Why is it that Pope Francis is admired by so many? What gives him the uncanny ability to speak with young people in language familiar to them? In this book, John Raymaker and Gerry Gruzden explore the life and writings of Pope Francis which have a prophetic, visionary ability to speak to important issues of the day. The authors evaluate how Pope Francis’ encounters with religious leaders of other faiths have broken new ground to help unite mankind. They reach back into Christian history to explore the teachings of such Catholic mystics as Thomas Merton while also delving into the beliefs of Islamic and Buddhist mystics to demonstrate how well the pope is in touch with a spirituality that can speak to those seeking the truth. In its final chapters, the book examines how the pope endorses the work of Christians who live their faith in small Christian communities and reveals how such communities can strengthen parish life in various parts of the world. Like St. Francis, his namesake, and like Teilhard de Chardin before him, the pope has an appropriate vision to rebuild God’s Church in a transitional age. His writings have focused on caring for the earth and preaching the good news of the gospels in a way that and allows him to reach young people in need of joy as they face an uncertain future. He is the Conscience of the World.

In 2008, the authors wrote Steps toward Vatican III which explored developments occurring in the Catholic Church including its teachings on social justice, interreligious dialogue, and Small Christian Communities. This update of Steps explores how Pope Francis has developed such themes in original ways in his encyclicals and in his use of synodal consultations. For example, in his Encyclical Laudato Si, the pope seeks to lead us into the mysteries of the universe, of creatures, and the harmony of creation. It helps us reflect on the universal communion of nature. Calling for a global ecological policy and a cooperative approach, the pope warns us that unless we respect nature, the entire planet and humanity will face drastic consequences. In his meetings with economists and entrepreneurs, the pope has proposed a pact for renewing the economy to counteract the asocial aspects of modern business practices. He has discussed some of the most complex problems in today's world--from safeguarding the environment to courageously committing oneself to rethink the economic paradigms of our time. Young people, in particular, have responded with enthusiasm to Pope Francis’ initiatives. The book notes how some "traditional" Catholics have opposed the pope, but it argues that, in fact, the pope is more traditional than his critics for he insists on going back to Jesus' own teachings. The new ongoing crises such as the breakdown and rise of new ideologies, terrorism, massive advances in the sciences and in technology, as well as fundamental shifts in gender relations are further factors considered in the book. Indeed, the world is now radically different from the world of the early 1960’s when Vatican II Council was held. Due to these many radical changes, the book suggests the need for a Vatican III which would consolidate the Church’s global outreach on every continent.

Today we live at a tragic time when most Americans, even those who claim to be conservative evangelical Christians, are overwhelmed with the frantic pace of their lifestyles. Consequently, they have failed to prayerfully pause long enough to look at the spiritual condition of our nation through the lens of Scripture. Living in a World with No Conscience is a hard-hitting, passionate presentation of the true spiritual condition of our nation and world—all through the lens of the Bible. Author Mike Wingfield attempts to demonstrate that America and our world are extremely close to reaching the spiritual point of no return that is leading to the final global divine judgment prescribed in the Bible. At the heart of this is the silencing of the collective conscience of our nation and world. God has warned, “My spirit will not always strive with man” (Genesis 6:3). What does this mean? What do we need to do? Living in a World with No Conscience will help you discover the vital answers to these questions. Those who do not know Jesus Christ are oblivious to where we are and what is about to transpire in the world—and an overwhelming number of believers, including pastors, do not grasp the gravity of what is taking place in the American and in the global culture. Living in a World with No Conscience can help us to see our world as God sees it, and provide us with a much needed wake-up call!

The ebook edition of this title is Open Access and freely available to read online. Outlining and defining the new concept of Destination Conscience, the authors provide an inter-disciplinary approach through a variety of case studies and definitive examples.

Drawn from a two-day symposium at Santa Clara University, Conscience and Catholic Health Care provides a timely and up-to-date assessment of the Catholic understanding of conscience and how it relates to day-to-day issues in Catholic health care. The contributors explore a wide range of topics, including end-of-life care, abortion and sterilization, and the role of Catholic ethics particularly in hospital settings. With insights from key figures this book will serve as a useful text and reference for medical students and practitioners as well as a resource for ethics boards and chaplains in Catholic hospitals, most especially those merging with secular health institutions. In addition to the editors, contributors include Ron Hamel, Anne E. Patrick, Roberto Dell'Oro, Lisa Fullam, Kristin E. Heyer, John J. Paris, M. Patrick Moore, Jr., Cathleen Kaveny, Lawrence J. Nelson, Kevin T. FitzGerald, SJ, Gerald Coleman, Margaret R. McLean, Shawnee M. Daniels-Sykes, and Carol Taylor. (Publisher)

In Fragile World: Ecology and the Church, scholars and activists from Christian communities as far-flung as Honduras, the Philippines, Colombia, and Kenya present a global angle on the global ecological crisis—in both its material and spiritual senses—and offer Catholic resources for responding to it. This volume explores the deep interconnections, for better and for worse, between the global North and the global South, and analyzes the relationship among the physical environment, human society, culture, theology, and economics—the “integral ecology” described by Pope Francis in Laudato Si’. Integral ecology demands that we think deeply about humans and the physical environment, but also about the God who both created the world and sustains it in being. At its root, the ecological crisis is a theological crisis, not only in the way that humans regard creation and their place in it, but in the way that humans think about God. For Pope Francis in Laudato Si’, the root of the crisis is that we humans have tried to put ourselves in God’s place. According to Pope Francis, therefore, “A fragile world, entrusted by God to human care, challenges us to devise intelligent ways of directing, developing, and limiting our power.”

A magisterial history of the centuries-long conflict between “progress” and “tradition” in the world’s largest international institution. The story of Roman Catholicism has never followed a singular path. In no time period has this been more true than over the last two centuries. Beginning with the French Revolution, extending to the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, and concluding with present-day crises, John T. McGreevy chronicles the dramatic upheavals and internal divisions shaping the most multicultural, multilingual, and global institution in the world. Through powerful individual stories and sweeping birds-eye views, Catholicism provides a mesmerizing assessment of the Church’s complex role in modern history: both shaper and follower of the politics of nation states, both conservator of hierarchies and evangelizer of egalitarianism. McGreevy documents the hopes and ambitions of European missionaries building churches and schools in all corners of the world, African Catholics fighting for political (and religious) independence, Latin American Catholics attracted to a theology of liberation, and Polish and South Korean Catholics demanding democratic governments. He includes a vast cast of riveting characters, known and unknown, including the Mexican revolutionary Fr. Servando Teresa de Mier; Daniel O’Connell, hero of Irish emancipation; Sr. Josephine Bakhita, a formerly enslaved Sudanese nun; Chinese statesman Ma Xiaobang; French philosopher and reformer Jacques Maritain; German Jewish philosopher and convert, Edith Stein; John Paul II, Polish pope and opponent of communism; Gustavo Gutiérrez, Peruvian founder of liberation theology; and French American patron of modern art, Dominique de Menil. Throughout this essential volume, McGreevy details currents of reform within the Church as well as movements protective of traditional customs and beliefs. Conflicts with political leaders and a devotional revival in the nineteenth century, the experiences of decolonization after World War II and the Second Vatican Council in the twentieth century, and the trauma of clerical sexual abuse in the twenty-first all demonstrate how religion shapes our modern world. Finally, McGreevy addresses the challenges faced by Pope Francis as he struggles to unite the over one billion members of the world’s largest religious community.

Pope Francis and His Critics offers a broad assessment of Francis and his pontificate, keeping in mind important criticisms mounted by his detractors.

This book offers an introduction to the theological and historical aspects of the papacy, an office and institution that is unique in this world. Throughout its history up to our present time, the Petrine ministry is both fascinating and challenging to people, both inside and outside the Catholic Church. Gerhard Cardinal Müller speaks from a particular and personal viewpoint, including his experience of working closely with the pope every day as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He addresses, in particular, those dimensions of the papal office which are crucial for understanding more deeply the pope as a visible principle of the church’s unity. 500 years after the Protestant reformation, the book offers insights into the ecumenical controversies about the papacy throughout the centuries, in their historical context. The book also exposes prejudices and cliches, and points to the authentic foundation of the Petrine ministry.