In the twenty-five years since Vatican II, the Church has undergone a classic revolution, like those that transform the structures of secular societies. Just as we can speak of a "post-Christian era" in the West, so we have a "post-Catholic era" in the Church. The undermining of the Catholic principle of authority has reduced religion to mere sentiment. The devastating effects of the revolution are evinced in the seminaries, the liturgy, in the bishops' committees, and in the controversies over such issues as celibacy, birth control, and the Church's political shift to the left. The Catholic Church has self-destructed. This book is an eloquent, carefully reasoned reflection on the ruin of the once-universal Church. [Book jacket].