Author(s): ANDERSON, MS JANE

Mind, Body & Spirit

Souled Out is a dangerous little book - at least for those involved in this saga. In the Catholic Church to speak up invites condemnation from its leadership. We know about its major abuses - clergy sexual abuse, the unjust treatment of women and the demonising of homosexuals - but we don't know much about the petty abuses that commonly happen in its parishes. Souled Out is a story about what occurred in a country parish, and how those who recognised injustice protested power and then found themselves banished to the Church's borderlands. But this story is much more as well; it foregrounds a whole range of issues that plague faith communities in Australia and worldwide - problems that the Church's leadership refuse to or are unable to resolve. Be ready to be fascinated - and alarmed. Petty power is insidious and can have shattering consequences for those who contemporise their religion and take it seriously.