In the 1960s and '70s, thousands of Roman Catholic priests left the active ministry to get married. Nothing like this had been seen on this scale since the French Revolution, and before that since the Reformation. Now a different phenomenon seems to be at work: priests who have formed long-time, intimate sexual friendships. These men are not pedophiles or sexual abusers. They are adult, mature men who can no longer find a rationale for a life of obligatory celibacy and enter into responsible sexual relationships. Some of them are straight, some gay. Based on interviews, conducted over a nine-year period, with 50 Australian priests, Priests in Love tells the stories of these priests and their friends. It deals with the moral, psychological, and social challenges they face on the less traveled road of social change.

Table of Contents

Voices of Priests in Love; "If truly the command of God is to love, then I feel our love is where God can be found. As for celibacy, it's an injustice insofar as it is mandatory, and God can't be found in that kind of contradiction." - Fr. Abe; "Promises are conditioned by their contexts and are not absolutes in themselves. If the context loses it validity, so then does the promise. The promise to separate priesthood from women and families was such a promise. I made it originally in good faith, with the understanding of the situation I had at the time. But eventually the context changed, and my faith in the purpose, place, and even probity of the promise dissolved." - Fr. Thomas; "I am definitely in favor of celibacy - for those who freely opt for it as a way of loving God. The vow of celibacy is only for a few. Theirs is a noble choice and a clear sign that they are men/women of deeply sensitive love. But celibacy should never be required of persons as part of a package deal for priestly ordination." - Fr. James; "No one has the right or the power to take away from anyone what is a fundamental human right. If someone wishes to be celibate for the right reasons, I would applaud that. But to make celibacy a condition of priesthood is an injustice and repugnant. Consequently, I would not consider myself bound by [the vow of celibacy]." - Fr. Jesse

About the Author

Jane Anderson, mother of four teenage children, received her PhD in anthropology in 2004. She lives in Yakamia, Western Australia, and has been actively involved in Australian Catholic parish life for over twenty years

Reviews

No one has captured with greater understanding and insight the personal, human struggles of priests coping with mandated, institutionalized celibacy than Jane Anderson in Priests in Love. This moving and compelling book, both gracefully written and grace-filler, is destines to shake the foundations of obligatory celibacy. Donald Cozzens, Sacred Silence: Denial and the Crisis in the Church--Donals Cozzens