Now New York Times reporter Laurie Goodstein has a riveting piece about "a mother, a sick son and his father, the priest." Happily, Goodstein has the space to explain the five-year affair and, more important, the 22-year old financial struggle among Pat Bond, the Rev. Henry Willenborg and the Order of Friars Minor, the Franciscan community to which Willenborg belongs.

Read the piece for details, but the gist is that Bond, a single mother of three, and Willenborg, a priest who initially offered her marital counseling, conceived a child born in 1987. According to Goodstein's lede, Bond met Willenborg when he was the spiritual director for a women's retreat she attended. (Note to Franciscans: loving animals is one thing, placing a fox in the hen house is another.)

Soon after his son's birth, Willenborg pulled away. Bond turned to his order for financial support, provided only after she signed a confidentiality agreement (violated now because her circumstances are dire). Bond's predicament is not uncommon, but as Goodstein writes, "Ms. Bond's case offers a rare look at how the church goes to great lengths to silence these women, to avoid large settlements and to keep the priests in active ministry."

The Franciscans' meager and grudging support is stunning. Even when Willenborg's son is diagnosed with cancer and his medical bills mount, they give as little help as possible. Almost as shocking, though less surprising, is their treatment of Willenborg, who seems to receive barely a wrist slap. Most significant is that Bond's experience may be shared by thousands. Deep in the article (I wish it had been higher), Goodstein notes that as many as 20 percent of Catholic priests may be "involved in continuing sexual relationships with women," many of whom are silenced by confidentiality agreements.

What next? The country's Roman Catholic bishops are preparing a pastoral letter warning that "cohabitation, divorce, contraception and same sex unions are undermining the traditional meaning and purposes of marriage," according to the Religion News Service. Goodstein reports that during the relationship, Bond had an earlier pregnancy that ended in a miscarriage. But not before Willenborg informed his superiors and suggested Bond have an abortion.  

Gotcha, yes--more grist for rants against ecclesiastical hypocrisy and calls to rethink clergy celibacy. But Goodstein's article also shows that there's plenty of room for stories about sexual politics in organized religion: who wins, who loses and why it continues to fester. Also needed, as Goodstein ably demonstrates, is more investigative reporting. Enough with stories about religious holidays and "weird" practices (Hindus throw milk on statues! Sikhs wear scary daggers!). Many of us would prefer to follow the money and get the bad guys.

Diane Winston