyed by its resistance to change, censured for its abuses. Pope Francis has promised reform: radical theologian Hans Küng here presents what Catholics have long been yearning for: modern responses to the challenges of a modern world.

In 1962 the Second Vatican Council met in the hope they could, in the words of Pope John XXIII, ‘open the windows of the Church and let some fresh air in.’ Hans Küng and Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope, were both there.

In Can We Save the Catholic Church? Kung relates how after fifty years the Church has only grown more conservative. Refusing to open dialogue on celibacy for priests; the role of women in the priesthood; homosexuality; or the use of contraception even to prevent AIDS, the Papacy has lost touch. Now, amid widespread disillusion over child abuse, the future of Catholicism is in crisis.

Pope Francis seems sincere in his wish for a more compassionate Church. The time is ripe for reform, and here Küng calls for a complete renewal of the Church. As grassroots support grows Can We Save the Catholic Church? makes an inspiring and compelling case for offering a new Catholicism to the modern world.

Can We Save the Catholic Church?
Publisher: William Collins (10 Oct 2013)
ISBN-10: 0007522029
ISBN-13: 978-0007522026 

About the Author 
Hans Küng is a Catholic priest and theologian. Together, he and Joseph Ratzinger were the youngest advisors at Vatican II, subsequently adopting opposite stances on the Church, with Ratzinger and the Vatican eventually trying to silence Küng for his rejection of Papal Infallability. Küng is a professor at the University of Tübingen and the founder of the Global Ethic Foundation. A prolific author and respected commentator on Church matters, he is 84 years of age.

Review
“It is such an easy and accessible read, and at the same time it is a marvellous synthesis of the problems facing the Church at present. It shows how much he cares for the Church and for the Christian message.” [Fr Tony Flannery, C.Ss.R.]