Description
The Elephant in the Church
The Elephant in the Church is a book on female Christianity and the role of women in the Church. Women have long been ‘the elephant’ in the Church. They have been perpetually silenced, ignored and discounted. They are not required to make any contribution to the Church, except for obedience. In every public ecclesiastical event, such as the election of a pope, it is glaringly obvious that women are entirely irrelevant.
This book explores what the author terms ‘Women Christianity’ from a historical perspective, following the story from biblical times to the women mystics of the Middle Ages and, finally, the Christian feminists in the years following Vatican II who, like Mary herself, began their own journeys of discovery into the history of women in the Church after failing to find it in traditional theological texts.
If the Church is to survive, it is clear that it must be more inclusive, where the gifts of women and men are equally recognised. Until then, women will continue to keep the faith in their own communities outside the institutional structure.
The book was first published in 2014. This revised edition includes a foreword by former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, as well as an interview with the author Mary T. Malone on what has changed, or not changed, since the first edition of the book.
What Happened to Fr Seán Fagan
Marist priest and theologian Fr Seán Fagan was widely admired and respected as a courageous and compassionate pastor. For many years he was critical of rigid stances by the Vatican on issues of conscience and sexual morality. In 1997, he published the book Does Morality Change?, which was denounced by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) as not in keeping with Church teaching. In 2008, the CDF reacted out of all proportion to one of Seán’s letters that was printed in The Irish Times, and two years later he was informed that he would be laicised should he publish anything the CDF considered contrary to Church teaching, and should he disclose this censure to the media. If he failed to obey, he would be dismissed from religious life, a punishment that would have rendered him homeless.
He expressed a wish to his close friend Angela Hanley that when he died she ought to “spill the beans in public on what really went on, to shame our sinful church in the hope that it might prevent further repetitions”. This book is a fulfilment of that wish and is Seán’s opportunity to have his side of the story told.
Cardinal Sin
As the papal conclave that was to choose Pope Francis was being called, a cardinal of the Catholic Church was exposed and took a monumental fall from grace. Since then, many more high-profile Catholic clerics have been confronted. One of four whistle blowers, former priest Brian Devlin relates what it took to uncover the sexual hypocrisy of Cardinal Keith O’Brien in this previously untold inside story. Making the effort to write not from a place of anger and hurt, he presents Cardinal Sin as an opportunity for the global Church to learn and change.
With far-reaching insights, the book offers genuine lessons to help avoid future horror stories involving Catholic leaders. The author asks the hard questions, analyses the harsh responses of the Catholic hierarchy and provides ways the Church can heal and regain the trust of its faithful.
Cardinal Sin: Challenging power abuse in the Catholic Church is a critical work for understanding how the Catholic Church does and should react when its senior figures are challenged.