Shall He Find Faith on the Earth? A Critical Account of the Crisis in the Church

Twenty centuries after its founding, the Catholic Church has experienced a profound transformation. While the reforms of Vatican II alone do not account for the Church’s current crisis, the Council marked the beginning of major changes in theology, liturgy, pastoral practice, clerical and religious life, missions, and vocations.

Sixty years later, author Abbe Claude Barthe examines Vatican II as a turning point in Church history. He argues that the growing influence of modernist thought and the “new theology” shaped the Council’s direction, and that its ambiguities, omissions, and non-dogmatic approach contributed to greater theological diversity and, in his view, a rise of relativism. He also examines the Council’s ecumenical approach and its impact on how different religious beliefs were understood.

The book continues the broader reassessment of Vatican II that began in the 1980s, gained attention under Benedict XVI, and changed direction under Pope Francis. Barthe places the Council within a wider historical context, tracing Catholic intellectual developments from the nineteenth century, through the challenges of modernism, and into the contemporary Church.

Author: Abbe Claude Barthe / Softcover, 165 pages.