Forbidden Fruit The True Story of My Secret Love Affair with Ireland's Most Powerful Bishop by Murphy, Annie; Rosa, Peter De - 1993

Boston U. S. A.: Little, Brown & Company. As New in Very Good dust jacket 1993. Bookclub Edition. Marfree, acidfree 1/4 cloth bound w/ shiny gilt titles on spine, 8 pp of glossy photos, has a few nicks, edgewear & 1/4 inch closed tear; no names, not marked-in, underscored, clearance or discard. Mails from NYC usually within 12 hours. ; 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches; 358 pages; "Painfully Honest & Heartfelt Book, Aug 14, 2003 \nBy Pastor Roger (Chicago, USA) - \nI read this book during the 1990's while I was still a practicing Roman Catholic. At that time, I was having trouble with many of the church's teachings and practices. This book confirmed some of what I already knew and also opened my eyes to some bigger issues, too. This was an excellent book, but more than in just 1 way. \nFirst, it's a wonderful autobiography. Annie Murphy bears her ver soul and lays her heart on the line for all to see. Some autobiographies do that, others don't. I must applaud Annie for being as brutally honest as she was about everything-the love affair w/Bishop Casey, the chold out of wedlock, the bishop's lengthy silence about the whole ordeal, and of the bishop's refusal to see his son. \n\nThis book also exposes the whole double life issue. Many priests around the world have struggled with lust. Any Catholic that knows or has investigated the church's history will tell you that. Due to the behind closed door struggles with lust, many priests live and lead a double life. What they do privately and publicly are often vastly different. This book would lend a lot of support to the argument of why priests should be able to get married. The Catholic Church in Ireland still have trouble acknowledging this story. When asked, the Catholic clergy in Ireland will tell you what they know of it. But they rarely ever talk about it voluntarily without being asked. It's a blackmark on their record to which I'm not sure they've ever recovered from. \n\nIn addition, this book is also good at examining the faults of the Catholic Church in general. Even though she was born and raised Catholic in the U. S. , Annie also brings up many of the Catholic Church's problems. For example, why does the Catholic Church have certain teachings and doctrines but many Catholics live and believe something to the contrary and still remain Catholic? She cites many examples of this issue. I will say this for Annie. She didn't just disagree with the church and stay like so many others have and still do. She did actually leave rather than stay and complain. \n\nIf anyone out there is thinking about joining the Catholic Church, I'd suggest reading this book. It will open your eyes, set you straight, and reveal many things you probably weren't aware of. \n\nOne final note-Bishop Casey is no longer the bishop of Ireland. While he did admit publicly that he did have a child out of wedlock, he has never seen his son Peter that he fathered with Annie. My prayer is that Peter will forgive his father, Eammon Casey, if he hasn't already. In addition, my prayer is that Annie Murphy and Eammon Casey will also find a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, if they haven't done so already. He is there for any and all who earnestly seek him and will forgive them, no matter who they are and what they've done. .