In the case of Edgardo Mortara, a number of central theological questions come into play.

Papal authority has expanded dramatically over the last 150 years. But our age has seen something new—informal papal teachings meant as pastoral encouragements more than doctrinal clarifications.

Everyone has been trying to see the big picture. We have been bombarded with a certain type of question. Who is the man or woman of the century—better, of the millennium? What are the happenings in the past thousand years that most changed the course of history?

When Hans Küng's Infallible? An Inquiry appeared in 1971, it drew ample praise and blame, including sharp criticisms by his theological colleague, Karl Rahner, S.J.. AMERICA carried discussions of the book's theological and philosophical aspects by