Pope Patrick---A Book Review

De Rosa, Peter
Pope Patrick
Doubleday & Co.; New York; 1997

This book caused be to laugh out loud---Something I seldom do. It also gave me nightmares AND I am NOT prone to such! You may get others' impressions of this book on line or through major public library catalog systems. However, here is my take on it.

A very low ranking (Cardinal Deacon) member of the College of Cardinals, a “pure Irishman”, is elected Pope as the other Cardinals cannot agree on any candidate. In his one year, Christmas to Christmas, reign he imposes (Or, inflicts) real Christianity on the Church and the World.

There are many who will NOT like this book. Professional Catholics (NOT Catholic professionals), especially the higher clergy and their ultra-right supporters will recoil at the clear showing of every pimple and wart on the Earthly Body of the Church and the cancers within it. American “liberals” will not like it as it exposes the same for our nation in terms of amoral and immoral life styles, while American politicians will flinch at their portrayal and businessmen at their very Unchristian greed and arrogance. Professional Englishmen will hate the painted picture of their leaders and of their horrid mistreatment of the Irish. Europeans will snicker at all of the above---Until their venality and emptiness is clearly exposed by this author using Italians as examples of the “European mindset”.

Most of all, Muslims will hate this work as it so clearly exposes the hatefulness, rigidity and worship-of-death inherent in the “Mullah mentality” through the fictional interview with the head of a fundamentalist Islamic empire and the last chapters of this book, which were the part thereof which gave me unusual nightmares. (I will let you read this entire book, if you dare, to understand that last statement!)

What can be learned from this book?
1.That the Church is in great need of change and redemption; But, it has always
been so as it is a institution begun by The Christ but administered by we, very weak, human beings.
2.That the USA and Western Civilization has lost track of ethics, morality, honesty and the true, God-centered. Reason for our existence.
3.That European culture is no longer the fortress of Western Civilization; But, is so centered on each individual's search for immediate gratification as to make it a cesspool rather than the glorious idea it once was.
4.Every Muslim and Islam itself may, at any time, revert to the most horrid interpretation of Mohammed's teachings and may not be trusted to value death more than humanity, sharia (Islamic law) rather than justice and the worship of an unpredictable, anti-human and cruel Allah rather than a merciful, yet just, God.