Book Review: Russell Shaw's "Eight Popes and the Crisis of Modernity"

When I went to Eighth Day Books last Saturday, I purchased this book (with a Gift certificate!!) and remembered that I had forgotten to mention George Weigel's book The Irony of Modern Catholic History in my review of best books read in 2020. I should have ranked it along with Hutter's book on Newman and Reilly's book on the political philosophy of the Founders in a three-way tie for first place!

I had noted Shaw's book in the Ignatius Press catalog last year and thought it looked like it covered much of the same ground as Weigel's, so I did not immediately seek to obtain a copy. So the timing was right to see the book on the shelf at EDB on Saturday. There should still be a copy available, according to the store's website. 

According to Ignatius Press:

Assaults on the dignity and rights of the human person have been central to the ongoing crisis of the modern era in the last hundred years. This book takes a searching look at the roots of this problem and the various approaches to it by the eight men who led the Catholic Church in the twentieth century, from Pope St. Pius X and his crusade against "Modernism" to Pope St. John Paul II and his appeal for a renewed rapprochement between faith and reason.

Thus it offers a distinctive, illuminating interpretation of recent world events viewed through the lens of an ancient institution, the papacy, a key champion of human rights under attack in modern times.

The fascinating story is told through short profiles of the eight popes combining crucial, often little known, facts about each by an author who is a veteran observer of Church affairs, a former top official of the conference of bishops of the USA, and consultant to the Vatican. It is written clearly and simply, but with carefully documented precision.

A special feature are the substantial excerpts from the writings of the popes that give important insights into their personalities and thinking. It also includes a useful overview of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and its pivotal role in reshaping the Catholic Church.

Eight Popes and the Crisis of Modernity contains judgments that will be challenged by partisans of both liberal and conservative ideological persuasions. But serious and open-minded readers, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, will find it an informative, timely, and inspiring guide to understanding many central events and issues of our times, while students of Church history will find it indispensable.

Contents:

Introduction

1. Pope Saint Pius X (August 4, 1903-August 20, 1914): "The First Outbreak of the Modern Mind"

2. Pope Benedict XV (September 3, 1914-January 22, 1922): "Never Was There Less Brotherly Activity"

3. Pope Pius XI (February 6, 1922-February 10, 1939): Facing Up to the New Men of Violence

4. Pope Pius XII (March 2, 1939-October 9, 1958): "The Modern Age in Arms"

5. Pope Saint John XXIII (October 28, 1958-June 3, 1963): The Provisional Pope Who Launched a Revolution

6. The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965): "Innovation in Continuity"

7. Pope Saint Paul VI (June 21, 1963-August 6, 1978): "Am I Hamlet or Don Quixote?"

8. Pope John Paul I (August 26-September 28, 1978): The Smiling Pope

9. Pope Saint John Paul II (October 16, 1978-April 2, 2005): The First Postmodern Pope

Afterword

In 150 pages, Shaw certainly cannot match Weigel's complexity and depth, but he does provide a thoughtful and reliable overview of the major crises seven of these eight popes faced:

Pius X: Modernism inside the Church: Loisy and Tyrell, etc

Benedict XV: World War I

Pius XI: totalitarianism and assault on traditional moral values

Pius XII: World War II and Communism

John XXIII: convening Vatican II

Paul VI: implementing Vatican II and enduring Catholic dissent

John Paul II: fall of the Soviet Union and restoration of order in the Church

I think that Shaw should have drastically shortened his consideration of Pope John Paul I since he did so little in his ecclesiastical career or as Pope (only 33 days) to confront the "Crisis of Modernity" and thus make room to include the reign of Pope Benedict XVI, since he served John Paul II's goals in clarifying Church teaching as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and as Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and continued his predecessor's goals of ecumenical renewal and restoration of order in the Church. 

Consideration of his foreshortened reign as the Vicar of Christ (April 19, 2005-February 28, 2013) would have demonstrated how the theologian continued the work of the philosopher. Benedict XVI was as aware as John Paul II of the crisis of the human person and of the need to defend human dignity in a comprehensive program of continuity and renewal. I'd even argue that leaving Benedict XVI out of this volume truncates the narrative of how the popes in the 20th and early 21st centuries have faced the Crisis of Modernity. I think that Pope Francis has a different program entirely, but since we're in the midst of his pontificate, historians in the future will have to look back and discern continuity or change.

Aside from that major caveat, I found the book an informative and reliable guide to the efforts of these seven popes to address the Modernist and Post-Modernist challenges to human dignity, the family, marriage, the life of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly; issues of war and peace, the economy, the poor and the oppressed, etc.