In the Aug. 2 weekly bulletin, the Rev. Mark Juettner of the Church of St. George in Long Lake reflected on a book entitled “Eight Popes and the Crisis of Modernity” and the importance of having sound spiritual leaders during challenging times such as these.

“This book is ‘about the papacy in the Twentieth Century,’” Juettner quoted. “‘It provides readers with an introduction to the eight men who occupied the highest office of the Catholic Church in troubled times and to the principal issues and problems they faced.’” 

The eight popes in the book are Pius X, Benedict XV, Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II, spanning 102 years from 1903 to 2005. Modernity, while important in some areas, can pose grave challenges in others, Juettner wrote in the bulletin.

The Rev. Mark Juettner | http://stgeorgelonglake.org/

“Remember, the victors are usually the ones whose ideas won the battle of ideology to defeat the conquered whose ideas were not adopted,” Juettner said. “Philosophies of education/political science/religion by their proponents can eventually inspire and win their followers because those ideas will come to fruition and translate into some action plan that gets adopted unless the original ideas can be contested and challenged, and if erroneous or dangerous, ultimately removed for the common good.”

Juettner explained that while some views have rightly become outdated with the times, the popes were met with numerous crises in which they had to address challenges that were rattling the way in which people had previously thought — such as the postmodern age. 

“Authentic personalism was distorted by false and disturbing ideologies that came in disguised and disturbing packages that these pontiffs met, taking up the challenge courageously to defend in every way possible the human person as made in the image and likeness of God,” Juettner wrote. 

Juettner concluded by writing that the eight popes were leaders to be proud of, who helped to keep their flocks safe even in dangerous times such as wat we are experiencing today.