Sin against the Innocents: Sexual Abuse by Priests and the Role of the Catholic Church

by Thomas G. Plante Ph.D.

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275981754
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/30/2004
Series:	Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

THOMAS G. PLANTE is a Professor of Psychology at Santa Clara University, Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, as well as Consulting Associate Professor of Education, at Stanford University. He has authored, edited or co-edited six earlier books, including Bless Me Father for I Have Sinned: Perspectives on Sexual Abuse by Roman Catholic Priests (Praeger, 1999).

Table of Contents

Series Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Sin Against the Innocents by Thomas G. Plante
Scandal: The Boston Globe and Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church by Michael Rezendes
Clergy Sexual Abuse in the American Catholic Church: The View from the Vatican by John Allen Jr.
Canon Law and the Clergy Sex Abuse Crisis: The Failure from Above by Thomas P. Doyle
Pledges, Promises, and Actions: The Road to Resolution of the Crisis of Abuse of Children by Catholic Clergy by Kathleen McChesney
Clergy Sexual Misconduct Oversight Review Boards by Nanette de Fuentes
The Crisis of Sexual Abuse and the Celibate/Sexual Agenda of the Church by A. W. Richard Sipe
Clergy Sexual Abuse and Homosexuality by Gerald D. Coleman
What Have We Learned? Implications for Future Research and Formation by John Allen Loftus
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP): An Action Plan by David Clohessy and Michael Wegs
Perpetrators of Clergy Abuse of Minors: Insights from Attachment Theory by Donna J. Markham and Samuel F. Mikail
Collaboration between the Catholic Church, the Mental Health, and the Criminal Justice Systems Regarding Clergy Sex Offenders by Curtis C. Bryant
The Relationship between the Treatment Facilities and the Church Hierarchy: Forensic Issues and Future Considerations by L. M. Lothstein
Barriers to Responding to the Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis within the Roman Catholic Church by John C. Gonsiorek
Episcopal Responsibility for the Sexual Abuse Crisis by William C. Spohn
What the Bishops Failed to Learn from Corporate Ethics Disaster by Kirk Hanson
Conclusion: What Do We Know and Where Do We Need to Go? by Thomas G. Plante
List of Contributors
Appendix: Character for the Protection of Children and Young People, revised edition