John Cornwell Libri

"Pope Francis is prepared to say "bring on the collapse", as perhaps the only way of purging a disgraced Church. "It is not impossible," Francis has said, "that I will go down in history as the one who split the Catholic Church?" However, for Catholics as a whole, the Church will, if Francis is successful, be a friendlier, more empathetic, presence in their lives. Bestselling author, Vanity Fair regular contributor, scholar and teacher John Cornwell argues that the disruptions of Pope Francis are a calculated gamble, offering hope for vast numbers Catholics who feel excluded, demoralized, scandalized. The Catholic Church, numbering 1.2 billion members, is in crisis at every level. More than a third of America's 74 million Catholics said they were contemplating departure in 2018. It is estimated that over the past twenty years the Catholic Church has been losing $2.5 billion dollars annually in revenues, legal fees, and damages due to clerical abuse cases. The decline in church attendance, marriages, and vocations to the priesthood and sisterhoods, tell a story of major decline and disillusion. Cornwell's big and controversial message is that Pope Francis is attempting to reverse the tide of disgrace and disillusionment by disrupting entrenched ways of Catholic thinking and working directly against over a thousand years of history and tradition as he does. His strategy looks like havoc; and he himself recognizes the danger of his strategy. Conservative members of the faithful, from cardinals to lay people, have attempted to thwart him, the conservative Catholic media have condemned and disparaged him. They look to his successor to reverse the "Francis Effect": but Cornwell claims that what he has set in motion is unstoppable"-- Provided by publisher

Would you tell your deepest secrets to a relative stranger? And if you did, would you feel vulnerable? Cleansed? Or perhaps even worse than you did before? Confession has always performed a complex role in society, always created mixed feelings in its practitioners. As an acknowledgement of sinfulness, it can provide immense psychological relief; but while aiming to replace remorse with innocence, its history has become inextricably intertwined with eroticism and shame.The Dark Box is an erudite and personal history; Cornwell draws on his own memories of Catholic boyhood, and weaves it with the story of confession from its origins in the early church to the current day, where its enduring psychological potency is evidenced by everything from the Vatican's 'confession app' to Oprah Winfrey's talk shows. Since the 16th century, seclusion of two individuals in the intimate 'dark box', often discussing sexual actions and thoughts, has eroticised the experience of confession. When, in 1905, Pius X made confession a weekly, rather than yearly ritual, the horrific cases of child abuse which have haunted the Catholic church in the twentieth century became possible.

The investigation into the unexpected death of Pope John Paul I on September 28, 1978, reveals deep-seated conflicts within the Vatican regarding the circumstances surrounding his passing. John Cornwell delves into theories of foul play involving various groups, including the KGB and Freemasons, while conducting an independent inquiry invited by the Vatican in 1987. The narrative unfolds a chilling exploration of the secrets and intrigues within one of the world's oldest institutions, offering a compelling look at the events leading to the Pope's mysterious demise.

The “explosive” (The New York Times) bestseller that “redefined the history of the twentieth century” (The Washington Post ) This shocking book was the first account to tell the whole truth about Pope Pius XII's actions during World War II, and it remains the definitive account of that era. It sparked a firestorm of controversy both inside and outside the Catholic Church. Award-winning journalist John Cornwell has also included in this seminal work of history an introduction that both answers his critics and reaffirms his overall thesis that Pius XII fatally weakened the Catholic Church with his endorsement of Hitler—and sealed the fate of the Jews in Europe.

John Cornwell tells the story of Germany's scientists from World War I to the collapse of Hitler's Reich. He shows how Germany became the world's Mecca for inventive genius before Hitler's regime hijacked science for wars of conquest and genocidal racism

"Hitler's Pope is the previously untold story of the man who was arguably the most dangerous churchman in modern history: Eugenio Pacelli, Pius XII, Pontiff from 1939 to 1958 and long controversial as the Pope who failed to speak out against Hitler's Final Solution. Here is the full story of how Pacelli in fact prompted events in the 1920s and '30s that helped sweep the Nazis to unhindered power."--Jacket

John Cornwell offers a critical response to Richard Dawkins' defense of atheism, engaging with the themes of evolution and the implications of Darwin's ideas. Through a letter format, Cornwell explores the relationship between humanity and divinity, questioning the narrative that positions evolution as a purely materialistic process. The critique addresses the broader philosophical and ethical implications of Dawkins' arguments, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of belief and the nature of existence.

On a September day in 1975, amid the pungent smells of ripe apples and falling leaves, Robbie, Francis and Alan Luxton were found shot to death on the remote Devon Farm that had belonged to their family for hundreds of years. Reclusive, eccentric, and miserly, the two brothers and a sister shared secrets no one ever suspected until their mysterious deaths brought attention to their strange lives. In a saga reaching back over generations, author John Cornwell probes the verdant surface of the peaceful Devonshire countryside to unearth the truth about a formidable family... to uncover a poignant tale of madness, love, and tragedy... to answer the dark questions about how they lived and why they died. --- from book''s back cover