Book details

Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church (ebook)

Bishop Geoffrey Robinson

9781925009248

1/05/2014

Drawing on his own experiences in responding to abuse, Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, in this explosive work, methodically offers a critique of the church's use and misuse of power, from the pope proclaiming infallibility down to the preacher claiming a divine authority for every word spoken from the pulpit. Going back to the bible and, above all, to the teaching of Jesus, he presents an approach to sexual morality that is profound, compassionate and people centred. He stresses the priority of the hierarchy of holiness over the hierarchy of power. He offers nothing less than a vision for a church of the third millennium - a church that wants to see its members take the responsibility appropriate to adults rather than obedience appropriate to children, and wants to help all people grow to become all they are capable of being.

Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, who has degrees in Philosophy, Theology and Church Law, was Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Sydney from 1984 until his retirement in 2004. In 1994 he was elected by the Australian Bishops to the National Committee for Professional Standards, coordinating the response of the Catholic Church in Australia to revelations of sexual abuse, and from 1997 until 2003 he was co-chairman of this committee.