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Few topics are as important, or as controversial, as the proper role and exercise of authority in the Roman Catholic Church. Inspired by Pope Francis's bold rereading and determined implementation of the teaching of Vatican II, Richard Gaillardetz has completely revised and expanded his book By What Authority? It offers a helpful introduction to the nature and forms of church authority and their relationship to authentic Christian belief and discipleship. Gaillardetz offers theologically clear and pastorally insightful considerations of:
the character of divine revelation, the authority of Scripture and tradition
the role of the pope and bishops in preserving the Christian faith
the levels of church teaching authority, the central faith witness of all the baptized
the possibility of disagreements with church teaching, and the proper relationship between theologians, the magisterium, and the whole people of God
the authority of the believing community and the controversial questions that arise when there are conflicting interpretations of church teaching.
About the author
Richard R. Gaillardetz (1958-2023), held the Joseph Chair of Catholic Systematic Theology at Boston College. He published numerous articles and authored or edited twelve books, including
An Unfinished Council: Vatican II, Pope Francis, and the Renewal of Catholicism and
Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II (co-authored with Catherine Clifford), both published by Liturgical Press. He was a contributor to
Give Us This Day. Gaillardetz was a delegate on the US Catholic-Methodist Ecumenical Dialogue and served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America between 2013 and 2014.
