Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Martiri e santi del Calendario Romano by Enrico Pepe

2000; The Catholic University of America Press; Volume: 86; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/cat.2000.0177

1534-0708

Thomas Head,

Religion and Society Interactions

BOOK REVIEWS299 authors: e.g., the entries, "Opus Dei" and the "Society of Jesus"; and to wonder about others, e.g., the incompleteness of the entry on "Freemasonry," which completely ignores the fairly recent declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the issue. Once again while such divergence of topics reflects the richness of the book, there is a lack of balance in the choice of entries. Some moral issues are covered and others not, e.g., abortion and birth control are, while homosexuality and bio-ethical questions are ignored. There is a glaring lack of American topics , apart from those on Americanism and the United States, seen one-sidedly in its political and diplomatic relation to the Vatican. While there is no entry for the many American churchmen and typically American ecclesial movements, such as the Charismatic movement, which have had great influence on the Vatican and the papacy, more than ample space is given to such Italian topics as Alcide De Gasperi, Christian Democracy in Italy, and the Popular Party of Italy. In conclusion, it may be said that our encyclopedia achieves to a great degree what that medium can achieve: a clear and concise summary of the various topics which are diverse parts of the whole. Apart from some clearly evident holes mentioned above, the editor and authors are to be commended for their successful attempt to encourage the reader to continue further research on the topic chosen. Robert J. Sarno Congregationfor the Causes ofSaints, Vatican Martiri e santi del Calendario Romano. By Enrico Pepe. (Rome: Città Nuova Editrice. 1999- Pp. 770. Lire 42,000 paperback.) This reference work includes 172 short biographies of saints, organized in the order of the liturgical calendar. Each entry—some of which consider a group of saints—consists of a short, referenced quotation from a work by or about the subjects, followed by their life story and a brief analysis of their importance . The entries range in length from two to ten pages. The scope of Pepe's work is truly encyclopedic in both a chronological and a geographic sense. His subjects include representatives of many periods of Christian history, from biblical figures and a wide range of early martyrs to such nineteenth- and twentieth-century figures as Teresa of Lisieux, Maria Goretti, Pius X, and Maximilian Kolbe (the most recent person treated). Pepe has been completely up-todate in the sense that he includes figures recently canonized by Pope John Paul II, such asAndrew Kim Taegon,Andrew Dung-Lac,and their companions in martyrdom . Other than the presence of the saint in the Roman calendar, the principles of inclusion are not immediately obvious, nor are they specified in the meager preface (which is not by Pepe). Despite the obvious constraints, there is an attempt to include saints from eastern Europe (for example, Stanislaus of Cracow, 300BOOK REVIEWS Elizabeth of Hungary, and Josaphat Kuncewycz). As might be expected from a European author who spent much of his priestly life in Brazil, there is also a deep concern with "missionary" saints (for example, in addition to several mentioned above,Ansgar, Rose of lima, IsaacJogues, and Charles Lwanga). Founders of religious orders are also well represented: complementing Francis, Dominic, and Ignatius are Cajaten, Angela Merici, Antony Zacearía, Camillus of Lellis, and Joseph Calasanz. If any national tradition is surprisingly highlighted, it is the English, with such saints as Bede, Anselm of Canterbury, John Fisher, and Thomas More included alongside Boniface and Thomas Becket. The representation of female saints is disappointingly small, numbering less that thirty entries. Some whole categories, such as the saints of the Merovingian and Carolingian kingdoms, are entirely absent. There is certainly a spiritual and political agenda at work here. This book is obviously a work inspired by the author's deep love of and admiration for his subjects. This is not a reference work for academic use, but rather for pious devotion. Footnotes or other references, other than for the quotations which head each entry, are rare. Bibliography for further reading and reference is completely lacking. The entries themselves seem to be the summation of other reference works rather than the product of work...