Agony in the Garden [Paperback]

John Van Der Zee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 2002 | Series: Nation Books

A monsignor, convicted of molestation, is imprisoned; a priest flees the country after repeated molestation charges; another commits suicide. A former priest and youth ministry leader is charged with rape and committing lewd acts against minors in a series of complaints dating back several decades. A charismatic Bishop resigns amid charges of sexual harassment and coercion brought by a priest who had himself been dismissed after being accused of stealing from church collections, and after a long career as a con artist. Welcome to the Catholic diocese of Santa Rosa, California.... In this powerful and compelling work, John van der Zee tells the story of Bishop George Patrick Ziemann’s tortured relationship with con artist priest Father Jorge Hume Salas, the ensuing sexual and financial scandal that, ironically, thanks to a popular insurgency by rank and file Santa Rosa Catholics, enabled the diocese and the church to revitalize itself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Van der Zee (Blood Brotherhood; The Gate) dissects the ongoing problems of the Catholic Church with this salacious case study of a corrupt Northern California parish. Its problems included a thieving, pedophile priest and a self-serving bishop who kept that priest as a sex slave while helping a charismatic monsignor bilk the church out of a cool $13 million. The author begins by outlining the relationship between Jorge Hume Salas, a Mexican priest who was hired by the Santa Rosa parish despite his questionable background, and Bishop Patrick Ziemann, the charismatic leader who used Hume for sex in a relationship that led to a series of civil suits by Hume after their trysts were exposed. The corruption angle surfaced when Hume began stealing from the collection basket, and a police sting caught the cleric in the act. While the various molestation stories are all too familiar at this point, the most fascinating aspect of this expos‚ revolves around the financial chicanery of Monsignor Keys. This brilliant money man shuttled funds between church accounts in an ongoing shell game while introducing a revelatory financial product that became the focal point for a heated legal battle between the church and several local businessmen. Van der Zee tells his story via the analytical techniques of a crack investigative reporter, filling in enough character material to make this true crime story a compelling read. The lurid, labyrinthine story line gives the book a level of suspense beyond that of many contemporary thrillers.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Van der Zee details the horrific scandals that plagued the Roman Catholic diocese of Santa Rosa, California, in the late 1990s. Santa Rosa's moral and fiscal problems began at the top and trickled down, creating a perverted tangle of sexual abuse, embezzlement, and pastoral corruption that proved difficult to unravel. At the center of the cycle of abuse stood Bishop George Patrick Ziemann, seemingly well regarded by both his sprawling flock and the church hierarchy. Unfortunately, Ziemann lived a double life, conducting an illicit affair with a local priest who had never graduated from a seminary. In addition, the bishop was siphoning off church funds to keep his lover happy. Peeling through the layers of deceitfulness and betrayal, the author also exposes the startling number of known abusers assigned to the Santa Rosa diocese. Related in a dispassionate reporter's style, this tale of clerical arrogance and abuse will still make your hair stand on end. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Nation Books (December 12, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560254718
• ISBN-13: 978-1560254713
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,981,653 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Major Disappointment -- Don't Waste Your Money, May 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Agony in the Garden (Paperback)

This book is hardly the carefully researched analysis of the scandal in the Santa Rosa diocese that I had hoped for. Rather, it's a mish-mash of the author's ranting against the Catholic Church's teachings and pontificating about the evils of priestly celibacy and the obvious hyper-importance he attaches to feminist complaints against Catholicism. Was the author trying to win some kind of feminist think-tank award by parading his outrage over the fact that the Catholic Church doesn't ordain women? If so, he should win something for his efforts. But that's about the only sort of prize this book deserves. It's ruined by the sycophantic whining about the "plight" of Catholic women, celibacy, and his other pet peeves. And that's a darn shame. This sordid story about what happened in Santa Rosa and how Bishop Zeimann had to resign in disgrace over the revelation of his financial mismanagement and homosexual affair with a priest of the diocese desrves an objective analysis by an objective author. Agony in the Garden has neither. Don't waste your time and money. I wish I hadn't wasted mine.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for all concerned with the Catholic Church, February 16, 2003

By 

Jeffrey Dreyer "TenorAct" (Sonoma, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Agony in the Garden (Paperback)

John van der Zee's treatment of the recent scandels in the Diocese of Santa Rosa manages to be both illuminating and riveting. I took the book on a business trip and was drawn in by the "Forward". Having begun, I could not stop until finished.

The author delivers a blow-by-blow account of the events, revelations and shameful cover-up. He provides the reader with the personal history of the main players for perspective. He also intermixes his thoughts on the systemic problems with the Catholic Church which contibuted to or, perhaps, allowed the entire debacle to occur. I appreciate the fact that this was done lightly in a manner which was designed to provoke thought rather than conclusions.

As a short-lived member of a Diocesan finance subcomittee, I found his material to be well-researched and his conclusions reasoned. His observations about the future of the Catholic Church in the modern world are particularly compelling.

While this book could easily be turned into a riveting Hollywood movie, it is much more valuable as a reminder that absolute power vested in a few individuals should be avoided by any organization and that we must all demand honesty and accountability from our leaders whether they be financial, political or spiritual.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Major Disappointment -- Don't Waste Your Money, May 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Agony in the Garden (Paperback)

This book is hardly the carefully researched analysis of the scandal in the Santa Rosa diocese that I had hoped for. Rather, it's a mish-mash of the author's ranting against the Catholic Church's teachings and pontificating about the evils of priestly celibacy and the obvious hyper-importance he attaches to feminist complaints against Catholicism. Was the author trying to win some kind of feminist think-tank award by parading his outrage over the fact that the Catholic Church doesn't ordain women? If so, he should win something for his efforts. But that's about the only sort of prize this book deserves. It's ruined by the sycophantic whining about the "plight" of Catholic women, celibacy, and his other pet peeves. And that's a darn shame. This sordid story about what happened in Santa Rosa and how Bishop Zeimann had to resign in disgrace over the revelation of his financial mismanagement and homosexual affair with a priest of the diocese desrves an objective analysis by an objective author. Agony in the Garden has neither. Don't waste your time and money. I wish I hadn't wasted mine.