14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a book to read and think about., October 11, 2003
Morris West's Lazarus is a cri de coeur in more ways than one. On a basic level, West has parlayed his own experience with life-saving cardiac surgery (and its impact on his life) into come up with an amazingly realistic account of the same transformation experienced by the Pope. On a deeper level, it is West's own plea for his beloved Catholic Church to break its self-imposed shackles of bureaucracy, rigid attitude and mechanistic rules and return to the basic metaphor of its founder : a shepherd caring for his flock of sheep.
This has been a consistent thrust of Morris West's writings, born out of his own experiences : a theme that is of course highly divisive. Many (like myself, admittedly) Catholics who considered the Second Vatican Council to be a long delayed awakening for the hierarchy, and the subsequent papal policies as a betrayal of the Council, will doubtless find ourselves in full agreement. I recognize at the same time that many persons of goodwill consider the Council as a step too far and view the retrenchments since then as advancements.
The Pope Leo of the book is not John Paul II of course, but his fundamental character is not far different. West envisages Leo as the stereotyped Curial bureaucrat who becomes a priest more from family expectations than any real calling, rises through the ranks and finds himself Pope with no real vision for the Church beyond the classical bureaucrat's respect for authority and rules. With this background, he (in all sincerity no doubt) rules with an iron hand, brooking no dissent and heedless of the human cost of his policies. Faced suddenly with the possibility of death, and applying the surgery as a metaphor for resurrection (like the Lazarus of the New Testament), Leo finds himself questioning the methods he has used and the contrary results of these methods. Pushing him, in facile counter-point, is the aged Cardinal Drexel who in experiencing the love of a foster family has been able to discern the withering of the Church and the yawning chasm between the hierarchy and the laity.
The storyline is thin, in fact it is clearly contrived by West to suit his line of argument, with the result that just about every stereotype finds a place. He does succeed in making his plaint however. How likely is such a situation? I wonder. The larger an organization (or a faith) grows, the more inevitable the need for sets of rules and procedures and we cannot return to the simplicity of earlier days, no matter how attractive they may appear. It is enough that West succeeds in making the reader participate in the debate, no matter which side of the argument. I highly recommend this book, irrespective of your stand on the questions, this is a book to read and think about.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
On Life, Death and Love, July 6, 2000
Again, the Vatican: The ageing pontiff faces death unless the famous, Jewish doctor performs surgery immediately. The risk? Nothing much - it's like getting into a car or a plane. You accept the risk, then forget it. Turning down surgery carries swift - and certain - death, so the heir of the fisherman accepts.
Being under the knife brings the iron-fisted hard-liner to a personal crisis, and he emerges another man after having seen death in the eye - thus the title. But the statistical risk of not making it through surgery is infinitesimal - compared to becoming the target of professional assassins as they gather around their prey.
As often is with West, he combines quick action with personal trauma. And once again, he does it well. The thrill and the thoughts are both essential, and the book is worth reading. And, not surprisingly, a twist at the end.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lazarus lives., October 1, 2002
I read this book on vacation. Many years ago I read "In The Shoes of the Fisherman" and "The Clowns of God." I enjoyed both of these books but not enought to search out and read the third book in the trilogy. What a mistake! This book contains the politics of power, the behind the scenes strugles and the fears and doubts as well as the faith and triumphs of the servants of the Vatican, as well as the Italian and international scene. The relationships both formed, forming and parting kept me glued to the book. The pace was fast and enthralling. Do not miss this book. The end was somewhat predictable, but never-the-less still shocking.
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