Bob Drinan: The Controversial Life of the First Catholic Priest Elected to Congress

Bob Drinan: The Controversial Life of the First Catholic Priest Elected to Congress

by Raymond A. Schroth S.J.
Bob Drinan: The Controversial Life of the First Catholic Priest Elected to Congress

Bob Drinan: The Controversial Life of the First Catholic Priest Elected to Congress

by Raymond A. Schroth S.J.

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Overview

Raymond Schroth's Bob Drinan: The Controversial Life of the First Catholic Priest Elected to Congress shows that the contentious mixture of religion and politics in this country is nothing new. Four decades ago, Father Robert Drinan, the fiery Jesuit priest from Massachusetts, not only demonstrated against the Vietnam War, he ran for Congress as an antiwar candidate and won, going on to serve for 10 years. Schroth has delved through magazine and newspaper articles and various archives (including Drinan's congressional records at Boston College, where he taught and also served as dean of the law school) and has interviewed dozens of those who knew Drinan to bring us a life-sized portrait. The result is a humanistic profile of an intensely private man and a glimpse into the life of a priest-politician who saw advocacy of human rights as his call. Drinan defined himself as a moral architectand was quick to act on his convictions, whether from the bully pulpit of the halls of Congress or from his position in the Church as a priest; to him they were as intricately woven as the clerical garb he continued to wear unapologetically throughout his elected tenure. Drinan's opposition to the Vietnam War and its extension into Cambodia, his call for the impeachment of President Richard Nixon (he served on the House Judiciary Committee, which initiated the charges), his pro-choice stance on abortion (legally, not morally), his passion for civil rights, and his devotion to Jewish people and the well-being of Israel made him one of the most liberal members of Congress and a force to be reckoned with. But his loyalty to the Church was never in question, and when Pope John Paul II demanded that he step down from offi ce, he did so unquestioningly. Afterward, he continued to champion the ideals he thought would make the world a better place. He didn't think of it in terms of left and right; as moral architect, he saw it in terms of right and wrong.This important book doesn't resolve debate about issues of church and state, but it does help us understand how one side can inform the other, if we are listening. It has much to say that is worth hearing.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780823233052
Publisher: Fordham University Press
Publication date: 09/03/2012
Pages: 432
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Raymond A. Schroth, S.J., is editor of Conversations, the magazine for American Jesuit colleges and universities. His own path crossed with Drinan's at several junctures, making his an ideal voice for investigating both the circumstances that made Drinan an important figure in American politics and his role as Jesuit priest within the Catholic Church. Schroth, previously Professor of Humanities at St. Peter's College, has been affiliated with five Jesuit colleges and universities; is the author of eight other books, including Fordham: A History and Memoir, Revised Edition (Fordham); and has been an editor and columnist for America, Commonweal, and The National Catholic Reporter.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction 1

1 A New Beginning 8

2 Breaking out from a World Frozen in Time 37

3 Moving Up 63

4 "The World Turned Upside Down" 87

5 A "New Politics" Candidate 105

6 The "Miracle" Election 126

7 The Age of Less-Great Expectations 152

8 Close Calls 172

9 "My conscience tells me…" 195

10 The Moral Architect 213

11 Around the World 238

12 Latin America, Israel, and the Last Campaign 266

13 "Hurt, bitter, and confused" 295

Epilogue: Resurrection 316

Notes and Sources 349

Bibliography and Interviews 359

Index 367

Photographs follow page 000

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