Roman Catholicism, Religion & Spirituality 

Washington D.C.'s Holy Trinity Church, one of the most prominent and popular churches in the nation, has long been known as a refuge for liberal Catholics, and a place where Post-Vatican II Catholicism is at its most vital. When a lone parishioner stands up through a Sunday Mass to protest the exclusion of women from the priesthood, he ignites a fire-storm of controversy that exposes deep rifts and threatens to tear the community apart. Using The Standing,' as it comes to be called, and the subsequent events at Holy Trinity, Jim Naughton examines the issues confronting American Catholics everywhere, men and women who want to practice their faith but cannot find a clear way to reconcile it with the teachings of the Church of Rome. In this engrossing chronicle, Naughton gets to the heart of much wider issues, and exposes the system of uniquely American social views that are at odds with much of Catholic doctrine. The emerging role of the laity in determining Church practices, the issues of abortion, homosexuality, divorce, and celibacy of the clergy, are all brought to bear in this revealing, trenchant look at the anger and dissent that threatens to separate many more American Catholics from their church. - from Amzon