Loyal Dissent: Memoir of a Catholic Theologian

by Charles E. Curran

Loyal Dissent is the candid and inspiring story of a Catholic priest and theologian who, despite being stripped of his right to teach as a Catholic theologian by the Vatican, remains committed to the Catholic Church. Over a nearly fifty-year career, Charles E. Curran has distinguished himself as the most well-known and the most controversial Catholic moral theologian in the United States. On occasion, he has disagreed with official church teachings on subjects such as contraception, homosexuality, divorce, abortion, moral norms, and the role played by the hierarchical teaching office in moral matters. Throughout, however, Curran has remained a committed Catholic, a priest working for the reform of a pilgrim church. His positions, he insists, are always in accord with the best understanding of Catholic theology and always dedicated to the good of the church.

In 1986, years of clashes with church authorities finally culminated in a decision by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by then-Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, that Curran was neither suitable nor eligible to be a professor of Catholic theology. As a result of that Vatican condemnation, he was fired from his teaching position at Catholic University of America and, since then, no Catholic university has been willing to hire him. Yet Curran continues to defend the possibility of legitimate dissent from those teachings of the Catholic faith―not core or central to it―that are outside the realm of infallibility. In word and deed, he has worked in support of more academic freedom in Catholic higher education and for a structural change in the church that would increase the role of the Catholic community―from local churches and parishes to all the baptized people of God.

In this poignant and passionate memoir, Curran recounts his remarkable story from his early years as a compliant, pre-Vatican II Catholic through decades of teaching and writing and a transformation that has brought him today to be recognized as a leader of progressive Catholicism throughout the world.

Genres: Religion, Memoir, Christianity, Theology

297 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2006

Reviews

[Ronnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

Charles E. Curran, a Catholic Priest and Theologian tells the story of how he was stripped of his authority to teach in the name of the Church due to his progressive social and moral theologies. Despite that his relationship with the institutional church changes tremendously, in this memoir, he discusses how his relationship with God and non-institutional Catholicism remains unchanged.

I enjoyed this book much more than the typical assigned reading for class; I think this is especially relevant for liberal and progressive Catholics who have trouble reconciling social and political beliefs with their faith. Overall a great take on Catholicism in the contemporary age!

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was an undergraduate at Catholic University in the 1960s when university students and faculty struck in support of theologian Charles Curran. Curran thoroughly and movingly describes his experiences with university and Church hierarchy which led, finally, to his removal from Catholic University, a ban on his teaching theology at other Catholic universities, and current position at South Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Curran's experiences with bishops, cardinals, and Vatican officials add light on the actions of Church officials in its current sexual abuse crisis. Curran recounts his development from rule-following seminarian to mature theologian, contrasts classicism and historical consciousness, explains theologians' responsibility to challenge the magisterium on non-infallible issues, and discusses how natural law and personal responsibility should inform each Catholic's positions on social issues. Readable, eye opening, challenging, and thought-provoking.

[Julie Rybczynski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles Curran is a Catholic priest in good standing who teaches at Southern Methodist University. He is a moral theologian who came under fire at Catholic University for some of his writing in the 1960s regarding Humanae Vitae. Curran is a fabulous writer. I think he offers respectful criticism of the Church hierarchy. I think he has a healthy approach to moral theology. And I do believe that SCHOLARLY debate on matters of Church teaching are valuable. I don't agree with everything Curran maintains, but his stance is certainly thought provoking.

[Josiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5