Last year’s synod was a real scream

The Rigging of a Vatican Synod? BY EDWARD PENTIN, IGNATIUS PENTIN, £11.86

The story of last October’s synod is well known, but Edward Pentin has written a short, useful summary of what went on and, more importantly, what went wrong. But this book offers more. Pentin was there: he has spoken to many of the participants, and his account is accordingly well sourced and authoritative. There are, in addition, quite a few juicy revelations.

Pentin analyses two key aspects of the synod. The first is the nature of the German Cardinal Walter Kasper’s proposal to admit some remarried Catholics to Holy Communion, and the second is the way the synod was run. Cardinal Kasper and his allies have spoken of the evolution of doctrine, which implies that doctrine is historical and changes over time as it comes into contact with the realities of history. Pentin characterises this, correctly in my judgment, as Hegelian.