The Catholic Church
A Short History
In this extraordinary book, the controversial and profoundly influential Hans Küng chronicles the Roman Catholic Church’s role as a world power throughout history. Along the way, he examines the great schisms—between East and West, and Catholic and Protestant—as well as the evolving role of the papacy, the stories of the great reforming popes, and the expansion of a global church infrastructure. The book concludes with a searching assessment of how the Catholic faith will confront the immense challenges posed in the new millennium by those seeking reform of traditional strictures.
$27.99
January 7, 2003Hans Kung obtained a doctorate in theology from the Sorbonne in 1957. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1954. In 1962 he was named by Pope John XXIII a theological consultant for the second Vatican Council and played the key role in the writing of Vatican II, which radically modernized key areas of Catholic teaching. His questioning of traditional Church doctrines led to a 1979 Vatican censure that banned his teaching as a Catholic theologian, provoking huge international controversy. A settlement was reached a year later. He lives and teaches in Tubingen, Germany. His many books include On Being a Christian and Christianity: Essence, History, and Future.