From the Outside: Rethinking Church Doctrine
by Tony Flannery
Red Stripe Press, 120pp
Redemptorist Tony Flannery was suspended from public ministry in 2012 for expressing controversial views on issues like the ordination of women, same-sex marriage and the evolution of priesthood. His latest book describes life on the “outside” of the Catholic Church, which has afforded him the time to reflect on church doctrine and practice.
Flannery remains critical of many areas of Catholic teaching, including the Immaculate Conception. He also cannot understand the church’s refusal to even discuss the ordination of women. His reflections on life after death are uplifting. However, the analysis of what Jesus would think of the church as it is now, with its rules and exclusions, is less so.
This is a book which will raise the hackles of conservatives and meet with approval from progressive elements within the Catholic Church. – Eamon Maher
