Can We Save the Catholic Church?

The Catholic Church is hemorrhaging members and is in dire need of assistance, proclaims Kung, prominent theologian at the University of Tubingen and founder of the Global Ethic Foundation. According to the author, in the decades following the second Vatican Council, the church's hierarchy became more entrenched, ossified, and resistant to change. Droves of faithful are leaving Catholicism for other denominations, and young people do not consider organized religion relevant to their lives. This assessment is highly credible, as it comes from a man with a strong intellectual voice and a wise heart, who was present at Vatican II and who has been fighting for reform for five decades. The author's response to the question posed in the title is, "Yes," but only if the hierarchy, along with the people in the pews, return to the foundational message of Jesus and discard the trappings of power, pomp, and prestige. These were never meant to define the Church, which needs to embrace its initial mission to spread God's word. (Feb.)