THE PEOPLE ARE THE CHURCH

Father Kennedy, a psychologist, is, if one may judge by his previous books and articles, a perceptive observer of the contemporary Catholic scene, able, as few are, to put an objective finger on current sore spots. The present work, therefore, comes as something of a disappointment. It is tame. It is cautious. And it is dully written. And, worse, it has little to say that has not been said before; by Kennedy himself as well as by others. Under the loose: covering of ""the people are the"" Church"", the author offers reflections on current controversies and crises in the Church -- the essential mission of the Church, the situation of ex-priests and religious; the changing concept of love, the sexual revolution, the lack of vigorous and dedicated leadership, etc. He has a few moderately unkind words to say about bishops who are more concerned with their careers than with their people, and about the forces of militant righteousness on all sides. His psychological delving into motivations are passably interesting. His arguments that ""the people are the Church"" are moderately convincing. And his prognostication, or rather his exhortation, concerning the Church of the future, is indifferently informative.