Overview

In the 1960s and ‘70s, thousands of Roman Catholic priests left the active ministry to get married. Nothing like this had been seen on this scale since the French Revolution, and before that since the Reformation. Now a different phenomenon seems to be at work: priests who have formed long-time, intimate sexual friendships. These men are not pedophiles or sexual abusers. They are adult, mature men who can no longer find a rationale for a life of obligatory celibacy and enter into responsible sexual relationships. Some of them are straight, some gay. Based on interviews, conducted over a nine-year period, with 50 Australian priests, Priests in Love tells the stories of these priests and their friends. It deals with the moral, psychological, and social challenges they face on the less traveled road of social change.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jane Anderson
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.10cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.413kg
ISBN:  

9780826417022

ISBN 10:   0826417027
Pages:   208
Publication Date:   01 April 2005
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Language:   English

Table of Contents

Voices of Priests in Love; If truly the command of God is to love, then I feel our love is where God can be found. As for celibacy, it's an injustice insofar as it is mandatory, and God can't be found in that kind of contradiction. - Fr. Abe; Promises are conditioned by their contexts and are not absolutes in themselves. If the context loses it validity, so then does the promise. The promise to separate priesthood from women and families was such a promise. I made it originally in good faith, with the understanding of the situation I had at the time. But eventually the context changed, and my faith in the purpose, place, and even probity of the promise dissolved. - Fr. Thomas; I am definitely in favor of celibacy - for those who freely opt for it as a way of loving God. The vow of celibacy is only for a few. Theirs is a noble choice and a clear sign that they are men/women of deeply sensitive love. But celibacy should never be required of persons as part of a package deal for priestly ordination. - Fr. James; No one has the right or the power to take away from anyone what is a fundamental human right. If someone wishes to be celibate for the right reasons, I would applaud that. But to make celibacy a condition of priesthood is an injustice and repugnant. Consequently, I would not consider myself bound by [the vow of celibacy]. - Fr. Jesse

Reviews

...her portrayal of Catholic priests is nothing short of groundbreaking. -- Altar Magazine, 2005 What makes the book powerful are the voices of real people, real priests and their companions. It is peppered with lively, authenticating verbatim.... The book brings a whole new perspective to debates about ministry and celibacy in the Church. This is the book about which you want to dialogue with your bishop. -A special insert to Bread Rising on the Married Priesthood, 12.2, 4/05 ...this reader was touched by the author's account of the priests. -Catholic Books Review, 2005 -- Catholic Books Review ...the author's perspective is salutary... We are reminded of the life-giving and healing power of true dialogue in that it is both listening and critical. It demands of us that we cannot be blind to bias, self-interested and , to adapt Acton's adage, power's tendency to corrupt even people of faith, their leaders and institutions. It also implies that we should, at the least, assume good will and integrity in everyone, including those who are official teachers or who hold positions in the Curia. Finally, it brings us back to the broader frame of reference, the wider lens of Christian faith....Jane Anderson is to be congratulated on this significant, compassionate and even courageous study. - Australian Ejournal of Theology ...a major study chronicling the personal turmoil of 50 Catholic priests struggling to balance the demands of the church and their need for close, sexual companionship. - The Sydney Morning Herald, April 2005 The work is unique in that the author offers Australian Catholic clergy the opportunity to speak in very personal terms about their intimate romantic and sexual relationships, and the emotional and moral dilemmas that ensue. The book is a qualitative study of the hidden phenomenon of priests' relationships. It is sobering reading. I was particularly moved... Priests in Love presents candid human evidence that the problems surrounding the current practice of mandatory celibacy need to be addressed with the best insights that both the human sciences and the theological tradition can offer. - Janiene Wilson, Compass: A Review of Topical Theology, Spring 2005, Despite how it sounds, it's not your average scandalous read. It's a book about Roman Catholic priests and their struggles with the life of celibacy that's imposed upon them by the vocation they've chosen. - ABC South Coast WA, April 8, 2005 Advocates of changing the celibacy requirement will sympathize with Anderson's work. -Publishers Weekly, 2/14/05 'Although it reads with the ease of a novel, the power of this book is inestimable for furthering a productive dialogue on the sexual issues facing the Catholic Church precisely because it gives voice to real people, real priests, and their companions. These lives challenge any reader to reexamine her or his own life, sexual ideals, and moral compass. After reading it, I decided that it should be dedicated to the Pope and be required reading for every bishop.' -Richard Sipe, author of Celibacy in Crisis: A Secret World Revisited -- Richard Sipe * Blurb from reviewer * No one has captured with greater understanding and insight the personal, human struggles of priests coping with mandated, institutionalized celibacy than Jane Anderson in Priests in Love. This moving and compelling book, both gracefully written and grace-filler, is destines to shake the foundations of obligatory celibacy. -Donald Cozzens, Sacred Silence: Denial and the Crisis in the Church -- Donals Cozzens * Blurb from reviewer * This book is a collection of the stories of more than fifty priests who developed intimate connections, despite papal decrees forbidding such relationships and the church's attempts to suppress them. The stories of these men are poignant.... Anderson's book is a sympathetic interpretation of the stories of priests injured in the battle over celibacy in the priesthood and a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the topic....the book is well footnoted with both church and secular academic sources, but it reads like a moving novel rather than a sociological treatise. -ForeWord, May/June 2005 * ForeWord * The book is a collection of the stories of more than fifty priests who developed intimate connections, despite papal decrees forbidding such relationships and the church's attempts to suppress them. The stories of these men are poignant...Anderson's book is a sympathetic interpretation of the stories of priests injured in the battles over celibacy in the priesthood and a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the topic. With a helpful appendix proving website addresses of several reform and support groups, the book is well footnoted with both church and secular academic sources, but it reads like a moving novel rather than a sociological treatise. -ForeWord Magazine, May/June 2005 * ForeWord * Jane Anderson has done the Catholic church a great service with her book Priests in Love...Dr. Jane Anderson's book acknowledges the legitimacy and value of a freely chosen celibacy but asks also that we come to recognize the legitimate and holy aspirations of priest's in love. Her book is sure to spark a conversation in the church that cannot be ignored. -National Catholic Reporter, May 2005 * National Catholic Reporter *

Advocates of changing the celibacy requirement will sympathize with Anderson s work. Publishers Weekly, 2/14/05 her portrayal of Catholic priests is nothing short of groundbreaking. --Altar Magazine, 2005 What makes the book powerful are the voices of real people, real priests and their companions. It is peppered with lively, authenticating verbatim. The book brings a whole new perspective to debates about ministry and celibacy in the Church. This is the book about which you want to dialogue with your bishop. A special insert to Bread Rising on the Married Priesthood, 12.2, 4/05 this reader was touched by the author s account of the priests. Catholic Books Review, 2005--Catholic Books Review 'Although it reads with the ease of a novel, the power of this book is inestimable for furthering a productive dialogue on the sexual issues facing the Catholic Church precisely because it gives voice to real people, real priests, and their companions. These lives challenge any reader to reexamine her or his own life, sexual ideals, and moral compass. After reading it, I decided that it should be dedicated to the Pope and be required reading for every bishop.' -Richard Sipe, author of Celibacy in Crisis: A Secret World Revisited--Richard Sipe No one has captured with greater understanding and insight the personal, human struggles of priests coping with mandated, institutionalized celibacy than Jane Anderson in Priests in Love. This moving and compelling book, both gracefully written and grace-filler, is destines to shake the foundations of obligatory celibacy. Donald Cozzens, Sacred Silence: Denial and the Crisis in the Church--Donals Cozzens . ..the author's perspective is salutary... We are reminded of the life-giving and healing power of true dialogue in that it is both listening and critical. It demands of us that we cannot be blind to bias, self-interested and, to adapt Acton's adage, power's tendency to corrupt even people of faith, their leaders and institutions. It also implies that we should, at the least, assume good will and integrity in everyone, including those who are official teachers or who hold positions in the Curia. Finally, it brings us back to the broader frame of reference, the wider lens of Christian faith....Jane Anderson is to be congratulated on this significant, compassionate and even courageous study. - Australian Ejournal of Theology . ..a major study chronicling the personal turmoil of 50 Catholic priests struggling to balance the demands of the church and their need for close, sexual companionship. - The Sydney Morning Herald, April 2005 Despite how it sounds, it's not your average scandalous read. It's a book about Roman Catholic priests and their struggles with the life of celibacy that's imposed upon them by the vocation they've chosen. - ABC South Coast WA, April 8, 2005 The work is unique in that the author offers Australian Catholic clergy the opportunity to speak in very personal terms about their intimate romantic and sexual relationships, and the emotional and moral dilemmas that ensue. The book is a qualitative study of the hidden phenomenon of priests' relationships. It is sobering reading. I was particularly moved... Priests in Love presents candid human evidence that the problems surrounding the current practice of mandatory celibacy need to be addressed with the best insights that both the human sciences and the theological tradition can offer. - Janiene Wilson, Compass: A Review of Topical Theology, Spring 2005,

. ..a major study chronicling the personal turmoil of 50Catholic priests struggling to balance the demands of the church and their needfor close, sexual companionship. - TheSydney Morning Herald, April 2005

Author Information

Jane Anderson received a PhD in anthropology in 2004. Mother of four teenage children, she lives in Yakamia, Western Australia, where she has been active in Catholic parish life for over twenty years.

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