A very informative book.

In my opinion this is a valuable book, especially for Catholics who are very perplexed as to how the sexual abuse scandal happened. Both the history and recent events in this area are covered and explained very well. However, the book comes across as one in which independent writings of the three authors were lumped together with very little coordination or joint editing. In particular, Chapter 4: " The Doyle-Mouton-Peterson Manual ..." should, in my opinion, have been an appendix, and is a distraction in the body of the book. Also, there is significant repetition in the first and latter sections.
Nevertheless, I think this is an important book which should be read by all American Catholics.


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Clerical Abuse

If this review seems harsh, it's because the lives of kids are at stake and the problem is NOT being addressed openly by the Catholic Church.

When I read a non-fiction book and come across a fact that startles me, I put a dot in the margin next to the sentence and, at the back of the book, list the page number. This helps me research and/or discuss matters of import while preserving their context.

Here are a few of the items I marked of Father Doyle's (et al) objective history of clerical celibacy and child abuse in the Catholic Church:

4- Solicitation in the confessional

21- Pope Leo IX decided to exclude "only those who had offended repeatedly and over a long period of time."

28 - Pope Benedict commanded that no two monks were to sleep in the same bed.

44 - Pope Benedict XIV condemned the practice of priests granting absolution to the very persons with whom they had engaged in solicitation.

60 - The John Jay College Survey review commissioned by the bishops found the 5,450 complaints of clerical sexual abuse included sixteen U.S. bishops.

To determine for yourself if this is a NEW problem, read pages 5,6,7,11,13,17,20,21,22,26,30,33,35,36,37,40,44,46,52,68,104,
170,211,214,215,223,225,226 and 235.

Oh, on page 258, we learn the Los Angeles dioceses uses the same PR firm earlier hired by Enron and Charles Keating.



Rating:


A must read

This book is a must read for all catholics. Thanks to Tom Doyle, Richard Sipe and Patrick Wall for having the courage "to do the right thing" and reveal what the catholic church wants to ignore and keep "secret" - power, control and abuse.

Anne, member
FOSIL

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