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Absolution
Radko Slopovich. A Roman Catholic Priest, Radko leads a life of duplicity; though promised to celibacy, Radko meets and falls in love with Ursula, with whom he unexpectedly has twins. Unable to choose between his call to the priesthood and the woman he loves, Radko marries Ursula and moves to a large Midwestern diocese where he is afforded just enough anonymity to maintain his family life and remain a priest. For several years, Radko carries on with both his priestly life and family life. But when he learns he is about to be named bishop of a rural diocese, Radko s conflicting passions are ignited. Will he choose to further his career in the Church, or remain loyal to his wife and young children? Can he have both? But Radko will soon learn that there is more to his new role in the Church than initially meets the eye. He has been picked to be part of a plot orchestrated by a close friend and a highly placed Vatican official. And while this plot has the power to change the face of the Church forever, it also has the power to destroy Radko and all he holds dear. As the gripping narrative unfolds, Radko must seek meaning in the midst of chaos and grapple with the consequences of the choices he has made and those choices that have been made for him.
415 pages, Perfect Paperback
First published October 10, 2007
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 28, 2020
A Different Story
As a former priest who struggled with celibacy, the priestly ministery and human love, this fiction is closer to fact. No doubt it comes from years of listening with understanding to the crimes and misdemeanors of the catholic clergy. Besides the pleasure of reading a gripping tale that gathers momentum and comes to a crashing crescendo, I see two other benefits: it can decrease some of the fear priests feel about leaving, while demonstrating the maturity of our Catholic faithful and how much they need and appreciate the honesty of their pastors. Enjoy!
As a former priest who struggled with celibacy, the priestly ministery and human love, this fiction is closer to fact. No doubt it comes from years of listening with understanding to the crimes and misdemeanors of the catholic clergy. Besides the pleasure of reading a gripping tale that gathers momentum and comes to a crashing crescendo, I see two other benefits: it can decrease some of the fear priests feel about leaving, while demonstrating the maturity of our Catholic faithful and how much they need and appreciate the honesty of their pastors. Enjoy!
October 6, 2008
ABSOLUTION was written by a neighbor of mine and lent to me by another neighbor. That's why I read it, a gesture of neighborly loyalty rather than eager interest.
The story is rather far-fetched: a Roman Catholic priest falls in love, marries the woman, lives a double life for six years, and is made a bishop as, unknown to him, part of a high-level plot to change the Church's mandate on clerical celibacy. As a Catholic I know - or rather, I think I know! - how currently unlikely such a scenario is.
The events of the story are a bit simplistic, and the conclusion even more so. I forgive him all that because Midden developed his plot and his characters with grace and a sense of reality. A novel is after all an opportunity to suspend disbelief and jump into the writer's world.
Also, Midden doesn't have any bad guys; everybody has at least one saving virtue or motive. And that, I judge, is the factual part of the book.
The story is rather far-fetched: a Roman Catholic priest falls in love, marries the woman, lives a double life for six years, and is made a bishop as, unknown to him, part of a high-level plot to change the Church's mandate on clerical celibacy. As a Catholic I know - or rather, I think I know! - how currently unlikely such a scenario is.
The events of the story are a bit simplistic, and the conclusion even more so. I forgive him all that because Midden developed his plot and his characters with grace and a sense of reality. A novel is after all an opportunity to suspend disbelief and jump into the writer's world.
Also, Midden doesn't have any bad guys; everybody has at least one saving virtue or motive. And that, I judge, is the factual part of the book.
April 10, 2016
Great book
Midden took all her learned over the years of counseling priests in crisis and used it to produce a good piece of fiction
Midden took all her learned over the years of counseling priests in crisis and used it to produce a good piece of fiction
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews