The Catholic Church undoubtedly needs a comprehensive renewal of its teaching regarding marriage and family life. So could that necessary renewal be supplied by the so-called Theology of the Body expounded by Pope John Paul II, as some people in important positions in the Church might be asking themselves? Its advocates do claim it to be precisely such a comprehensive renewal. Indeed, the description one often comes across in the literature of the Theology of the Body movement, widely available via the internet, is “revolutionary”. But that is where misgivings start. Can a theology be called revolutionary while also being faithful to the tradition of the Church? John Paul II put forward his Theology of the Body in a series of Wednesday talks not long after his election as Pope