The Pope's War: Why Ratzinger's Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved Paperback – October 2, 2012

It took me quite awhile to get thru this book as I had to put it down and take a break from it frequently. It's revealing, and informative, and every Catholic should read it. No, it didn't much change my mind in the religion, since I was raised that way, but had me rethinking at least a few popes. They'll never make Benedict a saint, for sure. Reading this book will make everyone happy there's a pope who appears to be changing many of the problems of the church, that have lingered for decades. I'm a new Matthew Fox fan, and if I was younger, I'd consider becoming Episcopalian, like he has. That said, they're fairly close to Catholicism anyway. The book is referenced fully, and I recommend it to everyone whether Catholic or not.

[ASIN:B00BR9WJJS The Pope's War: Why Ratzinger's Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved by Fox, Matthew (Reprint Edition) [Paperback(2012)]]]I remember Vatican II, and the freshness of hopes about openness, social justice, really reaching out to the marginalized, and exploring the place of the church in the modern world. "Reading the signs of the times" was the new motto, not a discarding of old ways, but a fervent commitment to address today's world through the traditional teachings of the Roman Catholic Church with a new lens - who are these people who call themselves Catholic, who love the Church, and who are in the dark about what goes on behind the Vatican doors?Matthew Fox, the gifted author, learned firsthand that the Pope can "silence" a theologian, an order can expel a priest or nun after years of faithful service, not for misconduct, but for thinking and sharing ideas, for initiating dialog, for bringing joy into a solemn establishment still teaching that there is one true voice for the church, namely, that of the Pontiff. Matthew Fox describes the journeys of many followers of Jesus of Nazareth who met judgment and alienation for using their intellect, for actually committing themselves to feeding hungry people, for teaching about the wonders of Creation more boldly than about the ashes of death. He names names.I wondered what happened to Liberation Theology, that hopeful movement to empower people of Latin and South America to speak up and confront injustice ... It seems that Ratzinger, his colleagues, and even politicians squelched the movement. Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was martyred for resisting oppression, was murdered during celebration of Mass... and he is not acknowledged for his courage.As the conclave is over, and a new Pope moves in, these questions still need to be confronted and answered. Without transparency, sharing of leadership, and encouragement of discussion, where will the Church be in a few years? Matthew Fox has been there, and he is a clear and accurate author whose work is sometimes lyrical and poetic, at other times, bold and blunt. He is very, very gifted. I highly recommend this book to Catholics and other, in fact, to all who seek to understand how the "institution" needs to take care not to destroy the people inside.

I have read almost all of Matthew Fox's books. He was treated terribly by Ratzinger. I would recommend all of Fox's books.

Matthew Fox has written a very intriguing expose of the troubled Papacy and by extension the troubled Catholic Church. He hightlights a number of progressive theologians in Latin America and Europe as well in North America and their bitter encounters with the last two popes (John Paul II and Benedict XVI) who have confronted these learned men and women over their views on Liberation Theology, the roles of priests in sociopolitical movements, and of women in the Church. The recent Papacy's stand for "orthodoxy" , argues Fox, has created a schism within the Church between those siding with the global poor and impoverished, and against "winner -take-all" corporate misdeeds, and wars without end as opposed to those willing to war against communism and Marxism, against a prominent role by women in the Church, and in favor of male celebacy, and a myriad of Church policies born out of the Vatican's own century-old wars on secularism, workers' and women's movements, and the increasing demand from Roman Catholics for a "people's church" away from the Vatican's traditional old white men patriarchy of male bishops and priests top-down dominated Church. In short, Fox argues that the Papacy particularly the last two popes ("a Polish and German mafia") are fully bent on destroying the spirit and substance of the Vatican II reforms of the 60s and Pope John XXIII which attempted to "open the windows" of the Church and its version of Christianity. The work is a clear statement of the discontent boiling up from below the Vatican whose choice of an Argentine cardinal (Francis I) was in great part an attempt to stemming the growing tide of dissident Latin American Roman Catholics from leaving the Church. A very good read bringing together some of the hidden struggles between the Papacy and the people on the one hand, and the emergence of alternative people's Churches among the discontented faithful along with a resurgence of age-old personal spiritualism and mysticism dating back to Hildegard, St. Thomas and Master Eckardt on the other.

Matthew Fox nailed it with his writing of "The Popes War". I am Roman Catholic and suspected much of what Fox wrote. Matthew Fox backed up everything that he wrote and gave insight to two of our last popes who did everything that they could to change Vatican 11 and stop Liberation Theology in South America. I always wondered by the Church did not consider Oscar Romero as blessed or sainthood. Know I know why. Simply because he stood up for Liberation Theology.Pope Francis has now cleared the way for Oscar Romero.This is a must read for Catholics and non Catholics to understand the repression and silencing of our great theologians and profits of today's Church both both by Pope John Paul 11 and Pope Benedict X111.Let us pray that those days are finally over!

A stunning and eye opening read. Makes you think.

I'm a fan of Matthew Fox, but this book deepened my understanding and sadness/irritation with the Roman Catholic Church. The list of those Ratzinger has tried to silence is worth the book. But his writing of some of those heroes is inspiring.

Matthew Fox has spat his dummy and clearly shows his ire in this book in which he rails against anyone and everyone he crossed-swords with during his time as a member of the Dominican Order especially saving his vitriol for three people, the first being Jose Maria Escriver de Balaguer the founder of Opus Dei, which incidentally is NOT a 'sect' as referred to somewhat sarcastically by Michael Walsh one of Fox's most devoted acolytes but is recognised as an institution of the Roman Catholic Church. Fox calls the former Monsignor, now a Saint, 'sordid'? Secondly he shows his obvious contempt for Saint John Paul ll but he appears to absolutely hate previous Pope Benedict XV1, Joseph Ratzinger with a vengeance.Unlike other reviewers of this book I do NOT find it so interesting, mainly because it is so biased. How or why Fox remained with the Order for so long simply beggars belief considering his dislike for so many people?I had difficulty in accepting many of the claims made by Fox and others, most of which were cleverly and I think deliberately ambiguous thus preventing the reader from being able to 'check' much of the information and facts stated although SOME were outrageously incorrect BUT included nonetheless.After all, who wants the truth to spoil a good story? For one of the best examples of this, I quote from an Italian Jewess who alleged in 1995 'I came back from Auschwitz on my own.I lost my mother,two sisters,a niece, and one brother. Pius Xll could have warned us what was going to happen.We might have escaped from Rome and joined the partisans.He played right into the Germans' hands. It all happened right under his nose.But he was an anti-semitic Pope, a pro-German Pope.He didn't take a single risk. And when they say the Pope is like Jesus Christ, it is not true.He did not save a single child.Nothing'.I disagree completely! Pope Pius Xll directed that the Catholic Church MUST provide discreet assistance to Jews and others, hiding them in monasteries, churches, schools, convents - even in the Vatican and Castel Gandolfo and as a result hundreds of thousands of lives were saved. He personally maintained links with the 'Anti-Nazi' German Resistance, also sharing intelligence with the allies, who actually believed his condemnation of the 'genocide' was weak although the Nazis saw him as a sympathiser of the allies and castigated him for NOT remaining neutral.Pius Xll received MANY plaudits from Jewish leaders both during and after the war. Both Ratzinger and his predecessor saw that the 'Liberation Theology' that Fox wanted to practice within the Roman Catholic Church had Marxist leanings and forbade it. Too much unnecessary bile.

This work is so full of commonsense and compassion that one can only wonder how it is that so few of the world's religious leaders continue to appear deaf to its altruistic reasoning. Matthew Fox's readily assimilated writing style is packed with all kinds of stimulating facts that combine to cause the reader to think deeply about a variety of matters that he/she may well have hitherto taken for granted.Not content to simply explain what is wrong with the way in which Roman Catholicism is currently being administered, Mr. Fox sets out, clearly step by step, how it can be reformed, enabling it to work alongside other Christians, and indeed other religions, as equals in a combined effort for the good of all. In relation to this, one of the things he does is to champion the role of women in the Church as he, at the same time, exposes the myth that God is exclusively male. The nonsense of not allowing women to be ordained as priests is also exposed.Matthew Fox is also clear regarding the damage done to Christian belief by adopting the doctrines perpetrated by Augustine of Hippo (354-430) such as original sin and the inferiority of women, both of which have no basis in the teaching of early Christianity. In relation to this he sets out his evidence in succinct and readily assimilated fashion.The danger to ecumenical Christianity postured by current organisations such as Opus Die and The Legion of Christ are clearly explained as is also the RC Church's inability to deal effectively with such crimes as the sexual abuse crisis amongst its clergy and the financial misdemeanours of the Vatican Bank.The way in which good, caring and learned clergy such as Father Bernard Haring, Father Leonardo Boff and Bishop Pedro Casaldaliga were persecuted and silenced by the Vatican is exposed and explained. These and many others are caring personalities seeking to present a compassionate Christianity geared to the needs of every day folk struggling to lead worthwhile lives within the trials and tribulations of the modern world.Matthew Fox doesn't just expose the corruption; he spends more time in setting out what can be done to rid Christianity of it and, in the process, present a truly caring and compassionate religion that is properly in touch with the everyday needs of ordinary people. This is a truly great work, beautifully written and very readable, in which Matthew Fox lifts us into the rewarding realm of true religion untrammelled by 'the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.'

very much a polemic,but I enjoyed it all the same.Pity Fr Fox went over to the Episcopalians,our loss, their gain.I'd need more than the authority of the so-called Jesus Seminar to reject the famous Petrine text,and have reservations about the author'senthusiasm for New Age solutions. All in all it is an accurate indictment of Benedict xvi/Ratzinger and his treatment of many fine scholars.But for a more balanced account of just one of these cases ,read Fr. Gerald O'Connor's ON THE LEFT BANK OF THE TIBER.

This book is by way of a kind of 'J'accuse' and it is passionate in its denunciation of the behaviour of the official Catholic Church in the time of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI's ascendancy. For those who are ignorant of this history it is sobering in the extreme, especially in its account of official treatment of the heroic Liberation Theology movement in Latin America and of the furtive and systematic cover-up of the sexual abuse scandals. Fox goes into detail about the human suffering brought about by this official Vatican policy, in particular about the silencing of critical and creative theologians and about the neglect of those who were the victims of the abuse. Very occasionally the tone is shrill, but one forgives this in the light of what is being brought into the light. There are occasionally strong claims that are not backed up by the evidence that would make them plausible, thus almost as an aside it is remarked that John Paul I was probably murdered and that the election of his successor was aided by the CIA. There is unexpected material about the secret ordination of women priests in Czechoslovakia after the Soviet take-over and the typical Vatican anxiety to see that knowledge of this is suppressed.

Excellent assessment of a pope I've always found rather difficult. As Cardinal Ratzinger he was known as the rottweiler. Catholic friends said when he was elected they hoped he'd prove to be a German Shepherd. Sadly I don't think he made the transition, and this book is an excellent assessment of why and how.