Guarding the Flame: The Challenges Facing the Church in the Twenty-First Century: A Conversation With Cardinal Peter Erdő

by Robert Moynihan, Viktoria Somogyi

Where is the Catholic Church going? How will it face the challenges of the 21st century? Do the recent advances in modern technology pose a threat to the human soul? In this wide-ranging, candid conversation, Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Budapest, Hungary, one of the most respected cardinals in the Catholic Church, speaks with Dr. Robert Moynihan, founder and editor of Inside the Vatican magazine, about the Catholic Church’s place in an increasingly secularized world. As the two-time president of the Council of the Episcopal Conferences of Europe, Erdő is the leading bishop of Europe. And as Europe has descended into a deep secularism—more pronounced and rapid even than in the United States—Erdő is uniquely positioned and qualified to identify and tackle the issues that secularism presents. Here, for the first time in in one place, the cardinal speaks forthrightly about the need to “guard the flame” of the traditional Christian faith in the face of all temptations and obstacles. Guarding the Flame is a courageous call to remain faithful to the faith handed down from the Apostles, whatever the cost. Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and Primate of Hungary, was born in Budapest on 25 June 1952, the first of six children. He was created Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2003. He has published more 250 articles and 25 books on Canon Law, as well as other spiritual works. Robert Moynihan (Harvard College, B.A.,1977 and Yale University, Ph.D., 1988) founded Inside the Vatican magazine in 1993. He has covered the Vatican and Church affairs for more than 30 years and is the author of books on Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis Viktoria Somogyi, born in Hungary, has lived and worked in Rome at the Hungarian language desk of Vatican Radio. She studied International Relations at the University of Rome.

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 16, 2019

Reviews

[Peter Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a welcome introduction to the person and thought of Cardinal Peter Erdo. The first part overviews his background and journey to become the man who he is today. The second part gives reflections on the Faith and provides interesting commentary on various aspects of the Christian message, the Church, and the sacraments. The third part discusses the crises and opportunities of faith present in countries around the world. When reading this book, I appreciate most the introduction to Cardinal Erdo the man, as I was interested to learn about who he is and his own personal history and journey of faith. The second and third parts provide many interested thoughts and perspectives from a man who grew up under the grip of communism after World War II. I realize that since this is an interview book, that the discussions on the faith and sacraments are not meant to be comprehensive, but at the same time, I felt there were at times missed opportunities in further questioning and fleshing out the points that Cardinal Erdo makes. It is more cursory than complete, which again is understandable seeing it as an interview book, although at times it was slightly disappointing in this regard and felt slightly disjunct at times as it moved from one topic to the next without fleshing them out. Cardinal Erdo provides a unique perspective that is worth investigating and listening to, and I hope to read more from him in the future, particularly as he is strong leader in the European Church who does not possess a typical western background and vantage point.

[Sandor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inpressionante la parte di "Storia dell'Ungheria", Erdő ha una grande cultura: è un vero bibliofilo oltre che un teologo e un pastore.
per il resto qui si sbilancia poco e c'è molta fuffa. Per chi come me vive in Ungheria interessante come si legga su migranti, famiglia e relativismo come Orban gli abbia rubato le parole.