Publisher's Synopsis
With the recent death of John Paul II, it appears that one sort of Catholicism is collapsing and a new kind of Catholicism is emerging. But the future will not see the triumph of 'conservative' or 'liberal' Catholics. Something more complex and interesting is happening. The collected essays in Opening Up aim to establish a new space for reflection and conversation on a range of issues in which debate has become frozen into sterile exchanges between familiar positions. Opening Up seeks to look honestly at both the teaching of the church and at the reality of Catholic lives in parishes, networks, personal relationships and spiritual lives. The issues covered include the freedom to dissent, women in the Church, gay relationships, pregnancy and contraception, responses to poverty and development, HIV/AIDS, ministry and priesthood, liturgical renewal, and religious life. Contributors include James Alison, Jim Cotter, Jeannine Gramick, Eva Heymann, Mark Jordan, Bruce Kent, Enda McDonagh, Diarmuid O'Murchu, Timothy Radcliffe and Jon Sobrino.
