Sexes' Battle of the Sins

Men Are More Lustful, Women More Given to Sinful Pride

Feb. 19, 2009 —

Add sin to the list of items men and women view differently. According to a new survey from the Vatican the sexes value sins differently.

While women are prouder, men are more lustful, according to the Catholic report, which was based on a study of confession carried out by 95-year-old Jesuit scholar Father Roberto Buso.

"When you look at vices from the point of view of the difficulties they create, you find that men experiment in a different way from women," Wojciech Giertych, theologian to the papal household, wrote in L'Osservatore Romano, according to the BBC.

Pride was the most common sin for women and for men, and food was surpassed only by the urge for sex.

In the Catholic religion, followers are expected to confess their sins to a priest at least once a year, and the priest then gives them absolution.

Traditionally, the seven deadly sins are considered to be pride, envy, gluttony, anger, lust, greed and sloth.

The Top Sins for Men

1. Lust

2. Gluttony

3. Sloth

4. Anger

5. Pride

The Top Sins for Women

1. Pride

2. Envy

3. Anger

4. Lust

5. Sloth

"In convents sisters often live enviously of little things, but they all go to the chapel to sing vespers," Giertych wrote, according to the Daily Mail. He said his own observations had confirmed the rankings. "Brothers, however, are not interested in one and other, they are not jealous but when the bell rings only a few participate in common prayer.

"From the point of view of social consequences or for complications in personal lives, sins against chastity are the most dangerous," Giertych said.

The revelation comes nearly a year after the Vatican's sin list got a little longer. No longer will avoiding the top seven get you a key to the Kingdom.

The world of sin was relatively simple for 1,500 years, until March 2008, when the church declared environmental irresponsibility a sin. In addition to pollution, the church said people also should beware of taking or selling mind-damaging drugs and genetic experiments. Financial greed, causing poverty and social injustice, rounded out the top modern-day sins.

The church also suggested the original deadly sins were largely individualistic, but in the modern era sins have a broader social impact.

The Vatican has been vocal about sin and Pope Benedict, who reportedly confesses his sins once a week, expressed his worry last year.

"We are losing the notion of sin," he said. "If people do not confess regularly, they risk slowing their spiritual rhythm."