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Sex, Priests, and Power: Anatomy of a Crisis

NCJ Number
154460
Author(s)
A W R Sipe
Date Published
1995
Length
240 pages
Annotation
This book discusses what the author sees as the continuing sexual crisis facing the Catholic Church.
Abstract
Some of the issues raised here include sexual abuse perpetrated by priests against children and parishioners in their congregations or those who have associated with them in a religious context, the oppression of women by the church, the spread of AIDS among priests, and other forms of sexual misconduct by Catholic clergy. The author analyzes the structure underlying the church's celibate/sexual system and highlights unresolved problems with current teachings. He calls for an honest discussion of sexuality and celibacy within the church and offers a refined description of the practice, which according to his research, can be fully adhered to only by a small minority of people, including priests.

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