Catholics

More about the book

"The story is told with . . . superb grace and wit."--The New Yorker "If reading it upsets you, do not be surprised. . . . Moore has eliminated our standard escapes from God--a secularized Kingdom or a romanticized past."--America "A neat and striking story."--Times Literary Supplement In the not-too-distant future, the Fourth Vatican Council has abolished private confession, clerical dress, and the Latin Mass, and opened discussions about a merger with Buddhism. Authorities in Rome are embarrassed by publicity surrounding a group of monks who stubbornly celebrate the old Mass in their island abbey off the coast of Ireland. The clever, assured Father James Kinsella is dispatched to set things right. At Muck Abbey he meets Abbot Tomás, a man plagued by doubt who nevertheless leads his monks in the old ways. In the hands of the masterly Brian Moore, their confrontation becomes a subtle, provocative parable of doubt and faith. Loyola Classics are new editions of acclaimed Catholic novels.