Among the Ruins: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Catholic Church (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781633883031)

This critical review of the Roman Catholic Church since the pivotal changes initiated in the 1960s by Vatican II paints a disturbing picture of decline and corruption. Dr. Paul L. Williams, a self-professed Tridentine or traditionalist Catholic, traces the various factors that have caused the Church to suffer cataclysmic losses in all aspects of its life and worship in recent decades. Williams illustrates the decline with telling statistics showing the stark difference between the robust number of clergy members, parishes, schools, and active church-going Catholics in 1965 versus the comparatively paltry number today. The author is highly critical of Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis for steering the church so far away from its traditional teachings and for a lack of oversight that allowed corruption to fester. Symptomatic of this failure of leadership are the recent pedophilia scandals, the ongoing financial corruption, a gay prostitution ring inside the Vatican, and criminal investigations of connections between the Holy See and organized crime. This unflinching critique from a devoted, lifelong Catholic is a wakeup call to all Catholics to restore their church to its former levels of moral leadership and influence.

Author: Paul L. Williams
ISBN-10: 1633883035
ISBN-13: 9781633883031
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Language: English
Published: 08/15/2017
Pages: 366
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.30w x 1.20d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/12/2017
Kirkus Reviews 06/15/2017