Greeley, Andrew Moran, 1928–2013, American Roman Catholic priest, sociologist, and author, b. Oak Park, Ill.; studied St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein, Ill. (ordained 1954). He was (1954–64) an assistant pastor at a Chicago church while studying at the Univ. of Chicago (Ph.D., 1962). He was also (1961–68) program director of the National Opinion Research Center. Greeley is best-known for his more than 120 books. His novels—among them a mystery series and many that involve the Catholic church, have priests as main characters, and contain frankly sexual scenes—include The Cardinal Sins (1981), Lord of the Dance (1987), Irish Gold (1994), and The Priestly Sins (2004). Most of his other works dealt with Catholic theology and sociological issues. He also wrote for religious and popular magazines, had popular syndicated columns, and appeared on radio and television. Greeley took a generally liberal approach to politics and to his church, respecting the wisdom of its laity and supporting, for example, the ordination of women and a more relaxed attitude toward birth control, but taking a conservative view regarding the celibacy of priests. He taught at the Univ. of Chicago, the Univ. of Illinois, and the Univ. of Arizona.
See his memoirs, Confessions of a Parish Priest (1988) and Furthermore (1999); A. R. Becker, The Divine and Human Comedy of Andrew M. Greeley (2000).
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