"Being a modern day Catholic woman, the ancient teaching that bothers me the most is the tradition that states no woman is to be ordained a priest." -Erika Bussard, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio "Our Church needs to listen to the parishioners and not ignore the words they speak." -Chris Ruark, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio Pope Benedict and his advisors are not listening despite the fact the church is in crisis, says Hans Kung and a host of European theologians. Author Dr. R. John Kinkel believed that if he shared students' opinions about the state of the Catholic Church in a series of letters addressed to Pope Benedict, the pontiff just might listen. Convinced that this strategy might work where others have failed, he collected letters from college students over the last four years (2007-2010). Simply put, he asked students to tell the pope what they think. Kinkel believes time is running out; the Catholic Church is losing a whole generation of believers because they are frustrated. The Vatican, according to most students, needs reform; from the belief that woman should be ordained to the perception of antiquated teachings not based in today's reality, "Letters to Pope Benedict" gives these students' thoughts and vital opinions voice. Within this volume lies the key to preserving the church and bringing the vibrancy of a younger generation into the fold.

Papal Paralysis utilizes the historical case study method to describe the moral and ethical dilemma Catholic Church officials face when asked to help fight the worldwide spread of AIDS. If popes and bishops allowed the use of condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS, conservatives would say that the Church was abandoning its teaching against the use of contraceptives. On the other hand, if the Vatican rejected the use of condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS, many Catholics would be put at risk for contracting HIV/AIDS. By the early 1980 s John Paul II made it clear that being a Catholic meant being opposed to artificial birth control. When confronted with the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s, he applied his understanding of church moral theology to this new health care problem and fought HIV/AIDS through preaching abstinence and fidelity, but did not endorse the use of condoms. Despite opposition to this teaching by more than 30 high ranking bishops and cardinals, John Paul II and his successor, Benedict XVI, refused to change. Not until 2010 did the Vatican s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith state, with papal approval, that using a condom to prevent spreading AIDS was morally superior to its opposite. The book concludes that the church s failure to properly deal with the AIDS crisis was its greatest modern scandal, with the end result being thousands of lives lost."