«The Majority of the Vatican Priests Are Gay» | Sternstunde Religion | SRF Kultur | Reupload

Mar 31, 2020 | It is well known that the Vatican frowns upon men who love men. But that the centre of power of the Roman Catholic Church should at the same time be one of the largest gay communities worldwide was new to many when Frédéric Martel brought this thesis to the world in 2019.

After having published "In the Closet of the Vatican" simultaneously in eight languages, the French author and journalist was invited to countless talk shows, but the Vatican was shrouded in silence.

Whoever felt somehow different - just homosexual - as a young man in the 30s, 40s and 50s of the last century, found an oasis in the Roman Catholic Church, according to Martel. Men living among men, wearing different clothes and singing in a choir, that would have been the salvation for many, which was also accepted by society.

While most of the men Martel spoke to are very old, their world view remains: Homophobic on the outside, homophile on the inside. This led to a dangerous double standard, a culture of silence, which had very unhappily promoted the scandals around the Catholic Church.

Sternstunde Religion vom 29.3.2020


Die deutsche Version von diesem Interview befindet sich hier.

WIKIPEDIA:

Frédéric Martel »

The Raven Foundation: James Alison on Frédéric Martel's "In The Closet of the Vatican" | 2019

Mar 15, 2019 | "In The Closet of the Vatican: Power, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy" by Frédéric Martel reveals a mind-boggling paradox: that behind the official Church teaching that gay men are “objectively disordered”, inherently disposed towards “intrinsic moral evil” and not suited to the priesthood are closeted gay priests who have risen to top positions at the Vatican. In this interview with Suzanne Ross, Father James Alison, who is an openly gay Catholic priest, expresses his hope that the secrets exposed in this book will lead to a new level of honesty and transparency within the Catholic Church, resulting in freedom for gay priests to be fully themselves as they minister to church members. Father Alison also offers advice for people scandalized by the book that will comfort them and restore their faith.

«Die Mehrheit der Priester im Vatikan ist schwul» | Sternstunde Religion | SRF Kultur | Reupload

Mit seiner These, wonach die Mehrheit der Prälaten, Bischöfe und Kardinäle des Vatikans schwul seien, generierte der französische Soziologe und Journalist Frédéric Martel im Frühling 2019 viel Aufmerksamkeit, aber auch Unverständnis.

Sein Buch «Sodom» erschien zeitgleich in acht Sprachen und Martel wurde in unzählige Talkshows eingeladen, doch der Vatikan hüllte sich in Schweigen. Wer sich in den 30er-, 40er- und 50er-Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts als junger Mann irgendwie anders – eben homosexuell – fühlte, fand in der römisch-katholischen Kirche eine Oase, so Martel in seinem Buch «Sodom»: Männer, die unter Männern leben, andere Kleidung tragen und singen, das wäre für viele die Rettung gewesen, die zudem noch von der Gesellschaft akzeptiert war.

Gegen aussen seien diese in der Regel sehr alten Männer nun homophob, gegen innen aber homophil. Dies führe zu einer gefährlichen Doppelmoral, einer Kultur des Schweigens, die die Skandale rund um die katholische Kirche sehr unglücklich begünstigt hätten.

Sternstunde Religion vom 29.3.2020


Frédéric Martel’s book, SODOMA is available in many languages. The book is a bestseller. I have bought it in French – the original language it was written in. I took delivery of it yesterday from Amazon.fr . I have already started reading it. It promises to be a very good and interesting read, too. Actually, it’s a long book; there are nearly a thousand pages. It is very well-researched. By all accounts, even Pope Francis has read it! – Mark

Here’s a link to the book on Amazon.fr .

Here is a link to the same programme in English.

Frédéric Martel : Book Alleges a Vatican Gay Subculture, Hypocrisy

Feb 20, 2019 (15 Feb 2019) A gay French writer has lifted the lid on what he calls one of the world's largest gay communities, the Vatican, estimating that most of its prelates are homosexually inclined and attributing much of the current crisis in the Catholic Church to an internecine war among them.

In the explosive book, In the Closet of the Vatican, author Frédéric Martel describes a gay subculture at the Vatican and calls out the hypocrisy of Catholic bishops and cardinals who in public denounce homosexuality but in private lead double lives.

Aside from the subject matter, the book is astonishing for the access Martel had to the inner sanctum of the Holy See. Martel writes that he spent four years researching it in 30 countries, including weeks at a time living inside the Vatican walls.

He says the doors were opened by a key Vatican gatekeeper and friend of Pope Francis who was the subject of the pontiff's famous remark about gay priests, "Who am I to judge?"

In an interview Friday in a Paris hotel, Martel said he didn't tell his subjects he was writing about homosexuality in the Vatican.

But he said it should have been obvious to them since he is a gay man who was researching the inner world of the Vatican and has written about homosexuality before.

He said it was easier for him, as a gay foreigner, to gain the trust of those inside the Vatican than it would have been for an Italian journalist or Vatican expert.

Martel says he conducted nearly 1,500 in-person interviews with 41 cardinals, 52 bishops or monsignors, and 45 Vatican and foreign ambassadors, many of whom are quoted at length and in on-the-record interviews that he says were recorded.

Martel said he was assisted by 80 researchers, translators, fixers and local journalists, as well as a team of 15 lawyers.

The 555-page book is being published simultaneously in eight languages in 20 countries, many bearing the title "Sodom."

The Vatican didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Martel appears to want to bolster Francis' efforts at reforming the Vatican by discrediting his biggest critics and removing the secrecy and scandal that surrounds homosexuality in the Church.

But the book's Feb. 21 publication date coincides with the start of Francis' summit of church leaders on preventing the sexual abuse of minors, a crisis that is undermining his papacy.

The book isn't about abuse, but the timing of its release could fuel the narrative, embraced by conservatives and rejected by the gay community, that the abuse scandal has been caused by homosexuals in the priesthood.

Martel said no special interests financed the book, other than his advance from the publisher.


Related.

”The Majority of the Vatican Priests Are Gay” | Sternstunde Religion | SRF Kultur | Reupload

Mar 31, 2020 • It is well known that the Vatican frowns upon men who love men. But that the centre of power of the Roman Catholic Church should at the same time be one of the largest gay communities worldwide was new to many when Frédéric Martel brought this thesis to the world in 2019.

After having published "In the Closet of the Vatican" simultaneously in eight languages, the French author and journalist was invited to countless talk shows, but the Vatican was shrouded in silence.

Whoever felt somehow different - just homosexual - as a young man in the 30s, 40s and 50s of the last century, found an oasis in the Roman Catholic Church, according to Martel. Men living among men, wearing different clothes and singing in a choir, that would have been the salvation for many, which was also accepted by society.

While most of the men Martel spoke to are very old, their world view remains: Homophobic on the outside, homophile on the inside. This led to a dangerous double standard, a culture of silence, which had very unhappily promoted the scandals around the Catholic Church.

Sternstunde Religion vom 29.3.2020


Deutsche Version hier.

«Die Mehrheit der Priester im Vatikan ist schwul» | Sternstunde Religion | SRF Kultur

Mar 31, 2020 • Mit seiner These, wonach die Mehrheit der Prälaten, Bischöfe und Kardinäle des Vatikans schwul seien, generierte der französische Soziologe und Journalist Frédéric Martel im Frühling 2019 viel Aufmerksamkeit, aber auch Unverständnis.

Sein Buch «Sodom» erschien zeitgleich in acht Sprachen und Martel wurde in unzählige Talkshows eingeladen, doch der Vatikan hüllte sich in Schweigen. Wer sich in den 30er-, 40er- und 50er-Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts als junger Mann irgendwie anders – eben homosexuell – fühlte, fand in der römisch-katholischen Kirche eine Oase, so Martel in seinem Buch «Sodom»: Männer, die unter Männern leben, andere Kleidung tragen und singen, das wäre für viele die Rettung gewesen, die zudem noch von der Gesellschaft akzeptiert war.

Gegen aussen seien diese in der Regel sehr alten Männer nun homophob, gegen innen aber homophil. Dies führe zu einer gefährlichen Doppelmoral, einer Kultur des Schweigens, die die Skandale rund um die katholische Kirche sehr unglücklich begünstigt hätten.


Frédéric Martel.

«Die Mehrheit der Priester im Vatikan ist schwul» | Sternstunde Religion | SRF Kultur

Mar 31, 2020 • Mit seiner These, wonach die Mehrheit der Prälaten, Bischöfe und Kardinäle des Vatikans schwul seien, generierte der französische Soziologe und Journalist Frédéric

WIKIPEDIA: Frédéric Martel

«Die Mehrheit der Priester im Vatikan ist schwul» | Sternstunde Religion | SRF Kultur

Mit seiner These, wonach die Mehrheit der Prälaten, Bischöfe und Kardinäle des Vatikans schwul seien, generierte der französische Soziologe und Journalist Frédéric Martel im Frühling 2019 viel Aufmerksamkeit, aber auch Unverständnis.

Sein Buch «Sodom» erschien zeitgleich in acht Sprachen und Martel wurde in unzählige Talkshows eingeladen, doch der Vatikan hüllte sich in Schweigen. Wer sich in den 30er-, 40er- und 50er-Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts als junger Mann irgendwie anders – eben homosexuell – fühlte, fand in der römisch-katholischen Kirche eine Oase, so Martel in seinem Buch «Sodom»: Männer, die unter Männern leben, andere Kleidung tragen und singen, das wäre für viele die Rettung gewesen, die zudem noch von der Gesellschaft akzeptiert war.

Gegen aussen seien diese in der Regel sehr alten Männer nun homophob, gegen innen aber homophil. Dies führe zu einer gefährlichen Doppelmoral, einer Kultur des Schweigens, die die Skandale rund um die katholische Kirche sehr unglücklich begünstigt hätten.


English version »