The Catholic Book Club discussion

Question: Do you agree with the author's (or various characters') assessment of the American Catholic Church? Are these observations still relevant today?

Jill, I guess I didn't see much in The Cardinal that struck me as an assessment of the American Catholic Church. There was some reference to the wealth of the American Church that would power the continued growth of the Church, but I didn't see that as an assessment.

It seemed like Vatican officials toward the beginning had trouble understanding the American church, separation of church and state, etc. As things moved along, they came to a realization of the unique contribution the American church might make to the universal church with elements like ingenuity, vitality...maybe a bit naïve. I'll have to look back more closely; I'm almost done with the book, which I love.