Sex, Priests, And Power: Anatomy Of A Crisis [Hardcover]

A.W. Richard Sipe (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0876307691 | ISBN-13: 978-0876307694 | Publication Date: April 1, 1995 | Edition: 1

From every corner of this country and from countires around the world, reports of sexual abuse, exploitation, and ongoing sexual misconduct by Catholic priests have appeared in every major newspaper, magazine, and TV and Radio talk show. What was first denied by church officials finally turned into a deluge of overwhelming evidence played out in legal settlements and courtrooms.
Richard Sipe startled the world in 1990 with his controversial book, A Secret World: Sexuality and the Search for Celibacy, which presented evidence of sexual activity by almost 50% of the Roman Catholic priesthood.
In this book, Richard Sipe examines the continuing sexual crisis facing the Catholicm Church today. Has the storm of publicity and controvery caused the church to acknowledge any of the accusations? Will the church accept statistical evidence or alter the way in which it trains its clergy? How has it come to grips with reforming or retraining abusers? Has it acknowledged the spread of AIDS among its ranks? Why does the church oppress women and react with hostility and fear towards them? Sex, Priests, and Power: Anatomy of a Crisis addresses these and other questions.
The book substantiates its conclusions with many vivid and chilling stories of sexual abuse by clergy against children, women, and members of its own ranks...
* Father James Porter victimized 200 children between 1960-1972 while an active parish priest.
* A 52-year-old priest, under the guise of family friend and tutor, sexually abused two sisters for two years. They were ages six and eight at the start of the abuse.
* A priest who teaches high school seeks out a sophomore student for a homosexual liaison. After two years he ends the relationship in favor of a new sophomore love interest. The priest has honed this continuing pattern of sexual exploitation to perfection.
Not simply satisified with exposing the epic crisis, Richard Sipe analyzes the structure underlying the church's celibate/sexual system andpoiints out unsolved problems with the current teachings. He calls for an honest, open discussion of sexuality and celibacy within the church and offers a refined description of the practice.
Sex, Priests, and Power is an invitation to exorcise the demons that threaten to engulf a mighty institution. Richard Sipe argues convincingly for an honest examination of the power structure of the Catholic Church and a thorough search for the factors that diminish and distort religion.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

For more than 30 years, psychotherapist Sipe has been engaged in research on the institution and practice of priestly celibacy. He has reported and interpreted that research before, but this book takes it as background for a more thorough examination of the entanglement of sexuality and power in the historical development of the Roman Catholic Church. Given the pervasiveness of the entanglement, the book becomes a case study of sorts, with implications beyond the boundaries of Roman Catholicism and beyond the practice of celibacy. Among the most interesting and important aspects of the book is its systematic application of sociobiology to a concrete moral--and political--problem. That sociobiology shares with Roman Catholic theology a profound appreciation for the "natural" as an ethical category makes this a promising venture--and it carries it beyond the potential trivialities of expose{‚} or polemic. This is a thoughtful book, informed not only by the headlines but also by a deep respect for celibacy and for the Roman Catholic tradition as well as the "systemic" insights of sociobiology. Steve Schroeder

Product Details

• Hardcover: 220 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876307691
• ISBN-13: 978-0876307694
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #805,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A crucial study of problems afflcting Latin Rite Catholics, August 23, 1999

By 

M KIRK-DUGGAN "Reverse Mike" (El Cerrito Fellowship, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sex, Priests, And Power: Anatomy Of A Crisis (Hardcover)

Sipe offers the first quantatative and qualatative look at the cancer on the American Latin Rite Catholic Church. He offers convincing evidence that 50% of the Latin Rite Priests and Bishops are sexually active, despite the Church's teaching that any and all sexual activity outside of marriage is mortally sinful. Anyone who has been affected by a sexually active priest or bishop needs to read this book to learn that they are not alone. Sipe's careful research is not an attack on celibacy: instead he reinforces the correct theological opinion that celibacy is a divine gift; not a command that must be followed at all times and in all circumstances. Unfortunately, the blurbs on the dust jacket of this book would lead one to conclude that this is a "Maria Monk" exposing lurid secret details of the priesthood for the prurient. Instead it is patient and kind to those seeking an understanding as to why a bishop would publicly defend his homoerotic liason with an embezzeling priest, as a "consensual arrangement between adults!" (Santa Rosa, 8/99) One would hope that either or both of his books would be mandatory reading for those enrolled in Latin Rite seminaries, as well as their mentors. This book deserves as much seminary attention as that presently given to penitentials. Sipe notes the failure of the Rite of Reconcilliation (Confession) for troubled priests and their victims. Perhaps this is because the Confessional as practiced today is inherently Manichean: it separates the sinful acts from the human creature's entire being. Many current 12th Step programs remedy this defect of ordinary practice, by requiring complete inventories, assets as well as liabilities. These programs also stress the necessity of being honest with oneself, and every anecdote related by Sipe can be condensed into the simple question: was the person able to be honest with themself? As Polonius, the worst hypocrite in Shakespeare, advised his son ["Do as I say, not as I've done!}: "To Thine Own Self Be True, and You Canst Not Be False to Any One." The successful celebates, who are true saints, are the ones that have chosen celibacy and integrated it into their whole being. Like rare perfect blue white diamonds, the true celebates remind us that human perfection is possible. But we must also remember that there is no sin in being less than perfect. Sin is turning away from God, and making self-deceit worthy of worship. True stupidity is deliberate ignorance, and Sipe's book counsels that the "Truth will make us free."

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, May 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sex, Priests, And Power: Anatomy Of A Crisis (Hardcover)

It's not about sex. It's about power according to this author. He backs up his claim with historical evidence: the Church's mistreatment of women, and Jews, for example. Included are chilling quotes from the Malleus Malificarum used as a training book in seminaries for two centuries. The Malleus, used to train priests, sounds like the ravings of a madman, and it no doubt was...

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Over My Head, March 25, 2006

By 

Anne Lapuh (Stow, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sex, Priests, And Power: Anatomy Of A Crisis (Hardcover)

This book contained some very interesting ideals. The philosophy in the book was way over my head. Much of it seemed redundant to me I'm sure because I didn't understand it. It certainly offerred insight into the priesthood from the local parish to Rome.