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Pack containing 1 copy each of Wrestling with the Church Hierarchy & Hard Questions Born of Love
Wrestling with the Church Hierarchy
John Warhurst’s unique perspective as a Church insider-outsider means that he walks a fine line. As an insider, he works within the Church in many leadership and governance roles; as an outsider, he leads ginger groups and lobbies for change through both Church and mainstream media.
Wrestling with the Church Hierarchy is a personal account of attempting to come to grips with the power structure of the Church at a time of necessary reform of those structures. As a forceful but understanding critic, John shows no fear or favour when dealing with Church authorities. He is adamant that the Church needs many more women in leadership positions, greater lay participation in co-responsible governance, and much more extensive transparency and accountability in all aspects of Church affairs, including finance and communications.
John considers the Plenary Council 2021-2022 a crucial once-in-a-generation opportunity to advance these reforms. But it’s not the only opportunity. John’s message is that the time for dioceses and parishes to introduce reforms is now.
Hard Questions Born of Love
The first half of 2021 was the lull before the storm, before the clash (between my two roles) became real. In the second half of the year, as Plenary Council (PC) member formation for the First Assembly began, it was almost as if my two roles — reformer and official — were stalking one another…
At the launch of John Warhurst’s acclaimed book Wrestling with the Church Hierarchy, journalist Genevieve Jacobs reflected that there was “no more valuable a person than the one who asks hard questions born of love” . John Warhurst’s latest book Hard Questions Born of Love is a personal and honest insider/outsider account of the dynamics of Church reform. Warhurst traces the highly contested direction of Church reform during 2021, including reflections on his own experience as a member of the First Assembly of the Plenary Council.
Hard Questions Born of Love is a unique and engaging insight into a Plenary process that has left many Catholics feeling disenfranchised and unheard. As Warhurst says, “History will interpret this Plenary Council in the decades to come…we must pray deeply, listen carefully, and read critically… We have a duty to speak up and a right to be heard”.
John Warhurst AO is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University, Chair of Concerned Catholics Canberra Goulburn and a Delegate to the Plenary Council. He was co-author of The Light from the Southern Cross: Promoting Co-responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia.
RRP $69.90
