Should the Vatican State be Dissolved?
Can the Catholic Church be Saved?
Is the Catholic Church inherently evil? Is she incapable of reform? Why is the good work of millions of Catholics negated by an enduring pontifical structure which is authoritarian, self-perpetuating and unaccountable? These are some of the questions raised by David Ranan’s new book DOUBLE CROSS: the Code of the Catholic Church.
At a time when religion appears to be resurgent everywhere, we need to be able to question the assertions of organised religion and to hold such organisations to account for the social and political consequences of their actions.
Aspects of the historical record and current activities of the Catholic Church have been examined by numerous authors.
What makes this book different is that it examines, with great clarity, a number of areas of critical concern – dissent, violence, sexuality, sexual abuse, and anti-Semitism – and discerns a systemic flaw at the heart of the Catholic Church.
This book deals with the Catholic Church as a power structure and not with her beliefs. It is not about Catholicism. Nor does it question Catholic theological dogma. It is about the use and endemic abuse of power in an unaccountable political structure that enjoys recognition as both a legitimate state polity and a global belief system.
Unlike ‘faithful’ insiders, who seek to promote reform from within, Ranan
stands outside the structure and embrace of the Church,lending his
analysis a rare degree of objectivity and making his conclusions as
compelling as they are startling.
Dr. David Ranan is a political scientist, whose main area of interest
is the study of power structures.