Sin against the Innocents

Sexual Abuse by Priests and the Role of the Catholic Church

Thomas G. Plante Ph.D.

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2004
• Print ISBN:
  9780275981754
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780313057793
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: History & Theory in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Experts from a variety of fields join forces to show what fuels a most horrific violation of trust—sexual abuse by priests—and how the Church and church structure play a role in this abuse. This riveting work includes chapters by a former Director of the premiere U.S. facility treating clergy who are sexual offenders, by a Jesuit psychologist who authored the largest study of clergy sexual abusers ever completed, and from a Vatican Correspondent explaining the issues as seen by the Vatican. The text also includes an opening chapter by Michael Rezendes, a Boston Globe investigative reporter and member of the Spotlight Team that won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking the story of sexual abuse by clergy. A statement by the Executive Director of SNAP, the national support group for victims of clergy sexual abuse, is also included.

This is the first book that gathers experts from a variety of fields to offer thoughtful, objective perspectives regarding what we know about sexual abuse by clergy and what we can do to solve the problem. Attention is given not only to psychological aspects of both the perpetrators and victims, but also to canon law, clergy misconduct review boards, the sexual/celibate agenda of the Church, the challenges for treatment facilities, and barriers to resolution that exist within the Roman Catholic Church.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Series Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. Scandal: The Boston Globe and Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church
• 2. Clergy Sexual Abuse in the American Catholic Church: The View from the Vatican
• 3. Canon Law and the Clergy Sex Abuse Crisis: The Failure from Above
• 4. Pledges, Promises, and Actions: The Road to Resolution of the Crisis of Abuse of Children by Catholic Clergy
• 5. Clergy Sexual Misconduct Oversight Review Boards
• 6. The Crisis of Sexual Abuse and the Celibate/Sexual Agenda of the Church
• 7. Clergy Sexual Abuse and Homosexuality
• 8. What Have We Learned? Implications for Future Research and Formation
• 9. Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP): An Action Plan
• 10. Perpetrators of Clergy Abuse of Minors: Insights from Attachment Theory
• 11. Collaboration between the Catholic Church, the Mental Health, and the Criminal Justice Systems Regarding Clergy Sex Offenders
• 12. The Relationship between the Treatment Facilities and the Church Hierarchy: Forensic Issues and Future Considerations
• 13. Barriers to Responding to the Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis within the Roman Catholic Church
• 14. Episcopal Responsibility for the Sexual Abuse Crisis
• 15. What the Bishops Failed to Learn from Corporate Ethics Disasters
• 16. Conclusion: What Do We Know and Where Do We Need to Go?
• Appendix: Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Revised Edition
• Index
• About the Series Editor and Advisers
• About the Editor and Contributors