It’s Father Paul F. Morrissey’s duty as an
Augustinian priest to help relieve the pain and suffering of others. But
what if the pain and suffering is within the Catholic Church itself?
That is the central issue Morrissey addresses in his provocative novel,
“The Black Wall of Silence,” which he will discuss at a book signing
hosted by Chestnut Hill College on Tuesday, May 12, 7-9 p.m., at Sugar
Loaf Chateau. (The public is invited.)
The cover shows a priest muffled by his own collar.
“We are all muffled in some way, torn between loyalty and honesty,” says
Morrissey, 75, who, like the central character of his novel, serves as a
prison chaplain and spiritual director. In his novel, a gay priest
discovers that the Church’s cover-up of sexual abuse may result in the
incarceration of an abuse victim. (Morrissey grew up in Upper Darby, the
second oldest of 14 children in his family.)