The Catholic Church in State Politics. Negotiating Prophetic Demands & Political Realities by David Yamane (review)

592 The Jurist 68 (2008) 592–617 Book Reviews THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN STATE POLITICS. NEGOTIATING PROPHETIC DEMANDS & POLITICAL REALITIES by DavidYamane . Lanham, MD: A Sheed & Ward Book: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2005, Pp. vii–189. Examining the role of state Catholic conferences in the secular political arena, sociology professor David Yamane provides an insightful analysis of the role these bodies play in state politics. He explores the history , organization, issues, legitimacy, and discourse of Catholic conferences as they engage in their work of advocating gospel values in influencing public policy. He observes that state Catholic conferences are one of the Church’s “better-kept secrets” that will adapt to future issues and challenges. In describing the growth of the Catholic Church in the United States from the establishment of the colony of Maryland to the present,Yamane traces the development of individual and collegial episcopal efforts, leading to the establishment of state Catholic conferences in 1916 in New York. The Second Vatican Council provided an impetus for further growth; twenty-nine of the thirty- four state Catholic conferences were founded since Vatican II. After providing a glimpse of the work of the Maryland Catholic Conference during the 2003 legislative session, Yamane focuses upon Catholic conference organizational structures and how these positively impact their legitimacy and discourse. While he discusses such aspects as staffing, budgets, and professional growth and development, the most interesting aspect is what he terms the “dual structure” of Catholic conferences . In sociological terms, state Catholic conferences are seen as dual structures, having an authority structure, i.e., a state’s bishops as the Board of Directors; and an agency structure, i.e., the administrators of the conference, allowing the Church to bring the message of the gospel into the secular public policy arena in an effective manner. While such differentiation of structure has caused agency structures of other denominations to become more secular, this has not happened in state Catholic conferences; they are firmly connected to ecclesiastical authority. While Yamane explains this phenomenon in purely sociological terms, the lack of theological and canonical insight is an omission that tends to leave his book reviews 593 description rather incomplete. He does utilize theological and canonical ideas and terms; however, he never quite brings his description to a true theological or canonical understanding of the Church and its efforts at shaping public policy. For example, what he sees as an agency structure engaged in public discourse is, from a theological viewpoint, one effort of fulfilling the Church’s responsibility of proclaiming the Gospel message . What he sees as a firm connection between authority and agency structures is, from a canonical viewpoint, an expression of collegiality on the part of a state’s bishops in fulfilling their responsibilities as teachers and leaders. While these concepts would provide a more complete understanding of the realities of state Catholic conferences, his sociological approach provides insight into how state Catholic conferences are perceived and how they function. In advocating Catholic positions on issues, for example , Yamane notes that conference testimony tends to use secular arguments rather than exclusively religious ones. He also points out that the non-partisan character of Catholic conferences allows them to work with legislators from all parties. Another crucial aspect is the rapport conference personnel foster with individual legislators, a fact underscored following the revelations of clergy sexual abuse in 2002: While there was justifiable public outrage, the credibility of state Catholic conferences and their personnel were not undermined. Such observations are a real strength inYamane’s work. While DavidYamane’s book is neither theological nor canonical, it offers good background information for anyone interested in Catholic Church participation in state politics and provides an important insight into one of the Church’s “better-kept secrets.” Ted F. Tumicki Diocesan Tribunal Diocese of Norwich Norwich, Connecticut ...