A timely new work by one of France’s premier philosophers, A Brief Apology for a Catholic Moment offers insight into what “catholic” truly means. In this short, accessible book, Jean-Luc Marion braids the sense of catholic as all-embracing and universal into conversation about what it is to be Catholic in the present moment. A Brief Apology for a Catholic Moment tackles complex issues surrounding church-state separation and addresses a larger Catholic audience that transcends national boundaries, social identities, and linguistic differences. Marion insists that Catholic universalism, with its core of communion and community, is not an outmoded worldview, but rather an outlook that has the potential to counter the positivist rationality and nihilism at the core of our current political moment, and can help us address questions surrounding liberalism and religion and what is often presented as tension between “Islam and the West.” As an inviting and sophisticated Catholic take on current political and social realities—realities that are not confined to France alone—A Brief Apology for a Catholic Moment is a valuable contribution to a larger conversation.

"Rich in resources for reflection . . .  Marion. . . help[s] us see how Catholics in an increasingly post-Christian society might bear witness to their faith without bitterness or nostalgia—and perhaps even with joy." - Commonweal Magazine

"In this short and. . . accessible book, [Marion] writes for a more general readership, addressing the role (or rather, the possible role) of the Catholic Church in French culture. . . . The Church, he argues, is uniquely situated to pull French society out of its decadence with its call to repentance and communion. Many readers will find his argument attractive, others will consider it implausible, and still others will think they have heard it before, in other contexts. But all will find it an interesting new chapter in the development of Marion's thought. . . . Recommended." - Choice