Predatory priests, silenced victims
Subtitle: the sexual abuse crisis and the Catholic Church
By: edited by Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea, Virginia Goldner.
Contributors: Frawley-O'Dea, Mary Gail, 1950-; Goldner, Virginia.
Publisher: Analytic Press; Routledge
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Mahwah, N.J
Language: eng
Number of pages: 259
ISBN-13: 9780881634242
Subjects: Catholic Church -- Clergy -- Sexual behavior.; Child sexual abuse by clergy.
Description: The sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church captured headlines and mobilized public outrage in January 2002. But much of the commentary that immediately followed was reductionistic, focusing on single "causes" of clerical abuse such as mandatory celibacy, homosexuality, sexual repressiveness or sexual permissiveness, anti-Catholicism, and a decadent secular culture. "Predatory Priests, Silenced Victims: The Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Catholic Church", a collection of groundbreaking articles edited by Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea and Virginia Goldner, eschews such one-size-fits all theorizing. In its place, the abuse situation is explored in all its troubling complexity, as contributors take into account the experiences, respectively, of the victim/survivor, the abuser/perpetrator, and the bystander (whether family member, professional/clergy, or the community at large). Setting polemics to the side, "Predatory Priests, Silenced Victims" provides a sober and sobering analysis of the interlacing historical, doctrinal, and psychological issues that came together in the sexual abuse scandal. It is mandatory reading for all who seek thoughtful, informed commentary on a crisis long in the making and yet to be resolved.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and indexes.