Super Hanc Petram: The Pope and the Church at a Dramatic Moment in History

by Fr. Serafino Lanzetta

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Os Justi Studies in Catholic Tradition - 9

What does it mean to say that the Apostle Peter—and each of his successors—is kepha, the rock on which Christ has built His Church? Could this rock ever be allowed to crumble, without the Church herself crumbling? Can a successor of Peter fail in his office, or even in his faith, without negating the Church’s indefectibility? What are the nature—and limits—of the pope’s infallibility and primacy? Has the role of the supreme pontiff sometimes been exaggerated or distorted?

Today questions like these are asked with greater urgency than ever, owing to the pontificate of Pope Francis. In Super Hanc Petram, Fr Serafino Lanzetta answers them with balance and realism, never wavering in his serene confidence in Divine Providence. Lanzetta investigates Pope Francis’s remote and proximate sources, magisterial leitmotifs, operative methods, and avowed goals, examining in particular the return of nominalism and pragmatism; the elevation of pastoral care over doctrine; the proclamation of a mercy that severs charity from truth; the substitution of “a people on the move” for “the mystical body” and of a panreligious humanistic fraternity for the salvific Christian mission; the inversion of hierarchy by synodality; the selective and conflictual use of Vatican II as model of and impetus for “paradigm shifts”; an evolutionary vision of doctrinal development driven by sociological-cultural theories; and the replacement of the traditional themes of sin, grace, hell, and heaven by an emphasis on “ecological conversion.”

Pastors of souls, theologians, faithful laity, converts, non-Catholics interested in the Catholic Church and her relationship with modernity—all will find Fr Lanzetta’s study valuable for the light it sheds on the age-old office of the papacy and on the tempestuous reign of its most recent incumbent.
Fr Serafino M. Lanzetta STD is resident in the Diocese of Portsmouth (England) where he exercises his priestly ministry. He is lecturer in Dogmatic Theology at the Theological Faculty of Lugano (Switzerland) and editor-in chief of the Theological Journal Fides Catholica. He has facilitated the organisation of several Theological Conferences — the last one on The Fatima Message in its 100th Anniversary, and has written for L’Osservatore Romano. His published works include his post-doctoral habilitation, Vatican II, a Pastoral Council: Hermeneutics of Council Teaching (Gracewing, 2016), Fatima at the Heart of the Church: God's Vision of History and Oblative Spirituality (2018), The Symphony of Truth: Theological Essays (Arouca Press, 2020) and The Door of Faith (Arouca Press, 2022).
“Super Hanc Petram provides clarity on the nature of the papal office together with an accurate analysis of the sources, aims, and problems of Pope Francis’s theology. A timely gift for a storm-tossed Church.” —Most Rev. Athanasius Schneider

“A serious and important critical work on the theological and philosophical roots of Pope Francis’s thought…. not only scholars but also theologically interested laity will profit by wrestling with this learned study.” —Eduardo J. Echeverria

“Fr Lanzetta combines theological scholarship of the first order with extensive pastoral experience… This book is convincing and clear; it satisfies our need for understanding.” —Roberto de Mattei

“Complications arise when a Pope misinterprets his role, and chooses to judge—rather than to defend—the faith that the Church has always cherished…. Father Lanzetta explores the theological implications of the conflict that we now face, as well as its possible origins.” —Philip F. Lawler

“Masterfully tackles the thorniest questions of the current crisis in the Church and in the papacy, while maintaining a supernatural perspective.” —José A. Ureta