Segmented Secrecy as Catholic Ecclesial Practice: The Case of Gay Priests

While social scientists have long studied secrecy as a cultural practice, theologians have neglected it as an ecclesial practice. This article examines "segmented secrecy" as an ecclesial practice, that is, secrets kept or divulged in different social networks in a segmented manner. That s...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Hoover, Brett C. 1967- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: De Gruyter 2022
In: International journal of practical theology
Year: 2022, Volume: 26, Issue: 1, Pages: 111-129
Further subjects:B ecclesial practice
B Burdened virtue
B Ecclesiology
B homosexuality in the Catholic priesthood
B Secrecy
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:While social scientists have long studied secrecy as a cultural practice, theologians have neglected it as an ecclesial practice. This article examines "segmented secrecy" as an ecclesial practice, that is, secrets kept or divulged in different social networks in a segmented manner. That secrecy is examined in the lives of gay priests in Roman Catholic ecclesial settings in the United States. After a brief sociological analysis of secrecy, the theological analysis reckons first with the ethics of segmented secrecy, arguing for segmented secrecy as a "burdened" form of the virtue of honesty. Next it turns to segmented secrecy as an ecclesial practice, a provisional way of securing protection for marginal persons amidst the larger eschatological protect of the church in the world, despite some moral hazards involved.
Geheimhaltung ist eine kulturelle Praxis, wie die Soziologie seit langem weiß. Die Theologie hingegen hat es bislang versäumt, das Geheimhalten von Informationen auch als eine kirchliche Praxis zu betrachten. Der vorliegende Aufsatz untersucht die "segmentierte Geheimhaltung" als eine gebrochene Form von Aufrichtigkeit. Er tut dies am Beispiel homosexueller Prieser in der römisch-katholischen Kirche in den USA.
ISSN:1612-9768
Contains:Enthalten in: International journal of practical theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1515/ijpt-2021-0015