Ascent into Hell by Andrew M. Greeley S/C

On the night  Hugh Donlon was born his father made a bargain with God: His son's service as a priest in exchange for his mother's life. He never regretted his decision, but his son was to suffer for it.

With all the passion and power that his readers have come to expect, Father Greeley paints a portrait of a priest at war with his own conscience. For Hugh Donlon is tempted by lust, plagued by the desire for power and revenge. He knows the extremes of unbridled indulgence and sore repentance. But out of his endless battle with the world, the flesh and the devil emerges a surprising and eloquent apologia for the healing powers of sexual love.