Book review.

From Brian Taylor re book review by Paul Kokoski

Having read both Paul Kokoski's review of the book by Fr. Richard Cote ("Lazarus! Come Out! Why Faith Needs Imagination", C.I., Oct/04, p. 48), and this item from canon law, I have only one question:

Canon 823 [section] 1

In order to safeguard the integrity of faith and morals, pastors of the Church have the duty and the right to ensure that in writings or in the use of the means of social communication, there should be no ill effect on the faith and morals of Christ's faithful. They also have the duty and the right to demand that where writings of the faithful touch upon matters of faith and morals, these be submitted to their judgment. Moreover, they have the duty and the right to condemn writings which harm true faith or good morals.

Canon 823 [section] 2

For Christ's faithful entrusted to their care, the duty and the right mentioned in [section] 1 belong to the bishops, both as individuals and in particular councils or Episcopal conferences; for the whole people of God, they belong to the supreme authority in the Church.

My question: is somebody asleep at the switch?

Well, maybe another one: where are the shepherds after His own heart that were promised to us by God?

Toronto, ON

From Catherine Slovak

Thanks to Paul Kokoski for his insightful review of Ft. Richard Cote's book Lazarus! Come Out! Why Faith Needs Imagination.

However, rather than cultivating more imagination, Catholics need to know why the author is still the director of the Office of Theology for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops when so much of this book is clearly not in line with Catholic teaching. When he writes that God is beyond the personal, how can he call the Father "Abba", as we do in Christian teaching? How can he pray the Our Father? When he speaks of God as a kind of spiritual energy, we wonder, does he profess faith in the Trinity? When he calls for a return to the pagan, pre-Christian gods and a harmonization of oneself with the cosmic "whole", we wonder not only why he calls himself Catholic, but why indeed he could even call himself Christian.

Rather than purify the teachings of the Catholic faith, as the author would suggest, there is a need to place theologians who are faithful to Catholic teaching in positions of teaching authority. Ordinary Catholics need to hear faithful theologians who can expound on and explain the teachings of the faith in a simple, uplifting and inspiring manner. Care must be taken to avoid the distribution of books which do not do this. "In order to safeguard the integrity of faith and morals, pastors of the Church have the duty and the right to ensure that in writings or in the use of the means of social communication there should be no ill effect on the faith and morals of Christ's faithful. They also have the duty and the right to demand that where writings of the faithful touch upon matters of faith and morals, these be submitted to their judgment. Moreover, they have the duty and the right to condemn writings which harm true faith or good morals." (Code of Canon Law No. 823).

In all Christian charity, not a bad idea.

Newmarket, ON