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Catholicism in the Last Century
“In the 20th century, the Catholic Church continued to face secular questions: eternal truths and their contemporary applications, Christian unity and inevitable diversity, God’s word and humanity’s response. As in the past, these subjects had to be addressed by combining continuity with innovation; continuity, because truth, though never definitively possessed in this life, is always the same and remains with us from one age to the next; innovation, because – perhaps especially in the 20th century – a new set of temporal realities emerged that no one, Catholic or not, had ever confronted in precisely the same terms. The digital revolution alone has altered global culture in ways we are still striving to understand. But when these opponents disappeared, Catholicism often seemed to lose its identity and became difficult to distinguish from other modern philanthropic activities. It is a symptom of this phenomenon that Catholicism succeeded against the Soviet Union, for example, but struggled more to prevail within open societies in the West.”With such words, Robert Royal introduces his book, recently translated into Romanian: A Deeper Vision: The Catholic Tradition in the 20th Century (trans. Dan Tomuleț, Galaxia Gutenberg, Târgu-Lăpuș, 2024). The author is the founder and president of the Faith & Reason Institute in Washington, D.C., and editor-in-chief of The Catholic Thing. His books include: 1492 And All That: Political Manipulations of History, Reinventing the American People: Unity and Diversity Today, The Virgin and the Dynamo: The Use and Abuse of Religion in the Environment Debate, Dante Alighieri in the Spiritual Legacy Series, and The Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century: A Comprehensive Global History, The Pope's Army, The God That Did Not Fail, Columbus and the Crisis of the West.
The 20th Century and Catholicism in Transformation / Source: Credo Archive
He holds a bachelor's and a master's degree from Brown University and a doctorate in comparative literature from The Catholic University of America.
He taught at Brown University, Rhode Island College, and the Catholic University of America. He received study grants in Italy from the Renaissance Society of America (1977) and as a Fulbright scholar (1978). From 1980 to 1982, he served as editor-in-chief of the magazine Prospect in Princeton, New Jersey.
A work written in two parts – Faith and Reason; Creed and Culture – offers itself as a true guide to the recent past and the future. The chapters are structured in such a way as to introduce us to the atmosphere before Vatican II, during the council, and after its conclusion. Thus, we learn about the Thomistic revival and its impact on the Catholic world of the early 20th century. Jacques Maritain, Yves Simon, and Etienne Gilson were the main leaders of the moment, both philosophers and theologians, true witnesses of Thomas Aquinas's thought. Phenomenology also enters the scene (alongside Edmund Husserl), with three of its most brilliant defenders being devout Christians: Adolf Reinach, Dietrich von Hildebrand, and Edith Stein. Then comes the turbulence of the 1960s, with MacIntyre at the forefront, but also the modern search for the self, with Charles Taylor.
In the period surrounding Vatican II and immediately after, in an increasingly hostile atmosphere, responses from figures like Romano Guardini, Marie-Dominique Chenu, Yves Congar, and Henri de Lubac began to take shape. After the Council, Catholicism found itself captivated by Karl Rahner (“The true church”), Hans Urs von Balthasar (“God is His own exegete”), and Joseph Ratzinger. This was followed by the biblical movement, with its beauty and erudition, ultimately leading to an encounter with the Catholic literary revival. Finally, after examining the particular situation in France, the author masterfully sketches the diverse challenges of recent decades while still glimpsing a note of hope for the times ahead.
The 20th Century and Catholicism in Transformation / Source: Credo Archive
A tome exceeding 550 pages, where one discovers not only the precision of an enlightened and comprehensive mind but also the literary talent of the author. You don’t need to be a theologian to read it with pleasure. Just as – above all – modern Catholicism has been harassed by countercultural movements, attempting more or less successfully to face them, these pages manage to capture the entire turmoil. Nothing was simple, nothing was definitive.
It all seems like a struggle that has not yet ended, an ideological tension for which one can only feel admiration.
Ghita Mocan
The article highlights the publication in Romanian of the book A Deeper Vision: The Catholic Intellectual Tradition in the 20th Century, authored by Robert Royal. An impressive monograph, the book sheds much light on the subtlety of Catholic thought over the past century and, on the other hand, offers an illustrious invitation to live our faith with dignity.
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