Autonomy and Obedience in the Catholic Church: The Future of Catholic Moral Leadership

The Catholic Church has been experiencing decline since the 1960s, when the Encyclical on birth control was a trigger event. However, the biggest problem is the failure of the Magisterium to build on the recommendations of Vatican II - that the Church should convert from totalitarian authority to an authority of leadership, community and communication. It is Quentin de la Bedoyere's contention that the principle that the Catholic must follow his or her own conscience rather than the Church is documented from Aquinas onwards, and that this is beneficial in retaining the loyalty of the faithful. He discusses the autonomy of the individual, and describes the relationship between the law of love and the tenets of the moral law.Having described the growth of the individual as a moral person, he goes on to examine how the Church can operate effectively by fully harnessing the autonomy of its members at different hierarchical levels. Credible leadership achieves greater influence, loyalty and commitment. This kind of reform can be done without any loss to the Church's authority - without such reform, control will increase and the numbers of the faithful continue to decline.The book will appeal to the lay reader as well as the professional. Although the author argues for a personalist approach to morals and obedience, his aim is to show that autonomy is consistent with loyalty to the Church. This book has been written for those who desire autonomy without distancing themselves from the Church.