How many catholics devoutly confessing their sins would be happy to think that the priest is actually taking a sin survey? <\/p>\n

I am struck by the image (mainly based on old Hollywood films) of a remorse-filled catholic sobbing out guilty secrets while the chap behind the filigree screen (look, I already credited Hollywood) slyly ticks boxes on a survey sheet.<\/p>\n

That’s the inescapable conclusion from this piece on the BBC website<\/a> which claims that men and women sin differently.<\/p>\n

The report was based on a study of confessions carried out by Fr Roberto Busa, a 95-year-old Jesuit scholar. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is not even a pseudo-scientific survey (but, hey, Theos produce those all the time and they get called a “think-tank” so why can’t a priest get in on the act?) <\/p>\n

Here’s the male\/female top seven in the Deadly Sins league table.<\/p>\n

Men: 1. Lust 2. Gluttony 3. Sloth 4. Anger 5. Pride 6. Envy 7. Greed<\/p>\n

Women: 1. Pride 2. Envy 3. Anger 4. Lust 5. Gluttony 6. Avarice 7. Sloth (from the BBC)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Is “greed” the same as “avarice”? Because otherwise men and women seem to be picking their chosen misdemeanors from different sin books, not just sinning in a different order. In fact, don’t loads of these sins mean the same thing? I guess a priestly training allows you to distinguish between “envy”, “gluttony”, “greed” and “avarice” but I am a bit confused how you can tell the difference.<\/p>\n

I love the sound of Sloth. Other sins may sound like more fun, admittedly, but no others are called after a tree-dwelling edentate mammal.<\/p>\n

Anyway, that list comes from less sin-filled times. There are now new official modern sins:<\/p>\n

The revised list included seven modern sins it said were becoming prevalent during an era of “unstoppable globalisation”.
\nThese included: genetic modification, experiments on the person, environmental pollution, taking or selling illegal drugs, social injustice, causing poverty and financial greed. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(It was something of a relief to see “genetic modification” there, because I was beginning to suspect that I might have blithely committed all 14, whether deliberately or otherwise.)<\/p>\n

I can’t see the new sins getting their own Magnum ice-cream Special Editions, though.<\/p>\n

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