Fr. Greeley's Condition Stabilized 2 Years After Fall

What Will Likely Be Priest, Author's Last Book Is Due Out

CHICAGO (CBS) - The best-selling author and newspaper columnist the Rev. Andrew Greeley is well enough after his 2008 accident that he can occasionally meet with friends, but he's lost some cognitive function.

His nephew, Sean Durkin, said Wednesday that Greeley's condition has stabilized and the 82-year-old priest stays at his Chicago home.

On Nov. 7, 2008, Greeley got his jacket stuck in a taxi door at the Rosemont Blue Line CTA station, after a lecture in Rosemont. As the cab began to pull away, he fell to the ground and hit his head, fracturing his skull.

The injury caused bleeding on the brain.

This month a nonfiction book billed as his last will hit the stands. It's called Chicago Catholics and the Struggles within Their Church. The book is based on more than 500 interviews.

The study on which the book is based found that dedication to the Church has not eroded, despite the priest sex abuse scandal, and the issue of abortion.

Greeley, a Chicago-born Roman Catholic priest, has also written more than 50 novels, including best sellers that offer tales of international intrigue. His Sun-Times columns tackle the issues of the day, including his unique take on religion and politics.

During his long career, Greeley lived to the fullest, rising every morning at 4 a.m. to write, usually working on three books at once, and always drawing on life in Chicago as a model.

He was hospitalized for about two months after the fall.

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