I think the poster might be confusing Fr. McBrien with Fr. Charles Curran. Fr. Curran was far less careful about disseminating his own rebellious ideas. I’m not aware of Fr. McBrien ever being formally disciplined (other than the USCCB criticizing certain aspects of the book). I could be wrong, but I suggest you verify before taking a forum post’s word for it.
Perhaps, but I do not think so. McBrien’s book was NOT Catholicism. It was a very watered-down version of doctrine. I felt I had to go to confession just for reading it…
McBrien’s two volume work, Catholicism, does not bear a Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur declarations from the Church that state the book is free of moral or doctrinal error. It was officially disapproved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on the grounds that many of its statements are “inaccurate or misleading,” that it exaggerates “plurality” within the Catholic theological tradition, and that it overemphasizes “change and development” in the history of Catholic doctrine, even though official dogmas of the Catholic Church are, according to the Magisterium, unchangeable truths.[4]
Scholarly reviews of Encyclopedia of Catholicism
A report on McBrien in Catholic Culture stated McBrien also served as the general editor of The Harper Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism. According to the review of that book in First Things, “one has the impression that it was written for undergraduates who have little or no idea of what was once the common world and parlance of Catholic culture.”.[5] The review itself elaborates, “It is intended as a handy reference for students or journalists who need a quick and succinct explanation of some Catholic term or practice.” It concludes by stating that some “articles are models of precision and succinctness. The better ones include Revelation, Apostolic Succession, Conciliarism, Faith, Hell, Heresy, Homosexuality, Immortality, Inerrancy, Justification, Magisterium, Mary, Purgatory, and the Vicar of Christ. These have the merit of explaining clearly and concisely what the Catholic Church believes and why.”[6]
The DaVinci Code
McBrien served as a paid consultant for the controversial film The DaVinci Code, a movie that offended many Catholics because it portrayed a sexual relationship between Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene.[8]
Eucharistic adoration
In September 2009, McBrien published an article in the National Catholic Reporter in which he criticized the centuries-old devotional practice of Eucharistic Adoration, calling it “a doctrinal, theological, and spiritual step backward, not forward.”[9] McBrien’s outspoken critique, shaped by an understanding of the Eucharist which centers upon the communal meal (and thus locates the proper place for the Eucharist within the setting of the Mass), was met with a sharp and critical reaction from some Catholics.
Criticism of Popes
Criticizing Pope John Paul II, McBrien stated that, “He’s left the Catholic Church with probably the worst crop of bishops it’s had in centuries” and that “Some of my liberal friends just say he’s a disaster and can see nothing good that he’s done.”[citation needed]
In a 1991 op-ed piece, McBrien discussed “the prolonged, slow-motion coup that has been under way in the church since the election of Pope John Paul II in October 1978.” (
articles.baltimoresun.com/1991-12-10/news/1991344148_1_vatican-council-vatican-ii-catholic-church, retrieved December 10, 2012)
In regards to the papal conclave after Pope John Paul II’s death, McBrien said several times during the sede vacante that he did not expect Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) to be elected. In fact, he predicted that if the German were elected, “thousands upon thousands of Catholics in Europe and the United States would roll their eyes and retreat to the margins of the Church.”
Referring to the conclave itself, McBrien complained about “watching 115 men in liturgical dress. There isn’t a woman among them.”
