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Uncovering the Catholic Church's Betrayal of American Nuns
Doubleday
June 2006
272 pages ISBN: 0385516363 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
This groundbreaking expos� of the mistreatment of nuns by
the Catholic Church reveals a history of unfulfilled
promises, misuse of clerical power, and a devastating
failure to recognize the singular contributions of these
religious women. The Roman Catholic Church in America has lost nearly 100,000
religious sisters in the last forty years, a much greater
loss than the priesthood. While the explanation is partly
cultural�contemporary women have more choices in work and
life�Kenneth Briggs contends that the rapid disappearance of
convents can be traced directly to the Church�s betrayal of
the promises of reform made by the Second Vatican Council. In Double Crossed, Briggs documents the pattern of
marginalization and exploitation that has reduced nuns to
second-, even third-class citizens within the Catholic
Church. America�s religious sisters were remarkable,
adventurous women. They educated children, managed health
care of the sick, and reached out to the poor and homeless.
They went to universities and into executive chairs. Their
efforts and successes, however, brought little appreciation
from the Church, which demeaned their roles, deprived them
of power, and placed them under the absolute authority of
the all-male clergy. Replete with quotations from nuns and former nuns, Double
Crossed uncovers a dark secret at the heart of the Catholic
Church. Their voices and Briggs�s research provide
compelling insights into why the number of religious sisters
has declined so precipitously in recent decades�and why,
unless reforms are introduced, nuns may vanish forever in
America.
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