February 18, 2009

"Men and women sin in different ways," says the Pope's personal theologian.

Oh, you mean like the way we love too much?

Just kidding. Let's read the article:
"When you look at vices from the point of view of the difficulties they create you find that men experiment in a different way from women."
Experiment? Is that what we're doing when we go wrong, experimenting?
[Msgr Wojciech Giertych, theologian to the papal household, wrote in L'Osservatore Romano that] the most difficult sin for men to face was lust, followed by gluttony, sloth, anger, pride, envy and greed.

For women, the most dangerous sins were pride, envy, anger, lust, and sloth, he added.
So the men struggle with all 7 sins, but somehow the women are not susceptible to — what? — gluttony and greed? My reaction to that? Well, first... it's time for a midmorning snack. Or 2!

34 comments:

Fr. Denis Lemieux said...

Now, before anyone gets overly excited here, just a reminder that this kind of statement has no magisterial or doctrinal weight in Catholicism - it's basically an op-ed in the Vatican's newspaper. The guy's day job doesn't give his opinions any more authority than yours or mine.

TWM said...

Don't be playing the Pope, Professor, the Jesuits will not be pleased. And remember . . . no one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

That said, I don't know about gluttony, but I sure have met some greedy women.

traditionalguy said...

Everybody has their favorite sins,but the remedy remains the same. So is he just starting up a Catholic Blog? Those hard to handle "women" must irritate celibate Priests.

KCFleming said...

Sloths are disgusting animals.

Who would ever think of experimenting with one?
Eeeeww.

TWM said...

"Those hard to handle "women" must irritate celibate Priests."

Why just priests?

KCFleming said...

Women have handles?

Shit, no wonder I couldn't.......

traditionalguy said...

Hard to handle women are the most fun because men like a challenge, but the Catholic Priest has both hands tied behind his back, and must use the oldest but best weapon called GUILT.

Skyler said...

Another useless and purposeless statement coming out of the Holy See. They might as well list their favorite colors.

Curtiss said...

If I focused my lust on greedy women who like to eat too much, would that be a sin?

Laura(southernxyl) said...

"men experiment in a different way from women."

When I experiment, I try to change one variable at a time. How do men do it?

Or is this a euphemism - like, kids "experimenting" with drugs rather than "using" them?

KCFleming said...

Shit. My sins were totally out of order.

Now I suppose I have to start over.

Michael Haz said...

When I experiment, I try to change one variable at a time. How do men do it?

Same way, and the variable is usually called 'partner'.

Michael Haz said...

I was just checking The Pope's Facebook page to see if his personal theologian was listed as a friend. I didn't see his name or photo there.

There weren't any photos of cookouts or trips or volleyball games, either. And no photos of Christmas get-togethers, either. I thought there would be at least a few of those.

Wince said...

So the men struggle with all 7 sins, but somehow the women are not susceptible to — what? — gluttony and greed? My reaction to that? Well, first... it's time for a midmorning snack. Or 2!

True, but can you picture a woman with the "gluttony and greed" needed to deliver this line convincingly?

Anonymous said...

The pope needs to spend more time in American suburbs and small towns. Or in the city for that matter. Not two blocks ago, I saw a woman who was so disgustingly fat that I could not believe it. But that was inside the confines of a hospital. She was probably from the suburbs of some little town.

Big Mike said...

Of course men have a problem with lust. If there are any vertebrate species where the male isn't constantly ready to engage in copulation science doesn't know about it. Persumably the last such species went extinct eons ago.

traditionalguy said...

Seeing all the young can do with digital messages and Facebook and nude photo sharing, you have to wonder Why the Catholics can't set up an Internet Confession Blog, The names can be changed to protect the guilty, and absolution can be payed for on Paypal for the Papal. Of course,they would need to filter out the Althouse Commenters to prevent crashing their server. But these bugs can be worked out, unless astro-turfing by the pro-choice industry aborts the Church's newborn Blog.

blogantine said...

Nancy Pelosi meets with the Pope.
Pride, Envy, Anger are at the top of the sin list for women.

Coincidence? I think not.

Joe said...

Always amazing how theologians can just pull stuff out of their ass.

The guy's day job doesn't give his opinions any more authority than yours or mine.

The Pope's day job doesn't give his opinions any more authority than yours or mine. (He's just making shit up like his "personal theologian"--and how can someone who needs a personal theologian become Pope? [yeah, rhetorical question.])

William said...

I always aspired to some really cool vice like overweaning ambition. Being described as "mad, bad, and dangerous" or a rakish rogue would also have been nice.... There's a poem where the sinner throws himself before the Lord and proclaims himself a great sinner. The Lord looks down and says "Nonsense little man, you're nothing of the kind". I think my innate sloth precludes any real achievements in the field of evil...I go along with the Pope's theologian, but I think the order changes as you grow older. Old men are sometimes given an unjustified reputation for wisdom and tolerance when they simply lack the energy to chase women or make a fuss.

dbp said...

If just sloth was first on the list; then we would all be too lazy to bother "experimenting" with the other six.

Ken Pidcock said...

I think it's interesting to see where pride and envy - the emotions that more or less define the life of a social mammal - rank. Low for men, high for women.

Clearly this was a survey asking devout Catholics which sins most trouble them. The men wouldn't even recognize pride and envy, while the women are constantly admonished to guard against them.

Meanwhile, the personal theologian to the Pope reflects - humbly - on the lust of men.

jayne_cobb said...

Put me down for gluttony and sloth.

KCFleming said...

...and a side of chili cheese fries.

Tibore said...

Sorry for the digression but: Since when the (*bleep*) does the Pope need a personal theologian? Isn't that like Einstein having a manservant thinker?

lowercase said...

Bookkeeping. Accounting sleight of hand.

Women aren't as susceptible to the sin of gluttony?

Hahahahaha. Yeah, that's why women are 90 percent of the bulimics. Maybe he filed that under pride.

Unknown said...

Kynefski (2:05) makes a lot of sense. Especially if "experiment" is a bad translation and should be "experience."

rhhardin said...

Blessed are the bookkeepers.

blake said...

Sin number one
Was when you left me
Sin number two
You said goodbye
Sin number three
Was when you told me a little white lie

Sin number four
Was when you looked my way
Sin number five
Was when you smiled
Sin number six
Was when you let me stay
Sin number seven
Was when you touched me and drove me wild

Simon said...

Joe said (and tibore echoed)...
"how can someone who needs a personal theologian become Pope?"

Why does someone who became President of the United States need political advisers? Why is it that these highly learned federal judges need law clerks? Why do tax policy experts still use HR Block?

Simple answer to all these questions: in his infinite wisdom, the Almighty gives each of us, great and small, the same number of hours in the day, but varies the number and magnitude of the tasks we have to complete in each turn of the wheel.

The Dude said...

Dude needs to spend more time with chicks. Fat chicks, especially.

amba said...

My God. Look at Oprah. Women and food. Gluttony is number 1, I'd say. Sure is for me, now that lust is out.

amba said...

Lust with a thick dramatic pancake makeup of "LOVE," I should add.

DaveW said...

The Pope needs a personal Theologian for the same reason all of us (believers) need Priests. The Pope is said to go to reconciliation (used to be called confession) weekly.

Why would he do that? Because we are all sinners. Even the Pope. This is a fundamental theological belief of the Catholic Church.

As far as this guy's opinion about which sins are more dangerous or difficult sins for either gender, meh, I'd guess he knows a lot more about that than I do, being that he actually listens to confessions as part of his job. I would agree with him that Lust is very difficult for men.

Not sure why Gluttony wouldn't be on the list of difficulties for women. A clue might be in the fact that Gluttony is not just eating too much. Gluttony is the sin of taking more than you need of anything.

But the big kahuna for everyone, the source of original sin, is Pride. A serious examination of conscience on Pride can be very difficult.