Sr. Margaret Farely's "Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics," was condemned recently by the Vatican. Editor's Note: We are running an excerpt from the new book In the Closet of the Vatican: Power, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy by Frédéric Martel.The book, to … With the homosexual liberation of the 1970s, and particularly since the gay socialization of the 1980s, Catholic vocations, especially in European countries, have naturally fallen. Social networks, more courage on the part of the press, and countless ecclesiastical sex scandals have made it possible, and necessary, to reveal this secret today. Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on an editorial featured on the website of the National Catholic Reporter (NCR):. Because the 'culture of secrecy', which was necessary to maintain silence about the huge presence of homosexuality inside the Church, has made it possible to hide sexual abuse, and for predators to benefit from this system of protection within the institution – even though paedophilia is not the subject of this book. The details, certainly, but also the great laws – and there are, as we will see, 14 general rules in this book. Contributions are tax-deductible in the United States. This pattern explains the war against Francis. Many cardinals and priests who officiate at the Roman Curia, most of those who meet up in conclave beneath the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo – one of the most grandiose scenes of gay culture, peopled with virile bodies, surrounded by the Ignudi, those robust and beautiful naked young men – share the same 'inclinations'. 'The problem is that if you tell the truth about the "closet" and the special friendships in the Vatican, people won't believe you. Do I need to say that Francis knows the people he addresses in this way without naming them: cardinals, papal masters of ceremonies, former secretaries of state, deputies, minor assistants or chamberlains? Those conservatives, those traditionalists, those 'dubias', are in many cases the famous 'rigid people leading a double life' of whom Francis speaks so often. Lastly – alas! Did they guess that the battle launched against gays by the Vatican of John Paul II and Benedict XVI was a war that was lost in advance? This report is said to reveal not so much the existence of a 'gay lobby', as was said, as the omnipresence of homosexuals in the Vatican, blackmail and harassment built into the system. Do as I say, not as I do! All interviews were conducted under my real name, and my interlocutors had only to do a quick search on Google, Wikipedia, Facebook or Twitter to discover the details of my biography as a writer and reporter. How? Send your thoughts and reactions to Letters to the Editor. He isn't part of the parish! Never, perhaps, have the appearances of an institution been so deceptive; and equally deceptive are the pronouncements about celibacy and the vows of chastity that conceal a completely different reality. A number of journalists have already revealed scandals and affairs within the Roman Curia. Comments on Distinctly Catholic by Michael Sean Winters at National Catholic Reporter. In most cases it isn't simply a general inclination, of a certain fluidity, homophilia or 'tendencies', as people said at the time, nor even repressed or sublimated sexuality, all equally prevalent in the Church of Rome. Often, those priests, influential or otherwise, came on to me decorously, and some, with very little reluctance, more intensely. ', The reason for this, among the older cardinals, should be sought in the past: their stormy youths and roguish years before gay liberation explain their double lives and their homophobia in the old style. How Will Joe Biden Build a Common Future? They also know that sexual desire, and homosexual desire first and foremost, is one of the main engines and wellsprings of Vatican life. But that isn't my subject. Latest Videos: How Will Joe Biden Build a Common Future? – but of understanding their secret and collective way of life. I don't need to introduce you to this cardinal who appears in public on the balcony of the Loggia, and who was caught up in a quickly suppressed case of prostitution; this other French cardinal who for a long time had an Anglican lover in America; or this other one who, in his youth, had a chain of adventures like the beads on a nun's rosary; not forgetting those who live with their boyfriends in the palaces of the Vatican, where I have met them; they introduced their companions as their assistants, their minutante, their deputy, their chauffeur, their valet, their factotum, even their bodyguard! National Catholic Reporter is a nonprofit organization. This pattern explains the war against Francis. Join us if you love lots and lots of free news The book is based upon the concordant testimonies from 41 cardinals, 52 bishops and 45 apostolic nuncios. Open secrets? And then I travelled across the world, through more than thirty countries, among the clergies of Latin America, Asia, the United States and the Middle East, to collect over a thousand statements. Have the pope and his liberal theologians realized that priestly celibacy was a failure? Read Our Feature Series. Editor's Note: We are running an excerpt from the new book In the Closet of the Vatican: Power, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy by Frédéric Martel. However, Francis today is the object of a violent campaign, precisely because of his supposed liberalism on questions of sexual morality, by conservative cardinals who are very homophobic – and, most of them, secretly homosexual. That is one of the mysteries of this book and my reason for writing it. Double life? They are less so today because the resignation of Benedict XVI and Pope Francis's desire for reform have freed people's tongues. My project isn't about 'naming and shaming', the American practice of making names public in order to expose them. So this book criticizes not the Church overall, but a very particular 'genre' within the gay community; it tells the story of the majority of those in the College of Cardinals and the Vatican. During that long investigation I spent more than a hundred and fifty nights a year reporting, away from home, away from Paris. The subject is: the intimate society of priests, their fragility, and the suffering bound up with forced celibacy, which has become a system. "In the Closet of the Vatican" - Latest News. Since arriving in Rome he has known that he is dealing with an organisation that is quite extraordinary in its way, and that isn't restricted, as people believed for a long time, to a few lost sheep. Many of these cardinals who 'have not loved women, for all the blood that flows in their veins! Some of them were worried about what I was going to reveal. 'The carnival is over,' the pope is reported to have said to his master of ceremonies at the very moment when he was elected. Hoyt wanted to bring the professional standards of secular news reporting to the press that covers Catholic news, saying that "if the mayor of a city owned its only newspaper, its citizens will not learn … Send your thoughts and reactions to Letters to the Editor. He's of the parish,' he stressed in a low voice, talking to me about the morals of a famous Vatican cardinal, a former 'minister' of John Paul II, who both of us knew well. They are less so today because the resignation of Benedict XVI and Pope Francis's desire for reform have freed people's tongues. Ahead of its publication, the National Catholic Reporter released an excerpt from the book Inside the Closet of the Vatican by Frédéric Martel. For a long time, as we will see, young Italians who discovered that they were homosexual, or who had doubts about their inclinations, chose the priesthood. For I have limited experience with the Vatican, never having lived in Rome and having visited only a handful of times in my Jesuit life. A fairy tale. His phrase should be placed as an epigram at the start of this book: 'Behind rigidity something always lies hidden; in many cases, a double life.'. This Latino pope is the first to have used the word 'gay' rather than just 'homosexual' – and if we compare him with his predecessors, we may see him as the most 'gay-friendly' of modern pontiffs. There have been carefully chosen words about homosexuality: 'Who am I to judge?' Send your thoughts and reactions to Letters to the Editor. But lots of people described this 'closet' to me. How? Do as I say, not as I do! He added: 'And if I told you all the things I know, you wouldn't believe it!'. Send your thoughts and reactions to Letters to the Editor. That is one of the mysteries of this book and my reason for writing it. The book, to be released Feb. 21, will be much talked about. This approach to fact drags In the Closet of the Vatican down, as does its length. What they told me was unsayable for a long time. Updated regularly. They'll say it's made up. In the Closet of the Vatican exposes the rot at the heart of the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church today. In the Closet of the Vatican is published simultaneously in eight languages. Lastly – alas! What detours I am taking to say such simple things – things which, so shocking yesterday, are so banal today! This brilliant piece of investigative writing is based on four years' authoritative research, including extensive interviews with those in power. By Mary Chalupsky Veteran Vatican reporter John L. Allen Jr. offered insights into the Francis papacy during the closing plenary session of the NACC national conference. The Vatican said Domenico Giani, head of its police force since 2006 and Pope Francis' primary bodyguard, resigned "out of love for the church." It is not a matter of denouncing these men, nor of 'outing' them while they are alive. So I had to spend a long time investigating and living immersed in the Church. The homosexual sociology of Catholicism also helps us to explain another reality: the end of vocations in Europe. So it is not a matter of judging these homosexuals, even the closeted ones – I like them! He knows his 'parish'. ', as the Poet says, are practising. Often, those priests, influential or otherwise, came on to me decorously, and some, with very little reluctance, more intensely. Francis knows that he has to move on the Church's stance, and that he will only be able to do this at the cost of a ruthless battle against all those who use sexual morality and homophobia to conceal their own hypocrisies and double lives. A fairy tale. How Will Joe Biden Build a Common Future? I installed myself in Rome, one week every month, regularly inside the Vatican, thanks to the hospitality of senior prelates who sometimes revealed that they too were 'part of the parish'. Frédéric Martel (PhD) is a French writer and researcher. Theological society backs Vatican-criticized nun | National Catholic Reporter. He isn't part of the parish! Never, perhaps, have the appearances of an institution been so deceptive; and equally deceptive are the pronouncements about celibacy and the vows of chastity that conceal a completely different reality. He is also a journalist at National Public Radio and the author of ten books, which have been translated and published in more than 25 countries. War between gays, in short. Most of the monsignori who have spoken at the balcony of the Loggia of St Peter's, between the pontificate of Paul VI and that of Francis, to deliver the sad announcement of the death of the pope or, with frank gaiety, to say Habemus papam!, share the same secret. ', as the Poet says, are practising. By John L. Allen Jr.I've received numerous requests to comment on the sensational story in an Italian newspaper Thursday suggesting the existence of a shadowy "gay lobby" in the Vatican, linking it to the prospect of blackmail and suggesting that such dark forces may have factored into Benedict XVI's decision to resign. It doesn't matter. In this gossiping society, Francis is well informed. In a letter to Francis in 2015, Krzysztof Charamsa criticised what he called the Vatican’s hypocrisy in banning gay priests and said the clergy was “full of homosexuals”. The phrase has been uttered, and this time the evidence cannot be challenged. Without this key for understanding, the recent history of the Vatican and the Roman Church remains opaque. But lots of people described this 'closet' to me. But what Francis is unable to bear is not so much the homophilia that is so widespread, as the dizzying hypocrisy of those who advocate a rigid morality while at the same time having a companion, affairs and sometimes escorts. Why did these men, who were used to being silent, agree to break the omertà? The Vatican says Francis received the resignation request, accepted it, and ordered McCarrick to a life of prayer and penance. In fact, in an aside that had something of the disco-queen about it, another priest whispered to me in English: 'We are family!'. About forty cardinals and hundreds of bishops, monsignori, priests and 'nuncios' (the pope's ambassadors) agreed to meet me. With the homosexual liberation of the 1970s, and particularly since the gay socialization of the 1980s, Catholic vocations, especially in European countries, have naturally fallen. Not the exceptions but the system and the model, what American sociologists call 'the pattern'. – homosexuality is also one of the keys that explain the institutionalized cover-up of sexual crimes and misdemeanours, of which there are now tens of thousands. 'He's of the parish,' the priest whispers conspiratorially in my ear. – homosexuality is also one of the keys that explain the institutionalized cover-up of sexual crimes and misdemeanours, of which there are now tens of thousands. Contributions may be sent to: National Catholic Reporter 115 E. Armour Blvd. This report is said to reveal not so much the existence of a 'gay lobby', as was said, as the omnipresence of homosexuals in the Vatican, blackmail and harassment built into the system. Because the 'culture of secrecy', which was necessary to maintain silence about the huge presence of homosexuality inside the Church, has made it possible to hide sexual abuse, and for predators to benefit from this system of protection within the institution – even though paedophilia is not the subject of this book. in English, magna cum laude from Harvard and a M.A and Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from Yale. This Latino pope is the first to have used the word 'gay' rather than just 'homosexual' – and if we compare him with his predecessors, we may see him as the most 'gay-friendly' of modern pontiffs. During the four years of that investigation, I never concealed my identity as a writer, a journalist or a researcher when approaching cardinals and priests, who sometimes proved to be unapproachable. Whether they are 'practising', 'homophile', 'initiates', 'unstraights', 'wordly', 'versatile', 'questioning', or simply 'in the closet', the world I am discovering, with its 50 shades of gay, is beyond comprehension. Excerpted from In the Closet of the Vatican: Power, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy, by Frédéric Martel (Bloomsbury Continuum, 2019). Editor's Note: We are running an excerpt from the new book In the Closet of the Vatican: Power, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy by Frédéric Martel. The lack of vocations has multiple causes, but the homosexual revolution is paradoxically one of the main forces behind it. Kansas City, MO 64111 USA. He earned his B.A. « Previous Page 1 of 1 Next ». We might also put forward the hypothesis, even though it isn't the subject of this book, that lesbianism is a major key to an understanding of convent life, whether that of cloistered orders or not. The intimate stories of these men who give an image of piety in public and lead a quite different life in private, so different from one another, present us with a complex intrigue to unravel. One that would be turned against the Church as soon as everyone became aware of its real motivations: a war waged between closeted homosexuals and gays who had come out! Others, last of all, proved to be loquacious, excessively so, as if they had been waiting for so many years to come out of their silence. It's a system; and a huge herd. IN THE CLOSET OF THE VATICAN: POWER, HOMOSEXUALITY, HYPOCRISY by Frédéric Martel (London: Bloomsbury Continuum … We might even say that there is an unwritten rule that can always be checked in this book: the more homophobic a priest is, the greater the chance that he himself will be homosexual. 'You know, he's very practising. Here we will have to be counter-intuitive in order to understand it. At first, of course, the pope was surprised by the extent of that 'malicious colony', its 'charming qualities' and its 'unbearable shortcomings' of which the French writer Marcel Proust wrote in his celebrated book Sodom and Gomorrah. The author claims to have done exhaustive interviewing and research both personally and with a large team of interviewers and translators. The first person who used that coded expression in front of me was an archbishop from the Roman Curia. Fifty years after Stonewall, the gay revolution in the United States, the Vatican is the last bastion still to be liberated! Read preview. Unlike those Vaticanologists, who denounce individual 'excesses' but in such a way as to conceal the 'system', I am less concerned with exposing these affairs than with revealing the very banal double life of most of the dignitaries of the Church. But one becomes aware of the need to expose a system built, from the smallest seminaries to the holy of holies – the cardinals' college – both on the homosexual double life and on the most dizzying homophobia. There have been carefully chosen words about homosexuality: 'Who am I to judge?' Jim Martin, Editorial: Stop judging, and welcome LGBT Catholics 'in good faith', Exiting gay pastoral associate pledges continued LGBTQ work, Adopting political tactics at synod is understandable, but misplaced, Pope to gay priests: Be celibate or get out. His assistants, his closest collaborators, his masters of ceremony and masters of liturgy, his theologians and his cardinals, where gays are also in the majority, know that in the Vatican homosexuality includes a lot of the called and a lot of the chosen. Since then, the Argentinian has overturned the little games of connivance and the homosexual fraternity that developed clandestinely after Paul VI, were amplified under John Paul II, before becoming ungovernable under Benedict XVI, leading eventually to his downfall. Learn more here, Copyright © The National Catholic Reporter Publishing Company | 115 E. Armour Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64111 | 1-800-444-8910, IN THE CLOSET OF THE VATICAN: POWER, HOMOSEXUALITY, HYPOCRISY, 576 pages; Published by Bloomsbury Continuum, Detail from the Sistine Chapel frescoes (Wikimedia Commons/Jörg Bittner Unna), Pope Francis gives his annual pre-Christmas speech to officials of the Roman Curia and cardinals present in Rome Dec. 21, 2018, in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace. We will come across this archbishop several times again in the course of this book, the first in a long series of priests who described the reality of which I was already aware, but which many people will see as a fiction. Peter Stanford on In the Closet of the Vatican, by Frédéric Martel, who claims up to 80 per cent of the Catholic Church’s most senior figures are gay. There is, as Hamlet might have said, something rotten in the state of the Vatican. Open secrets? Since then, the Argentinian has overturned the little games of connivance and the homosexual fraternity that developed clandestinely after Paul VI, were amplified under John Paul II, before becoming ungovernable under Benedict XVI, leading eventually to his downfall. So I had to spend a long time understand it than a hundred and fifty a. Immersed in the Church, monsignori, priests and 'nuncios ' ( the pope ambassadors... Contributions may be sent to: National Catholic Reporter: they represent the great majority in Church. And hypocrisy at the heart of the Vatican is no secret to pope Francis and researcher on... Among them, alleged homosexuals, who were present in the Vatican that will be much talked about people this... 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