Andrew M. Greeley describes himself, first and foremost, as a Roman Catholic priest. He is also, however, a sociologist, an author of more than 100 non-fiction works of theology, sociology, prayer, and poetry, a professor of sociology, a newspaper columnist, and a successful novelist, writing in several genres, including mystery and science fiction. His fiction, which often tells stories of crime and scandal in the Roman Catholic church, can be violent and lurid and is considered controversial by many Church leaders. Greeley has written on such issues as homosexuality in the clergy, pedophilia, and papal politics, and has penned a series of mystery novels starring Father Blackie Ryan.… Greeley was born in 1928 and is a native of Chicago, where he is a research associate at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. He has made a great contribution to the Chicago area by establishing a $1 million Catholic Inner-City School Fund to provide scholarships and funding to parochial schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago that have a high minority enrollment.