The Courage To Be Catholic: Crisis,
Reform And The Future Of The
Church by George Weigel
Amazing Book!
A short, masterful, information-packed examination, a book that is
thoroughly trustworthy, and spot-on. -Michael Novak, National Review
When sexual scandals rocked the American Catholic Church, many
observers and faithful alike called on the church to abandon its tenets on
the vocation of the priesthood and sexuality outside marriage-to, in effect,
become more Protestant. Acclaimed theologian and best-selling author
George Weigel saw the crisis differently: as a crisis of fidelity to the true
essence of Catholicism. In this well-reviewed book that touched a chord
with so many practicing Catholics, Weigel examines the scandal in the
context of church history, and exposes the patterns of dissent and self-
deception that became entrenched in seminaries, among priests, and
ultimately among the bishops who failed their flock by thinking like
managers instead of apostles. But, Weigel reminds us, in the Biblical
world a crisis is also a time of great opportunity, an invitation to deeper

faith. With honesty and critical rigor, Weigel sets forth an agenda for
genuine reform that challenges clergy and laity alike to lead more integrally
Catholic lives. More than just a response to recent failures, The Courage to
Be Catholic is a bracing, forward-looking call to action, and a passionate
embrace of life lived in faith.
Personal Review: The Courage To Be Catholic: Crisis, Reform
And The Future Of The Church by George Weigel
Weigel's credentials precede him and I believe he is the only American that
could write such a book on this topic and make any sense of it. With an
objective and clear mind, he dissects the problem of the clergy abuse
crisis, and reconstructs the different factors that led up to the crisis's of
2002. He does not walk gingerly around those that are ultimately
responsible for this crisis (bishops), but neither does he let the American
culture, Catholic faithful or even the Vatican off the hook of guilt and
complicity in allowing the events of 2002 to come to fruition.
In his view, I believe, he puts the initial blame at the feet of the lack of
fidelity to the Truths of the Church by all parties involved. I agree with him.
He also believes that the only way to a complete reform of the Church is
through rediscovering this lack of fidelity, otherwise any reform
implemented will be window dressing and doomed to fail. With precision
and insight, he examines and exposes blatant errors of leadership as a
result of forgetting what a bishop is, and what a bishop's main
responsibility is: A successor of the Apostles and being a shepherd to his
flock, not a bureaucratic manager of his diocese.
If you want an honest and clear view of this crisis, this is the book you want
to read. Though it is riddled with despair at what has happened in the
Church, he provides real and concrete solutions as to what must be done
to set things right. It is a book of despair yes, but with a healthy dose of
hope...all is not lost, not by a long shot. Enjoy.
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