By Kevin B. Fagan
Article Review of “The Pope’s Armada: Unlocking the Secrets of Mysterious and Powerful New Sects in the Church”
By Gordon Urquhart. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 1999. 490 pp.
Reviewed by Kevin B. Fagan, Ph.D.
Journal of Church and State
42.4 (Autumn 2000): 865-66
“Doctor, heal thyself,â€� is Gordon Urquhartâ€
While traditional religious orders lose ground and members, several Catholic cult-like organizations gain prominence and power with the apparent blessing of the Holy Father. Urquhart analyzes three of these movements – Focolare, Communion and Liberation, and the Neo-catechumenate, – while admitting they are not alone in present-day papal benevolence. However, from a perspective of the typical characteristics of a “sect,â€� all graduate with straight “As.â€�
By their fanaticism you shall know them. The visitor, or rather recruit, is “love and faith bombed� with aggressive proselytism; an insistence to adore God above all else is translated as absolute dedication to this exclusive group; secrecy is kept on the real rules and controls therein; gradual isolation from outsiders, especially family, becomes total; freedom of movement, correspondence, and information, is severely monitored to avoid contamination from the “sinful� world; faceless authority is exercised as direct electronic mail from the Holy Spirit; control of food, dress, and recreation, leave no time for individual initiative; a personality cult to the canonized-in-life Founder is fostered; criticism of authority is outlawed by reprimand or worse; intolerant elitism is shown towards the unlucky folks beyond our walls; refugees are feared the fate of Judas.
Why does the Pope seemingly love those Movements, and they love him? Urquhart suggests a virtuous circle of mutual devotion and support. In an age of dissent and disorder within the Church, His Holiness finds in these groups docile proselytizers of his teachings and rulings. Nevertheless, the distinction orthodox message-immoral method remains intact. Furthermore, all is not black and white with the Holy Seeâ€
Gordon Urquhart may be easily dismissed as another “disgruntled ex-member,â€� but where else can one find the inside story? Educated Catholics, familiar with Church history and Danteâ€
Kevin B. Fagan, Ph.D.