Goodbye, Good Men: How Liberals Brought Corruption into the Catholic Church [Hardcover]

Michael S. Rose (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2002

Goodbye, Good Men provides the real story behind the sex scandal currently rocking the Catholic church. Investigative reporter Michael Rose has conducted countless interviews and exhaustive research to uncover several out-of-control seminaries as the root cause of the scandal. While most pundits and critics are calling for liberalization of the Church in the wake of these scandals, Rose presents compelling evidence that liberal influence is the very cause of the crisis. The revelations in Goodbye, Good Men will shock the nation and ignite a firestorm of debate on the subject.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Written shortly before the current scandal broke upon the Roman Catholic Church, Rose's book seems almost prophetic as he documents the systematic rejection of pious, orthodox seminary applicants in many dioceses and the encouragement of questionable attitudes and agendas. Rose (Ugly As Sin), who was editor of St. Catherine Review for seven years, is the author of numerous articles, essays, and books that question the wisdom of contemporary liberal Catholicism. Here, he discusses the causes of the chronic priest shortage, including the misuse of psychological screening and what appears to be blatant discrimination against the kind of young men who were once considered ideal candidates for the vocation. He gives a disturbing glimpse behind the scenes that may go far in explaining the church's present difficulties. Based primarily on interviews, the book is carefully footnoted and contains a bibliography of sources cited and consulted. Highly recommended for anyone interested in this prominent topic, and for public and academic libraries. C. Robert Nixon, MLS, Lafayette, IN
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Absolutely astonishing... This bombshell book reveals a seminary underworld in which homosexual promiscuity is rampant."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing; First Edition edition (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895261448
• ISBN-13: 978-0895261441
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (114 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,592 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #56 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Political Science > Reference

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

109 of 119 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars So True its Scary May 24, 2005

By Bob Smith

Format:Hardcover

Having spent ten years in the seminary studying to be a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Orange in California, I picked up Rose's piece of work on a whim. The first couple of pages scared the hell out of me because he is right on target. The seminary system in and of itself is corrupted at its core... more time was spent in class discussing heretical theologicans and the need for openness towards women than the actual studies that would help us be priests! Homosexuality was in full force and more than a few guys were openly dating each other. Rose exposes these troubled times within the seminary system with a full force that should be acknowledged. Until the Bishops of America decide to overhaul the seminary system and strengthen the requirements of prayer and the Mass and eliminate the feel good spirituality classes that are taught there, the Church will continue to suffer. I personally know some of the persons written by Rose... and none of it surprises me.

157 of 185 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth Reading Whether You Agree or Disagree May 25, 2002

By Tim Drake VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Michael Rose's Regnery hardcover version of his softcover bestseller is both disturbing as well as encouraging. While some readers may disagree with Rose's research methodology, his lack of balance, and some of the conclusions he reaches, they cannot argue with the book's overall thesis - that a great many potentially good priests have been turned away from U.S. seminaries over the past two decades.

Rose interviewed more than 125 individuals and sifted through many, many stories in order to put this book together. In the end, the book demonstrates how seminaries have used psychological testing, harassment, poor teaching, peer pressure, and other techniques to prevent good candidates from attending or remaining at some seminaries, and how similar tactics have been used to prevent "good" men from being ordained.

The book highlights individual examples from a variety of seminaries (Boston's St. John's Seminary, New Orleans' Notre Dame Seminary, Oregon's Mount Angel, Chicago's Mundelien, Belgium's Louvain and others) to prove his points. Sometimes it works; at other times it does not.

The end of the book is rather encouraging. It highlights the current situation among seminaries, especially those that are receiving many vocations. It also addresses the role of the priest from Pope John Paul II's perspective. The uplifting tone at the end makes up for the disturbing stories that make up the beginning of the book.

Rose also makes it clear that homosexual behavior has been rampant, and largely ignored, on some seminary campuses. While his purpose is not to address the clergy sexual abuse scandal currently rocking the Church, the astute reader will wonder whether such behavior has contributed to the problem the Church is currently facing. Many observers tend to think that the two are related.

Whether you agree or disagree with Rose's conclusions, the book is well worth reading. It provides a real eye-opener into the seminary problems of the past 20 years and also examines why the problems, in some cases, have not been addressed.

Hopefully, the U.S. Bishops will take Rose's information into consideration when they meet in Dallas. The author makes points that are well worth investigating.

If even a small percentage of what Rose documents is true, it's very likely that the worst, in the media's coverage of priestly sexual abuse, is still yet to come.

148 of 175 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply mind-boggling June 24, 2002

By Florentius VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I'm a product of 16 years of Catholic education. For the past 15 years or so I've been told that we have a 'vocations crisis' within the Church -- that young men are no longer interested in becoming priests. A litany of reasons is given for this: young men are too materialistic today, celibacy is too difficult for us 'enlightened' moderns, young men don't agree with the Church's positions on moral issues, the Church hasn't done enough marketing, and (most disingenuous of all) leftover orthodoxy from the pre-Vatican II period is driving young men away.

Those 'liberals' within the Church offer up a predictable laundry list of "solutions" for this 'vocations crisis': Married priests, priestesses, "lay ministers", etc. Until very recently, these ideas almost looked reasonable. Not anymore.

This book positively blows the lid off of all the false reasons for the 'vocations crisis' and uncovers the shocking truth and hidden agendas behind what's going on in Catholic seminaries across the U.S. I used to think that a good Catholic fellow who believed and followed what the Church taught about such issues as abortion, contraception, homosexuality, the primacy of the Pope, transubstantiation, the immaculate conception, etc. would be a shoe-in for the priesthood. What this book demonstrates is that such devout young men are being routinely TURNED AWAY from the seminaries for no other reason than that they hold and believe these eminently orthodox positions! Who are being accepted in their places? I think the current and growing scandal within the Catholic Church in America provides a clear-cut answer. Now, institutionally, the Catholic Church in America is suffering an evisceration that Antonio Gramsci would be proud of.

In short, if you are a Catholic and you honestly care about what's been happening within our Church and why, you simply can not ignore this book. It will be very difficult reading for many of you, but if we are to weed out the wolves-in-sheep's-clothing among our leaders, we must begin with an honest appraisal of the situation. This book offers just such an appraisal and I wholeheartedly recommend it.