The Catholic labyrinth : power, apathy, and a passion for reform in the American church

Resource Information

The work The Catholic labyrinth : power, apathy, and a passion for reform in the American church represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Charleston County Public Library. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

The Catholic labyrinth : power, apathy, and a passion for reform in the American church

Title remainder

power, apathy, and a passion for reform in the American church

Statement of responsibility

Peter McDonough

Creator

• McDonough, Peter, 1939-

Subject

• Catholic Church -- Doctrines
• Catholic Church -- United States -- History -- 21st century
• Church renewal -- Catholic Church | History -- 21st century
• Conservatism -- Religious aspects | Catholic Church

Language

eng

Summary

"American Catholicism has been rocked by sexual abuse scandals, declining attendance, a meltdown in the numbers of priests and nuns, and the closing of many parishes and parochial schools. Yet the church hierarchy is increasingly dominated by conservatives. In The Catholic Labyrinth, Peter McDonough tells of the struggles that animate various groups - such as the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, Voice of the Faithful, and the Leadership Roundtable - pushing to modernize the church. One contest pits reformers against those who defend traditional standards of sexual behavior and gender roles. In addition, the church's far-flung operations in education, social services, and healthcare raise constitutional issues about the separation of church and state. Once a sidebar to this debate, the bishops' campaign to control terms of employment and access to contraceptives in church-sponsored ministries has added fuel to the conflict. McDonough draws on behind-the-scenes documents and personal interviews with reformers and 'loyalists' to explore how retrenchment and resistance to clericalism have played out. In the midst of growing support for changes like optional celibacy for priests and the ordination of women, the flood of defections from the church continues. Nevertheless, immigration and a lingering reaction against the upheavals of the sixties, together with the polemics of neoconservatives, have helped sustain acceptance of traditional authority among Catholics in the pews"--Book jacket

Cataloging source

DLC

Dewey number

282.73

Index

index present

LC call number

BX1406.3

LC item number

.M35 2013

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

bibliography