Before the recent synod on the family, Ignatius Press released "Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family". It's hard not to think of this as a sequel to the "Five Cardinals Book" that was released prior to 2014's synod on the family. One wonders what will happen prior to the next synod.
I didn't get the book right away because I was hoping that Ignatius would release a Kindle or iBooks edition. When I finally realized that wasn't going to happen the synod was halfway over and I resisted buying the book because I figured it'd be obsolete by the time the final report came out. After the synod was over, I didn't get it because I was getting tired of the constant discussion about marriage and things related to marriage (I am married. I am familiar with the subject. Perhaps there are other topics of interest?) But a month ago I ended up buying it, more to support my local Catholic bookstore than anything else.
It's a slim volume at 136 pages, including the preface by Winfried Aymans. Given that there are eleven authors, it's understandable that it's an uneven book. Mr Ayman's preface and the first chapter by Cardinal Caffara (Bolgna) are outstanding, and probably worth the price of the book. The second chapter by Cardinal Cleemis (Syro-Malankara) and the seventh chapter by Cardinal Onaiyeken (Abuja, Nigeria) are very interesting as the present how the Church's teaching on marriage is transmitted and received in different cultures, which I foolishly assumed as the point of these synods, not to regularize the decadent practices of the West. Then of course is Cardinal Sarah's contribution which is wonderful as always.
So I can't discourage people from getting this book. But I'm not sure I can whole-heartedly recommend it, either. My earlier misgivings persisted even as I read the better chapters. There's an odor of antiquity in the book. Most of the authors have "emeritus" in their titles and so it seems that their views are not necessarily reflective of the current people running dioceses around the world. Since the majority of the authors in this book are in no position to do anything practical or constructive with regards to Church teaching, it naturally leads one to think that that is the case in general. That the people in the Church at large that uphold traditional values are not in a position to do anything about it and, by extension, the majority of people who ARE in a position to do something are not inclined to uphold Church teaching. That's a completely fallacious argument, but I couldn't help getting that impression.
I suspect that Ignatius views this book as a minor contribution to the body of knowledge surrounding marriage which is why they didn't take the effort to make it available electronically.
I also have specific quibbles. Cardinal Eijk (Utrecht), Cardinal Meisner (emeritis, Cologne) and Cardinal Savino (Caracas) make the point explicitly that the Church is too timid in teaching the truth about marriage and sexuality. Cardinal Eijk actually uses the phrase "catechesis has been seriously neglected for half a century". I hear this all the time and it's true. But the fact that I hear it all the time also sets my antenna twitching and I've come to see this as a cheap applause line for conservative Catholics. It's the equivalent to a speaker warming up his audience with "I'm always very happy to come to (insert name of town). The people are so good looking and friendly!" It's used to get on the good side of your audience so they agree with everything else you way. It's a way of filling the space when you have nothing else to offer. It's treacle.
But what makes it offensive in this case is these people are the very ones who can do something about it. Cardinal Eijk make think catechesis has been poor in the last five decades, but he's been the archbishop of Utrecht since 2007 and a bishop since 1999. Cardinal Meisner was the archbishop of Cologne for twenty-five years. Cardinal Savino has been a bishop in Venezuela in various capacities for thirty-three years. These are not exactly helpless bystanders. I'd rather read less about their complaining about how things are in the Church and more about they've done to fix the problems.
The other quibble is related to a pet peeve of mine, so probably isn't valid for everyone. The authors mention that Vatican II is the key to a correct understanding of the family, largely through the interpretive lens of Pope St John Paul II at his Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Conosorto. Yet it also appears in the pages that many of the problems are caused by a misunderstanding of Vatican II. This is more treacle. It's hard to imagine getting published a a Catholic author without invoking Vatican II. It wears me out. I'm left with the conclusion that Vatican II has basically the same function as alcohol in the minds of many.
So I remain conflicted about the book. There are definitely gems contained within it and I think it's a good reference on the subject. It's worth the price and it's worth the space on your bookshelf if you're a catechist or evangelist of any sort. At least today. I remain cautious about it's shelf life. I still worry that Pope Francis will issue his own apostolic exhortation and render much of the argumentation in this book obsolete. I don't think he'll exactly overturn John Paul II, but ... well, actually I just don't know what to expect. He could uphold Church teaching, but for a completely different reason than is presented by these authors. He could dismiss them as pharisees and symptoms of a throw-away culture and antithetical to mercy, yet not go so far as to say their conclusions are wrong. Who knows?
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