Sex, Priests, and Secret Codes: The Catholic Church's 2000-Year Paper Trail of Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by Catholic clergy burst onto the American scene in 1984. Revelations about such abuse since then have confirmed that this tragedy is not limited to the U.S. Catholic Church, nor is it a new phenomenon that grew out of so-called secularizing trends of the late twentieth century. The Doyle-Sipe-Wall report clearly demonstrates a deep-seated problem that spans the Church's history. This collection of documents from official and unofficial sources...
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Sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by Catholic clergy burst onto the American scene in 1984. Revelations about such abuse since then have confirmed that this tragedy is not limited to the U.S. Catholic Church, nor is it a new phenomenon that grew out of so-called secularizing trends of the late twentieth century. The Doyle-Sipe-Wall report clearly demonstrates a deep-seated problem that spans the Church's history. This collection of documents from official and unofficial sources begins its survey in 60 CE and concludes with the contemporary scandal. It reveals an institution that has tried to come to grips with this devastating internal problem from its earliest years. At times circumspect and at other times open and direct, Church leaders tried a variety of means to rein in the various violations of clerical celibacy. The sexual abuse crisis is not isolated from the questions of the celibate practice of all Catholic clergy and the moral questions that involve marriage and all human sexual behaviors. These are the main, yet unspoken, reasons why sexual abuse has been such an inflammatory and dangerous issue for the hierarchy. The Church abuse scandal of the contemporary era, rather than seen as a new challenge, is actually the catalyst for a complex process that is forcing the official Church to redefine its ideology of sexuality, its responsibility to its members and its role in society. The three distinguished authors have served as experts and consultants in over 1,000 cases of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy, and have collectively spent over 70 years of official service within the church.
Pt. 1Sexual abuse by priests : history speaks1Ch. 1Clerical sexual abuse : the paper trail3Ch. 2Sex, sin, and psychiatry67Pt. 2The church on notice85Ch. 3Canon law, civil law, and psychiatry speak out87Ch. 4The problem of sexual molestation by Roman Catholic clergy : meeting the problem in a comprehensive and responsible manner99Pt. 3The church in court175Ch. 5The perils of courtroom exposure177Ch. 6How the bishops knew and when they knew it203Ch. 7Files, secrecy, and confidentiality : the ongoing debate217Ch. 8Religious duress : the power of the priesthood229Ch. 9Who owns Catholic church property? : a primer251Ch. 10Ecclesiastical shell game257Epilogue : lost and found : speaking to history263Ch. 11Loss of faith : in the wake of betrayal265Ch. 12Healing steps : forgiving the hierarchy267Ch. 13Talking with the bishops : challenge for a new century283Chronology of the paper trail - 60 CE to 2004295
