From the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office's annual used book sale to benefit the Combined Federal Campaign.

A book from my wish list! And one that's been there a LONG time. I'm looking forward to reading this soon.

There was once a time when the members of the Church recognized that the Pope was as human as anyone, failable and able to sin. This is reflected in the works of Renaissance artists, who often portrayed Popes in their depictions of Hell. In our modern era, we have endowed the Papacy with an unprecedented level of authority. Is it healthy for the Church to invest all its authority in a single man?

Wills makes a strong argument that the modern Papacy is using structures of deceit, twisting history and the facts to maintain the power of the Holy See, in the face of ever weakening arguments supporting some of the doctrines it defends most strongly. This book summarizes how the Vatican misconstrues history and other evidence to avoid changing their stance on issues such as clerical celebacy, women in the priesthood and contraception. As Wills points out, the promise of guidance by the Holy Spirit was made to the whole Church, not just the leadership in the Vatican. It is a persuasive argument, but one that raises a question of how to correct the current abused by the Holy See.

For one of the book buffets.

I have already waded my way through "Why I am a Catholic" by the same author. I figure that tackling another will be expiation for all sins great and small that I have committed since then....