Sexuality and Catholicism

Editor of the liberal National Catholic Reporter, Fox suggests that the Vatican's absolutist approach, condemning artificial contraception, abortion, homosexual acts and sterilization as gravely immoral and unnatural, ignores contemporary scientific discussion and the experience of ordinary people. Carefully reviewing the Catholic Church's often contradictory moral reasoning on sexuality from earliest times to the present, he concludes that the church hierarchy began a serious effort to condemn birth control only in this century. He scrutinizes recent changes within the priesthood: pressures to allow marriage and women's ordination, a rise in the number of gay priests and reports of priests molesting children. The church's denial or downplaying of such reports, he believes, has alienated many Catholic laypeople already disenchanted with official positions on sexuality. Fox surveys contemporary efforts to create an open-minded, creation-centered theology, led by priest Thomas Beryr and ex-Dominican Matthew Fox, who stress humanity's place within the unfolding evolution of the cosmos. This important, farsighted book lays a groundwork for healing and renewal within the church. (Nov.)