Conversations with the Pope: An Intellectual Challenge to the Catholic Church

Conversations with the Pope is an attempt to present, within an entertaining literary framework, a strong and persuasive body of historical facts and religious arguments all supportive of a change by the Catholic Church in its attitude toward the concept of reincarnation. An Australian journalist specializing in religious affairs, Albert Magnusson, has been awarded the biennial Journalist-in-Residence opportunity to visit the Vatican and talk openly with the pope for a period of six weeks. His first-hand account of his conversations with the Pontiff forms the framework for the presentation of the arguments, and his request to the pope that the church should make a renewed examination of the facts. Obviously, any decision by the Roman Catholic Church to adopt reincarnationist elements, which do not conflict with Christian dogma, would be a revolutionary and pivotal development in the history of Christianity. However, going beyond the attempt at reconciling the two religious viewpoints, the book also sets out a chilling account of contemporary Vatican Curial politics. It looks at the attempts by conservatives in the Curia to avoid the serious religious changes, which would result to the ordination of women and changes to power within the hierarchy, were Catholicism and reincarnationism to be reconciled. The portrait is drawn of a contemporary conservative papacy attempting to turn back the liberalizing reforms instigated by the Second Vatican Council of 1962-1965.

Simon Ioannou was born in Athens, Greece, and migrated to Australia with his parents at the age of seven. He was brought up in Melbourne and graduated from Monash University in economics and mathematics. He worked as a research economist and statistician. However, a love of lm took him to London, where he graduated from the London International Film School. Film-maker, writer, television presenter, he also held positions with the Film Censorship Board and, for more than ten years, worked in a senior capacity with the SBS Television Network. In 1984 he was at the centre of a widely-publicised and successful challenge in the High Court of Australia, as a result of which the protection of natural justice was extended to thousands of non-permanent federal public servants. Becoming interested in Catholicism in 1977, he researched deeply into its history and theology, as well as the spiritual relations between Christianity and other faiths. He entered the Catholic Church in 1980, and was a Council Member on the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, a national body advising the Catholic hierarchy on matters of justice and development. Driven by a passion for justice and the law in general, he practised as a barrister in the last ten years of his life. He died in December, 2012.