In light of the latest flare-up of the apparently never-ending and ever expanding sex abuse scandal, not to mention other scandals that have come to light, I reread that chapter of this crisis. In deciding how and if to review the book, I am trying to keep in mind that I am not its intended audience -- Allen intends to try and promote understanding between the American laity and the church hierarchy. Obviously a certain amount of his remarks are irrelevant or meaningless to non-Catholics. I am not sure if I would rate the book as highly on second look, but I think it is useful in trying to understand how the disputants see things, which is valuable, even if it doesn't make me think better of them. In that, I think that Allen has accomplished his purpose, but that doesn't mean that he has enlisted my sympathies. The following remarks are less of a review than a personal reaction to one issue.

It seems to me that the church has not accepted the separation of church and state, or, how ever much ecumenism they claim, the right of freedom of religion. They seem to long for the Middle Ages when, at least in some countries, members of the religious hierarchy were not subject to secular law and were judged in their own courts. These days, the they cannot force secular society to accept their view of how things ought to be, no matter how strongly they feel that it is what their god wants it, unless he chooses to enforce it himself.

Certainly some people leap upon the crisis as a chance to denounce celibacy, but I am not one of those people. I am concerned with the failure of the hierarchy to end the abuse even when they were aware of it, or to turn it over to secular authorities if they couldn't deal with it. They've ruined their credibility and they've done precious little to rebuild it. The excuses, and the attempt to hide behind claims of persecution are both pathetic and alienating. Using hardball legal tactics against the victims, and blaming everyone but themselves does not give the appearance of repentance, whatever they may say at other times. And yet so many people cannot understand why some of us think that reflects badly on the church.

I don't really care if the priests are defrocked, just so their crimes are not shielded. Many of the things that Allen discusses in this regard are internal church matters, of little interest to me, but broken secular laws are not. Due process is always a right, but that doesn't mean that someone should be left in unsupervised contact with vulnerable people if they are not regarded as trustworthy. Sending someone for treatment and returning them to a parish may be justifiable once, with reasonable supervision, but not repeatedly, even less so when they are not even treated or supervised. They may forgive the offender as much as they like, and Jesus may sit them at his right hand in heaven, but they must not shield him from the civil penalties of his behavior, particularly if they have failed to control it. In many cases, victims and their families brought their complaints to the church rather than to the civil authorities and the church failed to help present victims or protect potential victims.

Yes, pedophiles exist outside the church, and when they get caught, they get a prison sentence and generally a life-long registration as a sex offender. One columnist complained that non-Catholics failed to appreciate the church's obligations to even defrocked priests. The church may feel free to minister to them in prison as much as they like, but that does not include shielding them from secular law. If innocent priests feel shut out of close human contact with suspicious people, let them blame their guilty brethern and irresponsible leaders. If church hierarchs come from countries that handle things differently, well these are the laws of this country, and they ought to sophisticated enough to understand that. ( )

A smart introduction to the ways of the Vatican. While I am not a Catholic, I confess a strong interest in the ways that the Church works, talks, thinks, and does.

Early in the book the author lists 10 values or core beliefs that the Church holds -- reading that chapter alone will help you understand why the Chruch says the things it does.

It's not the usual all wonderful or all horrible book, rather the writer tries to communicate some of the values and ambiuguities that have helped the Chruch survive and thrive for 2000 years while sometimes simultaneously coming across as cruel and heartless in the press. ( )

3956. All the Pope's Men: The Inside Story of How the Vatican Really Thinks, by John L. Allen, Jr., (read 20 Nov 2004) The author is the Rome correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and writes a very informative and knowledgeable book, looking at the present day Vatican. There are chapters on things like "Vatican Psychology" and "Vatican Sociology" and the last two chapters deal with the Vatican's positions on the sexual abuse crisis and the war in Iraq. I found the book informative and it increased my respect for Allen, whose book on 'the next papal election' entitled Conclave, I read on 30 Nov 2002. ( )

I received a review copy of John L. Allen Jr's All the Pope's Men: The Inside Story of How the Vatican Really Thinks This is probably a book I would have probably never picked up due to the title. The title along with the subtitle to me seems a little off putting and possibly a very critical look at the Vatican. Though I generally do enjoy John L. Allen Jr's coverage of the Vatican which normally is very balanced and informative.

I found the book to be a very interesting read. As a convert I have picked up little pieces of information here and there on how the Holy See operates along with the basic structure. The first chapter in and of itself is a good reason to read this book. Vatican 101 gives a broad overview of the Vatican especially the various dicasteries. An overview of the purpose and function of each of the dicasteries is discussed a long with various positions such as Secretary of State and other support offices.

The next chapter points out and discusses what he calls the Top Five Myths About the Vatican. Addressed is the fact that most reporters think of the Vatican as some cohesive whole or how they confuse a personal opinion of someone working in the Curia as "Vatican says." He also addresses who's in charge, Vatican secrecy, Vatican Wealth, and the charges of the predominance of ladder climbing. All of this rebuttals to these are in depth and I especially found informative the section on Vatican wealth. He made the comparison that the Vatican operates at half the cost of Notre Dame here in the states and goes on to address the material worth of the churches themselves and the art within. All of the priceless pieces of art are itemized at $1.00 since they really can't be sold.

Other chapters include Vatican psychology, sociology, and theology. The chapter on Vatican psychology covers what he classes as the Top Ten Vatican Values. I think his writing on this is very insightful on the values he picked out and a great aid in understanding how many in the Vatican see their service. There is also much discussion on the gap between how much of the Vatican sees things compared to other countries. The focus though is primarily between the Catholic Church in America and the Holy See, though much of the gap applies equally to most countries. America being on fast-food time think everything must happen at a lightning pace and think the Vatican should do the same. That whatever happens in the Church in America must become the Vatican's priority despite the fact that the problem might not be be the same in the rest of the world. The last two chapters address the sexual abuse scandal and the war in Iraq listing detailed examples of this gap in understanding.

The book was apparently written while Pope John Paul II was still alive so some of what is in it is slightly dated. The book was reworked to mention Pope Benedict at times, but mostly this has no effect on the value of the book. One of the dated items I found funny was the mention of the fact that Pope's don't give interviews. True enough at least before Pope Benedict was elected.

I do wish most reporters covering the Vatican would read this book so they would have a better clue what they are reporting on. As a long-distance armchair Vatican watcher I found much worthwhile in this book as far as straight factual information and a better insight into the goings on in Vatican City. In short if you want to learn more about the Holy See and want a highly readable book to do it I can easily recommend this book. ( )