Summaries / Resúmenes - Studia Moralia

290 REVIEWS / RECENSIONESistry (Chapter Nine). In Part Four, “A Living Tradition,” he pointsout some of the areas of fundamental agreement that make Catholicmoral theology a distinctive form of moral discourse (Chapter Ten)and concludes with a study and analysis of the contribution of PopeJohn Paul II to post-conciliar Catholic moral theology (ChapterEleven). The book also contains copious notes, a substantial bibliography,and a useful index for easy reference.In dealing with the above trends and currents, the author displaysa wide knowledge of the literature, a sound awareness of thekey points of contention, and a keen talent for offering concise summariesand analyses of the issues at hand. He goes beyond merelysummarizing the many controversies and debates of this period andpoints out the underlying strengths and weaknesses of argumentsfrom the various sides. In doing so, he is nearly always fair andabove board. Although he tends not to take sides, he is not afraid tostate his opinion and to offer helpful correctives in his analysis andassessments. While the chapters can stand alone as individual studiesof particular topics in post-Vatican moral theology, they arearranged in a cohesive and diachronic manner so that the readercan detect genuine movement and growth over the course of time.For this reason, the book provides a helpful history of Catholic fundamentalmoral theology of the past forty years, one that presents itas a robust, living tradition of moral discourse fueled by vigorousargument in a dogged pursuit of moral truth.The book’s main strength is its insightful and near comprehensivesummary and analysis of the major trends in Catholic fundamentalmoral theology in the post-Vatican II era. It would be difficultto find a book that covers this admittedly diverse and contentiousperiod in Catholic moral discourse with such competenceand perceptive insight. This reviewer was especially impressed bythe way the author uses the documents of the Second VaticanCouncil and the moral encyclicals of Pope John Paul II as interpretativemarkers which set the parameters for change, both past andfuture. The book’s main weakness is its tendency to overlook someof the important voices from Mediterranean Europe, especiallyfrom Spain (e.g., Marciano Vidal) and Italy (e.g. Domenico Capone,Sabatino Majorano) and its scant treatment of important issues infundamental moral theology from Asia and Latin America. Despitethis oversight, the author has done a great service to Catholic studiesin mapping out important developments in fundamental moraltheology since the close of Vatican II. He would do well to continue