Publisher's Synopsis
This book is a comprehensive critical analysis of American Catholic thought on questions of nuclear arms control and issues of war and peace. The author evaluates the post-Vatican II transformation of the Church's approach to war and peace issues and points to a wiser direction for its future development. Weigel surveys American Catholicism's rich and sophisticated heritage of moral reasoning and analyzes the ideas of key figures (Thomas Merton, Daniel and Philip Berrigan, for example). He then explores the United States' bishops' recent involvement with nuclear and Central American policy.