The Power and The Glory - Inspirational Christian Novel by Graham Greene | Perfect for Book Clubs, Bible Study & Spiritual Growth

After reading the first chapter of this momentous, and at times shocking book, one concludes that not only few papacies, but few popes have been surrounded by as much myth and misconception as Karol Wojtyla, priest, bishop, cardinal, pope and in the opinion of many, saint. The author combines the ability to write in a clear, easy-to-follow style with formidable research capability. His other works include In God's Name, Unholy Alliance, Tracking the Jackal and Deliver Us From Evil. Even John Paul's most ardent supporters would have to agree that his papacy not without controversy. In spite of the "super pope" media image, critical studies of his papacy and his theology have emerged. Nothing however, comes close to the detailed examination provided by David Yallop. The author's widely acknowledged investigative skills are at their best in his fearless quest to discover the real Karl Wojtyla. He devoted eight years to research, probing deeply into the reality of the man and the papacy that dominated the Catholic Church for a quarter century. This book will shock and enrage the ardent supporters of the late pope yet one must honestly ask if the adulation is for the carefully crafted larger than life image or for the man himself. Yallop's detailed study of John Paul II's personal and public life leave no other conclusion than that the adoring faithful were really enamored of an image and not reality. Even critics of John Paul's reign, characterized by some as "autocratic" and "restorationist" will be uncomfortably surprised at Yallop's well researched and solidly supported de-mythologization of Karol Wojtyla's early years in Poland, first under Nazi and later under Communist occupation. He flattens the notion, created by Vatican spin meisters, that young Karol was an active partisan committed to protecting Jews from the Nazis. Not true, according to Yallop's research. Instead, the future pope "actively attempted to persuade others to abandon violent resistance and trust in the power of prayer." (P. 239). The author interviewed several Jewish authorities who said straight out that there are no records of Wojtyla doing anything to protect or save Jews during World War II. Yallop puts the pope's role in the dismantling of the Soviet Union in a dim light, portraying him as highly cautious and retreating to reliance on prayer rather than decisive action. If one takes this rendition of the late pope's non-role in the demolition of Communism and mixes it with his tacit approval of military dictatorships in Argentina, Chile and El Salvador plus his negative reaction to liberation theology, one wonders at the veracity of the claims that he was a world class human rights advocate. With bold clarity Yallop delves into the two explosive Vatican financial scandals, the so-called Banco Ambrosiano debacle and the Martin Frankel insurance fraud of the 90's. The theme throughout, which puts the pope in the middle of it all, is that money has a powerful way of blurring the line between integrity and greed for the denizens of the Vatican. He does an exceptionally credible job on the clergy abuse scandal, now in its third decade. A burning question: "why has the Pope done nothing to stop it?" is valid since the Pope knew the details from the outset of the first U.S. revelations in 1984. Yet he said nothing publicly until 1993. His theme then and throughout: clergy abuse is evil, the priest-abusers are sinners, the poor suffering bishops had to put up with it and the victims need prayer. In 1994 the papal spin doctor, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, said it was primarily an American problem and then parroted the papal line that western secularism, materialism and sensationalism had a lot to do with exaggerating it. Within a year Cardinal Groer, Archbishop of Vienna, was exposed as a sexual abuser from his pre-cardinal days. The pope had appointed Groer from nowhere in 1986, largely because of his promotion of Marian devotion. He did nothing when the scandal first broke, and, according to Yallop's research, was outraged at the Austrian bishops for failing to keep the lid on the terrible publicity. In spite of it all the proof was conclusive and Groer was not only forced to resign but ordered not to perform any public functions as a cardinal or bishop. Yallop's rendition of the sex abuse saga is not only factually correct but his reasons as to why the pope remained impotent are on target. He best sums it up on the papal silence: "He brought with him... to the Vatican practices that he had embraced throughout his life as a priest. They included an intense pathological hatred of any revelation that indicated the Catholic Church was not a perfect institution.. All dissent must be kept behind closed doors, whether of church politics, scandalous behavior or criminal activity." (P. 314). The late pope appears to have sacrificed open advocacy for victimized children in favor of tacit protection of the structure. He refused to ever meet with victims and never even uttered a publicly apology. His most egregious response to the scandal was the much-publicized short-circuiting of the canonical investigation of the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, Marcial Maciel-Degollado. That, plus the rehabilitation of Bernard Law by making him Archpriest of St. Mary Major Basilica convinced abuse victims that the pope cared little for them and much for the Church's hierarchical aristocracy. Yallop's description of the facts confirms this conviction. The Power and the Glory had to be written because the Church and contemporary culture sorely need a reality check on out of control hagiographic forces that threaten to seriously distort a vitally important chapter of modern-day history. It had to be written for the good of the Church as well. John Paul II was well on the way to becoming a cult figure....far removed the role of pope as pastoral father and not supreme emperor. "His obituaries abound with myths, fantasies and dis-information" says Yallop. "The cult of personality which John Paul so reveled in focuses precisely on the man but at great cost to the faith." This book is more than a critical biography. It is about the thinly veiled political aspect of the Church that has confused earthly power with the propagation of the Word. It is about the actions, inactions and questionable responses of the late pope and the Vatican he created to internal scandals and socio-cultural turbulence in ecclesiastical and secular society. Finally, it is about a model of "Church" that has grown increasingly at odds with the vision of Vatican II or perhaps worse, it is about a model of "Church" that has always been there, though in recent times lurking in the shadows, waiting to be once more empowered.