In The Crisis of Confidence in the Catholic Church, Raymond G. Helmick, SJ, caps a distinguished career in academic theology and international conflict resolution with a deeply informed and passionately argued assessment of the problems and resources in the Catholic Church five decades after the Second Vatican Council.

Helmick approaches the multifaceted crises in the contemporary church by reviewing their historical roots, attending especially to nineteenth- and twentieth-century events and figures, but also to earlier influences, including the fourth-century embrace of church and empire, the schism of East and West, and the Reformation. He notes the strong psychological impact of infallibility defined at Vatican I on the modern church. His treatment here typifies his nuanced reading of the magisterial voices that he critiques throughout his book. Both leaders and “folk” voices have overread the power of authority. Helmick, though, has an eye for what is “undefinable” in this doctrine. Here he looks for the role of the Spirit to take the church past its hierarchical limitations. He cites Congar's postconciliar work on the Spirit as a guide to our reading of this magisterial touchstone. He will later show that the future John XXIII's reading of Congar's True and False Reform will be foundational in his understanding of development, and his motivation for calling a council.

Helmick insists on an acceptance of both aggiornamento and ressourcement. We can neglect neither a commitment to actively engaging the world nor our deepest ancient principles and resources. In John XXIII he finds a model for engaging two central themes: the importance of consulting the church through its bishops, and recognition of the whole church as the people of God.

It is valuable to follow Helmick's detailed and nuanced treatment of key popes in the historical eras he examines. He consistently looks for both the seeds of the church's problems and the sources for responding to them. Among the most valuable elements of the book are its central chapters: a detailed look at the ecclesial politics immediately before and during the council. He gives attention to intricate and messy council machinations during the development of several key documents (e.g., Sancrosanctum Concilium, Lumen Gentium, Dei Verbum, Nostra Aetate, Dignitatis Humanis, Gaudium et Spes).

The roots of today's crises are described in the work of postconciliar leaders. In John Paul II, Helmick sees strengths and weakness of the “rock star” international traveler but strict adherent to doctrine, appointing bishops who supported official positions on birth control, women's ordination, and priestly celibacy. The legacy of John Paul II bishops and priests is mixed with the vibrant continuation of world youth days. Helmick sums up his impact as a “marvelous pope for the world but not that much for the Church” (231).

Authority and leadership are also at issue in dealing with the sexual abuse crisis, which reveals both the need for reform in the exercise of institutional authority and an embedded structural problem of clericalism. Benedict XVI has provided the continuity sought by the conclave that selected him, though it has been characterized by a centralized, hierarchical form of leadership (262). Helmick finds Benedict's reading of Vatican II helpful in its attention to religious liberty and interfaith work, but less so in the absence of a call to renewed collegiality among bishops or in understanding the church as the people of God, continuing the vision of John XXIII.

Written mostly while Benedict was pope, Helmick's book proposes how another council might address the church's needs. In his preface and in his concluding chapter he notes the arrival of a more optimistic outlook with Pope Francis. Francis, in Helmick's view, does not suffer from the “ecclesiastical sin” of clericalism. He sees hope that this new pope will create a context of freedom that will allow the church to find reform within itself.

Helmick's book could be used well with upper-level undergraduate students. It would work quite well in a graduate-level ecclesiology course, and would be useful in a course examining development of doctrine. His challenges to Vatican II could draw out useful discussions with others critiquing the council.