Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church [Paperback]

Thomas Reese S.J. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 1998

There are one billion Catholics in the world today, spread over every continent, speaking almost every conceivable language, and all answering to a single authority. The Vatican is a unique international organization, both in terms of its extraordinary power and influence, and in terms of its endurance. Popes come and go, but the elaborate and complex bureaucracy called the Vatican lives on. For centuries, it has served and sometimes undermined popes; it has been praised and blamed for the actions of the pope and for the state of the church. Yet an objective examination of the workings of the Vatican has been unavailable until now.

Drawing on more than a hundred interviews with Vatican officials, this book affords a firsthand look at the people, the politics, and the organization behind the institution. Reese brings remarkable clarity to the almost Byzantine bureaucracy of congregations, agencies, secretariats, tribunals, nunciature, and offices, showing how they serve the pope and, through him, the universal church. He gives a lively account of how popes are elected and bishops appointed, how dissident theologians are disciplined and civil authorities dealt with. Throughout, revealing and colorful anecdotes from church history and the present day bring the unique culture of the Vatican to life.

The Vatican is a fascinating institution, a model of continuity and adaptation, which remains constant while functioning powerfully in a changing world. As never before, this book provides a clear, objective perspective on how the enormously complex institution surrounding the papacy operates on a day-to-day level, how it has adapted and endured for close to two thousand years, and how it is likely to face the challenges of the next millennium.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his exhaustive treatment of the world's most complex religious organization, Reese, a Jesuit priest who has written about the U.S. Catholic hierarchy (Archbishop: Inside the Power Structure of the American Catholic Church, Harper San Francisco) approaches his subject from a sympathetic yet critical perspective and manages to accomplish two tasks. He describes what is, based on more than 100 interviews with Vatican insiders, and he prescribes what might be, based on his own sense of the church's place in the contemporary world. Though he avoids discussing personal lives of curial officials, he humanizes a vast bureaucracy with an occasional bit of gossip and a few revealing Vatican jokes. For example, one official offered a careerist's recipe for survival in the Roman curia: "Don't think. If you think, don't speak. If you speak, don't write. If you think and if you speak, don't write. If you think and speak and write, don't sign your name. If you think and speak and write and sign your name, don't be surprised." Reese's detailed account of what goes on inside a papal conclave will greatly simplify the work of journalists and teachers during the election of the next pope.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

One need not be Catholic or even religious to appreciate this fascinating look into the Vatican, an institution with worldwide influence. Reese, a Jesuit priest and political scientist, provides detailed information, much of which is not available elsewhere, on the internal workings of the Vatican both as city-state and the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. That information ranges from how popes are elected and how each of the Vatican offices operates to how the Vatican bank functions and what sort of fire department the Vatican has. Reese also offers insights, e.g., that Cardinals tend to elect an older pope to avoid a long reign, and notes procedures for deposing an insane or otherwise incapacitated pope. With its wealth of information, historical background, and analysis, Reese's work should be an important addition for a variety of libraries. [For another view on this subject, see Carl Bernstein's recently released His Holiness John Paul II and the Hidden History of Our Time, which was unavailable for review.]?John Moryl, Yeshiva Univ. Lib., New Yor.
-?John Moryl, Yeshiva Univ. Lib., New York
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 322 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (February 19, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674932617
• ISBN-13: 978-0674932616
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #834,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Enlightening Look Behind the Vaticans Closed Doors, February 2, 2001

By 

Peter Fennessy (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church (Hardcover)

One young girl wrote in a book report "This book tells me more about hippopotamuses than I wanted to know." Unless you have a special interest in the Vatican inside story, this book may also tell you too much. But since the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church is one of the three most efficient corporate structures in the world, and since its work touches the lives of a billion Roman Catholics (and much of the rest of the world as well), and since its failings have been at the center of controversy in the Catholic world, the book is important. It is a well written and exhaustive summary of how the central Catholic government is structured and makes its decisions. The author, who has written on church governance at all levels, is a recognized expert in the field. Despite the controversial nature of the topic Reese treats the Curia fairly and objectively. Those who complain about the Curia should read this book, for while many of their complaints may be justified, they might be surprised at the amount and complexity of the work the Vatican does, the care and dedication with which they try to do it, and the problems and difficulties they labor under. The section on the internal culture of the Curia is particularly enlightening, and the author's concrete and professional suggestions for reform are valuable.

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ever wonder what it'd be like to be a Vatican bureaucrat?, April 28, 2004

By 

saskatoonguy (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church (Paperback)

Thomas Reese, Jesuit professor and journalist, has carved a very narrow niche for himself as an author, explaining the organizational mechanics of the Catholic church. Most people would find his books to have far too much detail, but there are a few, like me, who are curious about what really happens behind the closed doors of the Catholic administrative apparatus. His 1989 book, "Archbishop," described how dioceses are run, and "Inside the Vatican" describes how the Vatican functions. What decisions do cardinals actually make? What is it like to be a Vatican ambassador to a foreign country? What is it like to have a career as a Vatican bureaucrat? (One tidbit: No air conditioning!)

If these are things you've wondered about, this is the book for you. Reese approaches these things as though he were an anthropologist or a management consultant, with a keen eye for the nuances of interpersonal relationships within the Vatican bureaucracy. My only complaints are that the amount of detail can be overwhelming, and Reese sometimes gets bogged down in a wooden style of writing. It's best to start reading this book in the middle, because the beginning is rather dry. On the other hand, the anecdotes are a strong plus. To give one example, the story of John Paul II reprimanding the Archbishop of Denver to his face creates a mental image that is hard to forget.

The last chapter is the most provocative, where Reese suggests reforms that are both logical and unrealistic: He argues that Vatican administrators should not be allowed to become cardinals, which in papal elections would cause a monumental power shift toward those who are in closer touch with the laity. Reese suggests priests play a major role in selecting bishops, as was the case before the 1800s, in contrast to the current practice in which the pope appoints ultraconservative bishops who can't relate to anyone in their diocese.

According to Reese, the underlying problem is that the Vatican is more interested in doctrinal purity than keeping people in the church. Meanwhile the laity are voting with their feet, gravitating to pastors who ignore papal instructions, or leaving the church altogether.

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Balanced View, May 7, 2002

By 

Chesterton (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church (Paperback)

Reese has written a book that can be daunting to someone who may be looking for quick answers. The Vatican is such an arcane institution that it is impossible to give a short, comprehensive answer on the operation of the Curia. As a researcher, I found Reese's work immensely informative; it also provides some balance to the more sensational allegations of Luigi Marinelli, although I doubt that his work is to be discounted either. It shows an institution that is prone to the same errors of judgement and behaviour in its denizens as any other, but with a higher degree of moral rectitude expected from it. It is a fascinating excursion into one of the world's oldest surviving bureaucracies.