I just ran across a
review from Andrew Sullivan of a new book about homosexuality in the Catholic Church. It looks impressively well-researched:
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It’s a bewildering and vast piece of reporting — Martel interviewed no fewer than “41 cardinals, 52 bishops and monsignori, 45 apostolic nuncios, secretaries of nunciatures or foreign ambassadors, 11 Swiss Guards and over 200 Catholic priests and seminarians.” He conducted more than 1,500 interviews over four years, is quite clear about his sources, and helps the reader weigh their credibility.
The author, Martel, who is gay himself, estimates that 80% of the population of the Vatican are gay, and:
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The picture Martel draws is jaw-dropping. Many of the Vatican gays — especially the most homophobic — treat their vows of celibacy with an insouciant contempt. Martel argues that many of these cardinals and officials have lively sex lives, operate within a “don’t ask, don’t tell” culture, constantly hit on young men, hire prostitutes, throw chem-sex parties, and even pay for sex with church money. How do we know this? Because, astonishingly, they tell us.
Obviously I'm not drawing a direct link between homosexuality and pedophilia, but I think that within the Catholic Church, the two are related in a couple of ways. First, I do think that the vicious repression of sexuality is a contributor to pedophilia. Secondly, the fact that the Vatican is wall-to-wall insanely hypocritical closet cases would be a huge factor in child abuse being covered up, because every gay man in the Vatican is also at constant risk of exposure, shame and disgrace.
Of course, as a gay Catholic, you can imagine the effect the book had on Sullivan. He talks about it here:
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Everything I was taught growing up — to respect the priests and hierarchs, to trust them, to accept their moral authority — is in tatters... This may seem like hyperbole, but in my view, the last drops of moral authority the Vatican might hope to have evaporate with this book. It is difficult to express the heartbroken rage so many of us in the pews now feel.
Where is Sullivan going from here?
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I went to Mass last Sunday to pray about this.
Naturally.