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In the Closet of the Vatican Spiral-Bound | 2020-02-18

Frederic Martel Shaun Whiteside (Translated by)

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A startlingly revealing and detailed account of corruption and hypocrisy at the heart of the Vatican.

The New York Times Bestseller

"[An] earth-shaking exposé of clerical corruption." - National Catholic Reporter

In the Closet of the Vatican exposes the rot at the heart of the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church today. This brilliant piece of investigative writing is based on four years' authoritative research, including extensive interviews with those in power.

The celibacy of priests, the condemnation of the use of contraceptives, the cover up of countless cases of sexual abuse, the resignation of Benedict XVI, misogyny among the clergy, the dramatic fall in Europe of the number of vocations to the priesthood, the plotting against Pope Francis--all these issues are clouded in mystery and secrecy.

In the Closet of the Vatican is a book that reveals these secrets and penetrates this enigma. It derives from a system founded on a clerical culture of secrecy which starts in junior seminaries and continues right up to the Vatican itself. It is based on the double lives of priests and on extreme homophobia. The resulting schizophrenia in the Church is hard to fathom. But the more a prelate is homophobic, the more likely it is that he is himself gay.

"Behind rigidity there is always something hidden, in many cases a double life." These are the words of Pope Francis himself and with them the Pope has unlocked the Closet.

No one can claim to really understand the Catholic Church today until they have read this book. It reveals a truth that is extraordinary and disturbing.

Publisher: Macmillan
Original Binding: Trade Paperback
Pages: 592 pages
ISBN-10: 147296618X
Item Weight: 1.0 lbs
Dimensions: 5.1 x 1.4 x 10.4 inches
"[An] earth-shaking exposé of clerical corruption [...] What Martel does, quite masterfully, is to connect the dots that reveal an ecclesial system in profound decay [...] In the Closet of the Vatican examines in impressive detail the double lives led by many of the church's prelates [...] Without question, [the book] is a truly remarkable publishing event." - National Catholic Reporter [US]

"A truly shocking theory about the Vatican; the largest gay community in the world." - Il Giornale [Italy]

"I urge every Catholic to read it, however difficult that may be […] The book did not surprise me, as such, but it still stunned, shocked, and disgusted me. You simply cannot unread it, or banish what is quite obviously true from your mind […] This may seem like hyperbole, but in my view, the last drops of moral authority the Vatican might hope to have evaporate with this book." - Andrew Sullivan, New York Magazine

Frédéric Martel (PhD) is a French writer and researcher. He is also a journalist for French national radio and the author of ten books, which have been translated and published in more than 25 countries. He lives in Paris.
In the Closet of the Vatican is published simultaneously in eight languages.