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The Papacy Confronts the Modern World (Anvil Series
The Enlightenment, followed by the American, French, and Industrial revolutions, provoked far-reaching political, economic, social and religious changes in the 19th century, which dominated events in the 20th, influencing the course of the 21st century. The papacy found its authority questioned. The present volume of text and documents focuses on the papal response to the modern world. Included in its pages is the Vatican's response to liberalism, socialism and communism as well as historical events from the French Revolution to the Cold War. It also examines papal neutrality during the World Wars, its attitudes towards racism, and its response to the Holocaust.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
About the author
Frank J. Coppa
34 books2 followersA specialist in the history of modern Italy and the Roman Catholic Church, Frank J. Coppa taught at St. John's University in Queens, New York, from 1965 until his retirement in 2010. He earned his B.A. from Brooklyn College in 1960, and his M.A. (1962) and Ph.D. (1966) from the Catholic University of America.
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May 12, 2026
A simple overview of the mainly political aspects of the papacy, during the last couple of centuries.
The first part of the book is a set of explanatory essays which contextualize popes and historical eras. The second part of the book provides extracts from important texts, thus providing access to original primary texts. It is a good idea to provide both explanations and texts, as that enables students to work with the actual historical sources, while also having an overview of how the sources fitted into contemporary events. In a book like this it is too easy to quibble and suggest alternative texts that should have been included. Yes there are relevant texts omitted, but rather than seeing the cup as half empty, it should be seen as half full. The range of texts provided are a good representative sample.
While the contextual information was generally always informative, there were a few places where I think additional information would have been helpful. For example, when dealing with World War I, in chapter 4, the book stated: ‘(Pope) Benedict XV explained that the Holy See did not wish to be neutral in the war, but had the duty to remain impartial - a fine distinction understood by neither camp.’ The point is well made, but what are readers to make of Benedict’s policies. Were they truly expressing a sophisticated approach that neither side could understand, or were they in fact just an incoherent muddled attempt to avoid picking sides. The answer to that question is far from clear.
One of the weaknesses of the book is that it is a mainly political and social overview of matters. The philosophical and theological developments of the era are largely ignored. For example, the Modernist crisis gets a mention for 1907, but there is no real explanation of why it occurred or where it came from. In the background is the development of biblical criticism, within liberal protestant thought and the challenges that it posed to Catholic theology. Modernism was one answer to that set of issues, an answer that the Church of 1907 rejected, doubling down instead on its promotion of Neo-scholasticism as the solution. One of the things which makes Vatican II significant in 1965 is that that solution was finally seen as not really addressing the core issues.
Overall this is a reasonable introduction to the last couple of centuries, which is written in a way to be accessible by undergraduates and possibly upper High School ages. The focus on politics doesn’t allow theological issues enough space, but for students engaging with the book to understand the specifically social and political issues (such as Church and State), then it presents a very useful resource.
The first part of the book is a set of explanatory essays which contextualize popes and historical eras. The second part of the book provides extracts from important texts, thus providing access to original primary texts. It is a good idea to provide both explanations and texts, as that enables students to work with the actual historical sources, while also having an overview of how the sources fitted into contemporary events. In a book like this it is too easy to quibble and suggest alternative texts that should have been included. Yes there are relevant texts omitted, but rather than seeing the cup as half empty, it should be seen as half full. The range of texts provided are a good representative sample.
While the contextual information was generally always informative, there were a few places where I think additional information would have been helpful. For example, when dealing with World War I, in chapter 4, the book stated: ‘(Pope) Benedict XV explained that the Holy See did not wish to be neutral in the war, but had the duty to remain impartial - a fine distinction understood by neither camp.’ The point is well made, but what are readers to make of Benedict’s policies. Were they truly expressing a sophisticated approach that neither side could understand, or were they in fact just an incoherent muddled attempt to avoid picking sides. The answer to that question is far from clear.
One of the weaknesses of the book is that it is a mainly political and social overview of matters. The philosophical and theological developments of the era are largely ignored. For example, the Modernist crisis gets a mention for 1907, but there is no real explanation of why it occurred or where it came from. In the background is the development of biblical criticism, within liberal protestant thought and the challenges that it posed to Catholic theology. Modernism was one answer to that set of issues, an answer that the Church of 1907 rejected, doubling down instead on its promotion of Neo-scholasticism as the solution. One of the things which makes Vatican II significant in 1965 is that that solution was finally seen as not really addressing the core issues.
Overall this is a reasonable introduction to the last couple of centuries, which is written in a way to be accessible by undergraduates and possibly upper High School ages. The focus on politics doesn’t allow theological issues enough space, but for students engaging with the book to understand the specifically social and political issues (such as Church and State), then it presents a very useful resource.
Displaying 1 of 1 review