The National Book Award–winning author "seizes the moment of Catholicism's sexual-abuse crisis" to call for a Vatican III (Publishers Weekly).

Elaborating on "A Call for Vatican III" from his New York Times–bestseller Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews, James Carroll proposes a clear agenda for reform, to help committed but concerned Catholics understand the most essential issues facing their Church.

Carroll moves beyond current events to suggest new ways for Catholics to approach Scripture, Jesus, and power, and he looks at the daunting challenges facing the Church in a world of diverse beliefs and contentious religious fervor. His thought-provoking case for democracy within the Church illustrates why lay people have already initiated change. Carroll shows that all Catholics—parishioners, priests, bishops, men and women—have an equal stake in ensuring the Church's future.

"The boisterous collapse of trust in the Catholic hierarchy during the pedophile scandals makes it not only important but imperative to heed this eloquent call for a new Ecumenical (this time truly ecumenical) Council." —Garry Wills, author of Why I Am a Catholic