Boys of the Cloth: The Accidental Role of Church Reforms in Causing and Curbing Abuse by Priests
Boys of the Cloth is invaluable for many reasons. It provides the clearest, most concise and most accurate analysis and explanation of the relationship between seminary formation and priests who sexually abuse minors that I have seen. It also includes an outstandingly insightful critique of the most recent Church-sponsored investigation into the abuse crisis. Everyone who works with victims in any way should read this book.— Rev. Thomas Doyle, O.P., J.C.D, canon lawyer, advocate for victims of abuse by priests, and co-author ofSex, Priests, and Secret Codes: The Catholic Church's 2,000 Year Paper Trail of Sexual AbuseSexual abuse by priests continues to be a black mark on the Catholic church. Boys of the Cloth: The Accidental Role of Church Reforms in Causing and Curbing Abuse by Priests analyzes the politics and policies of the Catholic Church over hundreds of years and how it is strong[ly] impacting in both directions the corruption of the church. Vincent Miles focuses on the 1960s, but takes notes on the modern situation as well as history to present a vivid picture of scandal and why it is happening. Boys of the Cloth is a strong addition to social issues and religious studies collections, highly recommended.— The Midwest Book ReviewA provocative contribution to the discussion about sexual abuse of children by priests, which raises many important points.(David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes against Children Research Center, professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire, and author ofSourcebook on Child Sexual Abuse) Based on careful research, and on what he calls his ‘strange semi-monastic existence...as a teenage Catholic seminarian during the 1960s,’ Vincent J. Miles has penned a clear, well-written analysis of the sexual abuse epidemic within the Catholic priesthood. Miles deconstructs the simplistic view that explains away the epidemic as merely ‘a product of the Swinging Sixties,’ and looks at deeper causes within the culture of the seminaries themselves.Boys of the Clothis a valuable contribution to our understanding of the psychopathology of sexual abuse, written from an informed and humane perspective.(Ronald Pies, professor of psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, and author ofBecoming a Mensch: Timeless Talmudic Ethics for Everyone)