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This profile of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger takes a look at his life, then moves forward as Ratzinger has been closely involved in the controversies that have shaken the Catholic church for the past 20 years.

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Library Journal Review

As Rome bureau chief for the independent liberal weekly National Catholic Reporter, where some of this book's well-written texts have appeared, Allen provides a unique overview of the activities of German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (born in 1927, ordained in 1951), head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF, formerly the Holy Office) since 1981. Drawing upon a wide range of published, archival, and personal sources, Allen reviews theological and doctrinal controversies addressed by the Cardinal and CDF worldwide. The topics covered include teaching Catholic theology, liberation theology, gender issues, liturgy, and ecumenism. Ratzinger, a theology professor, rose to prominence during Vatican Council II as adviser to Cologne's influential Cardinal Frings. Allen illustrates his subject's shift to more conservative views by comparing his conciliar and post-conciliar writings. Recognizing Ratzinger's great intellect and faith, Allen focuses on polarizations within the church while advocating changes in traditional church doctrines. This will be of interest to informed readers.ÄAnna M. Donnelly, St. John's Univ., Jamaica, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Widely considered a conservative "enforcer of the faith," Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger may be the most important figure in the Catholic Church's rightward turn under John Paul II, and he will have major influence in the conclave that elects the next pope. Allen traces Ratzinger from his Bavarian boyhood "in Hitler's shadow," through a distinguished if stormy theological career and a rapid rise in the hierarchy, to his current position as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Allen responds to Ratzinger's recollections (e.g., Milestones, 1998) by carefully attending to documentary evidence and thus forges a balanced depiction of him. Ratzinger's experience of the radical student movement, Allen argues, affected his change from being generally progressive to conservatism. That conservatism shows tellingly in Ratzinger's relations with theological colleagues and his battles against liberation and feminist theologies. Ratzinger, Allen notes, has been a polarizing figure, dismissed without a hearing by the Left and embraced uncritically by the Right. Allen's careful reading facilitates more responsibly interpreting Ratzinger's probable influence beyond this papacy. --Steven Schroeder

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