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The Pope: His Mission and His Task
This book offers an introduction to the theological and historical aspects of the papacy, an office and institution that is unique in this world. Throughout its history up to our present time, the Petrine ministry is both fascinating and challenging to people, both inside and outside the Catholic Church.
Gerhard Cardinal Müller speaks from a particular and personal viewpoint, including his experience of working closely with the pope every day as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He addresses, in particular, those dimensions of the papal office which are crucial for understanding more deeply the pope as a visible principle of the church's unity.
500 years after the Protestant reformation, the book offers insights into the ecumenical controversies about the papacy throughout the centuries, in their historical context. The book also exposes prejudices and cliches, and points to the authentic foundation of the Petrine ministry.
Gerhard Cardinal Müller speaks from a particular and personal viewpoint, including his experience of working closely with the pope every day as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He addresses, in particular, those dimensions of the papal office which are crucial for understanding more deeply the pope as a visible principle of the church's unity.
500 years after the Protestant reformation, the book offers insights into the ecumenical controversies about the papacy throughout the centuries, in their historical context. The book also exposes prejudices and cliches, and points to the authentic foundation of the Petrine ministry.
- GenresTheology
400 pages, Paperback
First published February 20, 2017
12 people want to read
About the author
Gerhard Ludwig Müller
78 books17 followersGerhard Ludwig Müller KGCHS is a German cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012 until 2017. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2014. (Wikipedia)
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March 12, 2023
Cardinal Müller is a learned man whose take on Church affairs I greatly respect. This book, however, is a bit of a mess and needed a better editor.
The real meat of the book is to be found in pages 75 to 252. This section does, indeed, offer the reader some interesting and profound reflections on the nature of the papacy. Had this been the book, it would merit four stars. But there is, of course, more and one often wonders how it relates to the author’s stated aims.
The preceding 75 pages are biographical in nature, and while they provide an interesting background to the theological arguments, they go on for far too long. Sometimes this biographical section is downright weird, such as the paean to Liberation Theology and a denunciation of liberal capitalism. Even if Müller is correct on the merits, the reader must ask what any of this has to do with the thesis.
The final 100 pages of the book are basically Müller’s commentary on the papal encyclicals of Benedict XVI and Francis. Again, maybe that’s interesting, but it’s not clear what any of this has to do with helping the reader understand the mission and task of the papacy.
On the whole, this was a frustrating read because so much of the book felt like it had been cobbled together from various writings. It should have probably been three small books rather than one book.
The real meat of the book is to be found in pages 75 to 252. This section does, indeed, offer the reader some interesting and profound reflections on the nature of the papacy. Had this been the book, it would merit four stars. But there is, of course, more and one often wonders how it relates to the author’s stated aims.
The preceding 75 pages are biographical in nature, and while they provide an interesting background to the theological arguments, they go on for far too long. Sometimes this biographical section is downright weird, such as the paean to Liberation Theology and a denunciation of liberal capitalism. Even if Müller is correct on the merits, the reader must ask what any of this has to do with the thesis.
The final 100 pages of the book are basically Müller’s commentary on the papal encyclicals of Benedict XVI and Francis. Again, maybe that’s interesting, but it’s not clear what any of this has to do with helping the reader understand the mission and task of the papacy.
On the whole, this was a frustrating read because so much of the book felt like it had been cobbled together from various writings. It should have probably been three small books rather than one book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review