''Catholics'' is a

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

Northern Irish The people of Northern Ireland are all people born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British Nationality Law, British citizen, an Irish nationality law, Irish citizen or is otherwis ...

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

writer Brian Moore. It was first published in 1972, and was republished in 2006 by

Loyola Press Loyola Press is a publishing house based in Chicago, Illinois. It is a nonprofit apostolate of the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus. It has no connection with Loyola University Chicago. It publishes school books for the parochial school ...

with an introduction by

Robert Ellsberg Robert Ellsberg (born 1955) is an American religious publisher and author who is the editor-in-chief and publisher of Orbis Books, the publishing arm of Maryknoll. Early life Robert is the son of Carol Cummings, the daughter of a Marine Corps Br ...

and a series of study questions.

Plot

Most of the action of the novel takes place on an island

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

off the southwest coast of Ireland. It is set in the future, near the end of the twentieth century after the Second Vatican Council. The story tells of a young priest sent by the authorities in Rome to fully implement Church reforms in an Irish monastery that still celebrates the Catholic liturgy according to older rites. The young priest, James Kinsella, is initially opposed by the Abbot of the monastery, who tries to preserve his and his monks' way of life. However, the Abbot eventually recognizes the need for—and inevitability of—change. The novel comes to a head when a confrontation between the Abbot and a senior monk, Matthew, nearly undermines the structure of the monastery. The Abbot is plagued by his own doubts in matters of faith. The novel ends on an ambiguous note as the Abbot prays for the first time in years, but in the face of the abandonment of their traditional way of life.

Reception

Critic Jo O'Donoghue describes ''Catholics'' as "in some ways a paradoxical novel". Like Moore, Kinsella is "a sceptic who respects the beliefs of others but also ... a traditionalist in his attitude to the aesthetic and mystery of belief ...

hich Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...

will all be lost under the new dispensation". ''Catholics'', says O'Donoghue, "seems to envisage the ordinary Catholic, lay or clerical, merely exchanging a conservative hegemony for a liberal one. Both, ultimately, are equally tyrannical... In this novel, there is lacking that positive sense of the individual bearing witness to his faith... which emerges so strongly from ''Cold Heaven'', from ''

Black Robe ''Black Robe'', first published in 1985, is a historical novel by Brian Moore set in New France in the 17th century. Its central theme is the collision of European and Native American cultures soon after first contact. First Nations peoples h ...

'' and from ''The Colour of Blood''".

Film

Moore also wrote the screenplay for the 1973 television film version, which stars

Trevor Howard Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage and screen actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved leading man star status in the film '' Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by '' The Third M ...

Martin Sheen Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans over six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and ...

, and

Cyril Cusack Cyril James Cusack (26 November 1910 – 7 October 1993) was an Irish stage and screen actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years. During his lifetime, he was considered one of Ireland's finest thespians, and was renowned for his inte ...

Play

Moore adapted his novel for the stage. The play premiered in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

at the

ACT Theatre ACT Contemporary Theatre (originally A Contemporary Theatre) is a regional, non-profit theatre organization in Seattle, in the US state of Washington. Gregory A. Falls (1922–1997) founded ACT in 1965 and served as its first Artistic director; a ...

in May 1980. The

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

has a copy of the playscrip

Gregory A. Falls directed a cast that included David Frederick White (as "Tomas O'Mallery"),

Tony Amendola Tony Amendola (born August 24, 1951) is an American actor. He played the Jaffa master Bra'tac in ''Stargate SG-1'' and Pinocchio's creator/father, Geppetto on ''Once Upon a Time''. He also had a recurring role as revolutionary leader Edouard K ...

(as "Brother Kevin"), and

John Aylward John Aylward (November 7, 1946 – May 16, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for playing the former DNC chairman Barry Goodwin on the NBC television series ''The West Wing'' and for playing Dr. Donald Anspaugh on the NBC televisio ...

(as "Father Walter").

Criticisms

The book has drawn criticism within

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

circles for making the claim that it is possible for

Catholic dogma A dogma of the Catholic Church is defined as "a truth revealed by God, which the magisterium of the Church declared as binding".Schmaus, I, 54 The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' states: The faithful are only required to accept a teach ...

to change, by portraying a fictional "Fourth Vatican Council" that has reversed the

dogma of the

real presence of Christ in the Eucharist The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, sometimes shortened Real Presence'','' is the Christian doctrine that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist, not merely symbolically or metaphorically, but in a true, real and substantial way. T ...

. This, being in conflict with the dogma of

infallibility Infallibility refers to unerring judgment, being absolutely correct in all matters and having an immunity from being wrong in even the smallest matter. It can be applied within a specific domain, or it can be used as a more general adjective. Th ...

, has caused the book to be unofficially considered

heretical Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Christianity, Judai ...

. In addition to this, several phrases within the book (and the later film) have been claimed to be comparable to rhetoric typical of a Sedevecantist sect, that is in

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

with the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Catholics (Novel) 1972 British novels 1972 Canadian novels British novels adapted into television shows Canadian novels adapted into films Canadian novels adapted into plays Canadian novels adapted into television shows Catholic novels Irish novels adapted into films Irish novels adapted into plays Irish novels adapted into television shows Jonathan Cape books McClelland & Stewart books Novels by Brian Moore (novelist) Novels about Christian clergy Novels set in Ireland Novels set on islands