Cardinal Sins

Rating:
Summary: Interesting in light of the current troubles in the church..
Review: FRom inside dj flap:

This is a novel whose blunt honesty is certain to spark controversy. From the humblest parish to the inner councils of the Vatican, Father Greeley reveals the heirarchy of the Catholic Church as it really is and its priests as the men they really are.

The Cardinal Sins follows the lives of two Irish boys who grow up on the West Side of Chicago and enter the priesthood. One will remain a parish priest all of his life; the other will become a powerful cardinal. We meet them in the last summer before they enter the seminary- the summer by the laek when they discover their sexual selves in the arms of two young girls whose love and lives will entwine with theirs all through the years.

We share their triumphs and tragedies as Pat rises to teh center of power in the Vatican itself, surrendering ideals, yielding to sexual temptation, sharing forbidden pleasures , yet achieving success in the world's eyes. For Kevin , for whom refusal to surrender principle is both his strength and his failing, success comes in another guise.

This book is a work of fiction. It is nonetheless true, And only one man could have written it. Father Andrew Greelys has been described as one of the ten most influential Christian thinkers in the worl, In this novel, he surpasses himself as a diviner of human passions and a superb storyteller as well.

Rating:
Summary: I've read this book 3 or 4 times over the years and I also
Review: have an audio version. It is a great story about love, Gods love for us and our struggle to return it and to love one another. Each time I read it or listen to it I discover something more about the theme, the characters and myself.

Rating:
Summary: Soap opera.
Review: If I'm not mistaken, this is Greeley's first novel. Many others followed. I don't believe that success was due to any particularly redeeming features of this book -- it's little more than a soap opera. More likely, the public found it titillating that a priest would write fiction that included sex scenes and other "shocking" material. If Greeley were not a priest, I don't think anyone would have paid attention to this book (and there probably wouldn't have been any others from his pen published).