Author(s): Cardinal George Pell; M. A. Casey (Editor)

Philosophy

Many of the great questions of our day once again revolve around religion. The secular era of the past two centuries is ending in incomprehension and denial, overwhelmed by the cultural uncertainty and political conflict that have dominated the first years of the new millennium. In the face of developments such as the fall in birth rates and the rise of neo-paganism, secularism has little to say. What does remain in the United States and Europe is a vociferous hostility to religion, especially to the role it plays in public life. The ensuing conflict continues to play itself out in politics, culture, science and the universities. New phenomena such as multiculturalism and significant Muslim minorities have both arisen in the West. But the focus of suspicion has remained squarely on Christianity and its relationship to democracy, human rights, and secular society. Cardinal George Pell, one of the Catholic Church's leading spokesmen, has played a significant part in this drama. "God and Caesar" brings together a selection of his writings on Christianity, politics, and society from the last ten years.