Why I Am Still a Catholic: Essays in Faith and Perseverance

Book Overview

What does it mean to be a Catholic in today's world? What distinguishes the modern Catholic from anyone else? At a time when the Vatican provokes hostility by its opposition to contraception, abortion and the use of condoms in fighting AIDS, how many Catholics share its views? And if they don't, how can they in good conscience stay in the Church? These are among the many questions that writer and broadcaster Peter Stanford is addressing here. There is a whole spectrum of response in this entertaining and enlightening collection.

'Fascinating... a surprisingly uplifting book.' Sunday Telegraph
'A hard-hitting book which criticizes as much as it praises... it should be read by anyone interested in the phenomenon of organized religion.' Spectator

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0826491456
• ISBN13: 9780826491459
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Continuum
• Length: 154 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.7" x 7.2"

Customer Reviews

Wonderfully honest essays on practicing the Catholic faith in the real world

There are some differences between being a Catholic in the U.S. and being a Catholic in England. Despite the fact that England is an extremely secular nation, there's still a shadow cast by the 300 years of persecution of Catholics dating from the Reformation. So what does it mean to be Catholic in England today? This fascinating book of essays gives us an idea. The 14 contributors (only 2 are converts, the rest are cradle Catholics like Tony Blair's wife Cherie) come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Two of the authors are unable to take communion due to divorce -- yet they remain devoted Catholics and never miss Mass. One author was wrongfully jailed for 14 years in 1975 on charges of running an IRA bomb factory in her London home (see the film "In the Name of the Father" for the full story). What keeps this wide-ranging assortment of humanity in the Church Catholic? Their answers may surprise you -- but one thing is for sure, neither persecution nor injustice nor secularism nor the sins and foibles of the church hierarchy will prevail against the beauty, mystery, and truth of the Holy Catholic Church. Highly recommended.