Imagine an eight-year-old trying to explain his father's ideas. This book is like that. Pope John Paul II was a man of great philosophical and theological depth and profound life experience. Curran just doesn't have the mental age or spiritual maturity to be interpreting the late pope. John Paul's encyclicals, e.g. Veritatis Splendor, will be beacons lighting the path of Christians long after Curran's name has been forgotten (it is pretty much forgotten already).

Curran provides an insightful, clear, and highly readable look at the moral theology of one of the greatest religious leaders of our time. Although it is a scholarly book, non-scholars will benefit greatly from the book's comprehensive look at Catholic social teaching and thought. A timely reflection on the late Pope's contribution to Christian ethics.