Towards a Liberal Catholicism: Psychology and Four Women

Within the Christian tradition, there is inevitably a close connection between spiritulity and psychology, and the insights of psychology can be very important or the human dimension of the church, where what is elevated and holy often mingles with more earthly realities such as pride, aggression, envy, raw sexuality, fear and power. In the present-day church the voice of women needs to supplement that of psychology, particularly as for so long Christian thought and spirituality has been dominated by men. Here Peter Morea, a Roman Catholic psychologist, has chosen four different figures from very different times: Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, Therese of Lisieux and Simone Weil. Each has much to say of relevance to the mysteries of personality, human relationships, God and the church. Drawing on the thought of these four women and the resources of psychology, Peter Morea looks at issues such as the psychology of Catholics and their traditions, psychological growth, Catholic patriarchy, the institutional church, and existential selfs and their relation to one another and God. Out of his study comes a powerful plea for a more liberal Catholicism. Peter C. Morea was formerly a lecturer in psychology at Middlesex University.