Customer Reviews

The Wisdom of the Popes: A Collection of Statements of the Popes Since Peter on a Variety of Religious and Social Issues

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Papal proclamations, encyclicals, and meditations have fathered and fostered what is Western culture. Thomas Craughwell has compiled a splendorous and thematic bouquet of the spiritual and political positions of the Popes throughout the last two millennia. His masterful creation serves as a roadmap for anyone who wishes to trace the true influence of Catholicism upon the formation of the modern world.

From the stalwart simplicity of Peter and the prosaic acclaimations of the goodness of God penned by Clement I, down to the more recent and politically volatile legacies of Paul XI and Pius the XII, Mr. Craughwell artfully crafts an enthralling, intriguing, and inspiring legacy of the Pontiffs that will undoubtedly become a standard household reference for all Catholic families.

If Mr. Craughwell had just given a collection of statements from the popes over the last 2000 years this book would be great. If one is looking for a collection of statements by the popes then buy this book. The problem that I have with the book is the introduction/commentary that Mr. Craughwell offers at the start of many of the chapters, especially the commentary at start of the chapter on the Mass. In the prior chapters he showed how the popes have always helped the Church understand in a new way the truths that have been revealed to the Church since the begining. But in the chapter on the Mass he how the post Vatican II Mass has been a mistake by Paul VI and has led to a decline in the Church. I personally don't think he is right but that is another matter. So my suggestion is buy the book and skip the commentary/ introductions.