Leon J. Podles

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ranp
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Ranp

Guest
My wife just purchased a book by Leon J. Podles titled “Sacrilege: Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church”. The limited information on the covers of the book suggest that it is probably anti-Catholic, especially since it makes reference to problems with Catholic theology. For this reason I don’t care for either my wife or I to read the book. I have not been able to find a Catholic review of this book. Can any of you provide any information about Podles and his books?

Thanks

Ran
 
Ranp said:
My wife just purchased a book by Leon J. Podles titled “Sacrilege: Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church”. The limited information on the covers of the book suggest that it is probably anti-Catholic, especially since it makes reference to problems with Catholic theology. For this reason I don’t care for either my wife or I to read the book. I have not been able to find a Catholic review of this book. Can any of you provide any information about Podles and his books?

Thanks

Ran
Click to expand...
Well, the very fact that he seems to have problem with Catholic theology is a huge red flag in and of itself. Catholic theology has been handed to us by Christ Himself. It cannot be in error. Individuals, for sure, can and do sin. All individuals. But that’s not his point, I’ll betcha. His point is to try to disprove the Catholic Church’s teaching based on the misbehavior of individuals who chose not to follow Church teaching. It’s just another attack by Satan to try to undermine the faith. I’d burn the book, if it were me.
 
I read his book on feminization of the church, and while his viewpoint and manner of writing are a little terse, I don’t think he was attacking the church. He wrote from a Christian viewpoint, as a regular church-goer.

Here is the link to his book…

podles.org/sacrilege.htm
 
From the numerous articles on the web, he certainly seems to desire that his book sell. He granted permission for much of the introduction to be published on a blog. He blames the very structure of the Church, rather than individuals, for all of its failings. I have not looked into his thoughts very deeply, but it would not supprise me in the least to find that he prefers a laity lead, democratic Church. Here’s a link to the intro: billcork.wordpress.com/2007/11/12/leon-podles-sacrilege/
 
JM3 said:
Here’s an article written by him.

crosslandfoundation.org/catholicscandals.htm

It doesn’t look to be ‘anti-catholic’.
Click to expand...
No. It seems a fair treatment when he tries to establish what the incidence of the problem is and how it compares to laymen, or other religious communities.

Podles is very clear that, in his opinion, homosexuality is the root of the problem, which opinion will not sit well in some circles.

This is the style I remember from his book: terse. I also detect a distinct “southern” flavor to his approach to masculinity as well (he lives in Baltimore and received a doctorate from UVa). Podles is more refined, but the sentiment is not dissimilar to that of the late Lewis Grizzard towards male standards of behavior (See: “I Haven’t Understood Anything Since 1962 and Other Nekkid Truths” if interested).

I suppose it his take on married clergy that will prove most un-catholic for forum readers.
 
po18guy said:
Right you are. That much is good, but his description of the Church as becoming too syetematically clerical in the intro of his book is thus somewhat puzzling.
Click to expand...
I think his beef is with what he calls “clericalism” - an undue deference to the priests and bishops involved in the scandal by virtue of their position.
 
Monte_RCMS said:
Are there any reviews on Amazon.com?
Click to expand...
There are 14 reviews on Amazon. The negative comments center either on the graphic nature of the subject matter (not for kids!) and/or Podles prescriptions for how to prevent scandals in the future. No one really quibbles with his facts. One guy thinks Podles is “homophobic” (there is one in every crowd).

amazon.com/Sacrilege-Sexual-Abuse-Catholic-Church/product-reviews/0979027993/ref=cm_cr_pr_fltrmsg?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0
 
Ranp said:
My wife just purchased a book by Leon J. Podles titled “Sacrilege: Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church”. The limited information on the covers of the book suggest that it is probably anti-Catholic, especially since it makes reference to problems with Catholic theology. For this reason I don’t care for either my wife or I to read the book. I have not been able to find a Catholic review of this book. Can any of you provide any information about Podles and his books?

Thanks

Ran
Click to expand...
“Don’t judge a book by its cover”, I’ve only read The Church Impotent and the articles linked on this thread, but I would expect a balanced view from Mr. Podles.

Certainly I would not recommend avoiding everything that appears anti-Catholic.
 
I read the book. He isn,t anti Catholic. He goes to mass and is a loyal Catholic. Exellent book. We should face this problem
:o
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top