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Votos de silencio / Vows of Silence: El Abuso De Poder Durante El Papado De Juan Pablo II / Abuse of Power During Papacy of John Paul II
Authors Jason Berry (Lead Us Not into Temptation) and Gerald Renner (retired reporter for the Hartford Courant) team up for this highly accusatory report on the sex abuse scandal within the Catholic Church. The "vows of silence" speak to the Church's self-protective secrecy that made it possible to ignore the rampant abuse, despite all the early accusations and red flags. To reveal the history and scope of this problem, Berry and Renner expertly researched the parallel lives of two key players. The first one is Thomas Doyle, portrayed as an American hero priest. Doyle first heard about priests sexually abusing children in the early 1980s. Doyle immediately started to confront his superiors and blow the whistle at every turn. As early as 1983 Doyle wrote that the Church's secrecy caused any and all wrongdoings to be "denied, covered up and rationalized with equal zeal." Years later he became an advocate for! victim restitution, testifying against the Church in numerous court cases. The second character is more like the antichrist: Father Marcial Maciel, who was the influential founder of the cult-like order of Legionaries of Christ and accused of being a particularly cruel and long-term sexual predator.
This parallel lives approach makes for compelling storytelling, but it also creates a disjointed approach with much skipping around in time. What sets this apart from yet-another-expose about the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal is the in-depth reporting on the militaristic Legionaries of Christ, an extremely powerful and conservative order of priests and laymen that are affiliated with a worldwide web of prep schools and universities. Berry and Renner offer a fascinating conspiracy theory about how this international legion managed to protect its abusers and contribute to the long-term secrecy and cover-up. The bold accusations eventually land in the lap of Pope John Paul II, who seemed more invested in protecting the legion and the vow of silence than addressing the abuse. --Gail Hudson
399 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 3, 2018
Good god.
However cynical I've been about the church's response to the systematic sexual abuse of children, it was vastly insufficient to encompass the sheer callous disregard of the hierarchy and the personal lack of accountability from Pope John Paul II. I especially didn't know that Maciel and his Legion had solid allegations of sexual and drug abuse dating back before JP2 was even the Pope, but that their performance of traditional hardliner Catholicism and flattering obedience to power-addicted hierarchs meant that people who could, should, and DID know better kept Maciel's machine of financial fraud and endless sexual abuse flourishing for decades. Vows of Silence paints a picture of a hierarchy dripping with disdain for the laity, eager to blame their own problems on external factors like the existence of homosexuality, modern culture, and most egregiously, from a high-ranking archbishop in charge of investigating the scandal, a conspiracy of Jews and Freemasons. They were offered a billion chances to take charge and act with leadership and accountability to reform themselves and hold the clergy under them to the most basic of moral standards, and time and time again they postponed until it hit them financially, at which point they rushed in to protect their earthly treasure and get their congregations to bail them out of messes that were entirely foreseen and avoidable.
I've been sad, I've been morally outraged, but now I'm just fucking angry. The Papacy of John Paul II is an altar built to the god of the powerful and unaccountable, preaching mercy to powerful male sexual predators (if there is a group of people who has received MORE unearned mercy than powerful male sexual predators in the last 2000 years I'll be shocked). The system is set up to release from all responsibility the perpetrators of horrific acts while holding their victims to levels of conduct that would make the most long-suffering saint cry to heaven for vengeance and justice.
The church wrapped itself in the worst excesses of the world while wasting no opportunity to tell the rest of the world it had found the only truth and that it was above exactly the kinds of things it perpetrated systematically. Don't come calling the world to repentance if you won't lift a finger to address the wooden beam of pride and hubris in your own eye.
However cynical I've been about the church's response to the systematic sexual abuse of children, it was vastly insufficient to encompass the sheer callous disregard of the hierarchy and the personal lack of accountability from Pope John Paul II. I especially didn't know that Maciel and his Legion had solid allegations of sexual and drug abuse dating back before JP2 was even the Pope, but that their performance of traditional hardliner Catholicism and flattering obedience to power-addicted hierarchs meant that people who could, should, and DID know better kept Maciel's machine of financial fraud and endless sexual abuse flourishing for decades. Vows of Silence paints a picture of a hierarchy dripping with disdain for the laity, eager to blame their own problems on external factors like the existence of homosexuality, modern culture, and most egregiously, from a high-ranking archbishop in charge of investigating the scandal, a conspiracy of Jews and Freemasons. They were offered a billion chances to take charge and act with leadership and accountability to reform themselves and hold the clergy under them to the most basic of moral standards, and time and time again they postponed until it hit them financially, at which point they rushed in to protect their earthly treasure and get their congregations to bail them out of messes that were entirely foreseen and avoidable.
I've been sad, I've been morally outraged, but now I'm just fucking angry. The Papacy of John Paul II is an altar built to the god of the powerful and unaccountable, preaching mercy to powerful male sexual predators (if there is a group of people who has received MORE unearned mercy than powerful male sexual predators in the last 2000 years I'll be shocked). The system is set up to release from all responsibility the perpetrators of horrific acts while holding their victims to levels of conduct that would make the most long-suffering saint cry to heaven for vengeance and justice.
The church wrapped itself in the worst excesses of the world while wasting no opportunity to tell the rest of the world it had found the only truth and that it was above exactly the kinds of things it perpetrated systematically. Don't come calling the world to repentance if you won't lift a finger to address the wooden beam of pride and hubris in your own eye.
December 15, 2009
If you are interested in the significant problems of credibility facing the hierarchy of Roman Catholicism in the 21st century, this book is a worthwhile read.
The authors (Roman Catholics themselves)analyze the sexual subculture of the priesthood in the context of canon law and theological constructs as a way of helping to explain (although not condone)the secrecy, cover up, and lack of accountability that went all the way to the papacy of John Paul II.
As the American laity (the Church) grow increasingly skeptical and disillusioned regarding the integrity of the hierarchy and its teachings, this book helps in the effort to fully understand what is going on.
The authors (Roman Catholics themselves)analyze the sexual subculture of the priesthood in the context of canon law and theological constructs as a way of helping to explain (although not condone)the secrecy, cover up, and lack of accountability that went all the way to the papacy of John Paul II.
As the American laity (the Church) grow increasingly skeptical and disillusioned regarding the integrity of the hierarchy and its teachings, this book helps in the effort to fully understand what is going on.
March 2, 2019
This was a really good time to read this book, as Pope Francis is talking about the sex abuse crisis that is consuming the church. The authors are Catholic and are sincere in wanting to see the church reform itself. They describe the problem of the crisis as a disconnect between the church hierarchy's love of secrecy and power and their lack of compassion for the sufferings of the laity. The book was written during the papacy of John Paul so Francis is, of course, not included although Ratzinger is discussed in great deal and it becomes very clear why the sex abuse crisis tanked his term.
The Church has so many problems it is hard to know where to begin. The book begins with Vatican II, a moment of modernization when the church could have changed everything and freed itself from Medieval strictures. Sadly, more reformation was discussed and rejected. Birth control continued to be explicitly forbidden. Women were banned from the priesthood. Celibacy continued to be the shining jewel of the church (sort of weird image). The authors make the point that the church believes that the Holy Spirit determines who enters the seminaries and joins the priesthood so if the priest errs, he has still been chosen by the Holy Spirit and should be given a chance to redeem himself. It is logic like that that keeps the blinders on.
The authors condemn the tendency of the church and conservatives to blame the sexual abuse crisis on homosexuality. First of all, there are a number of female victims. Secondly, there are a number of gay priests who are not predators. It is important to remember that. The authors propose as a solution what they call optional celibacy; they argue that allowing priests to marry will bring a fresh new perspective to the church as priests will be humanized and secrecy could be banished.
The history of sex abuse is sad and the coverups are so tawdry. There is a discussion of the various cults within the church -- Opus Dei, Regnum Christi, and the Legionaries. The Legionaries are given a great deal of attention because their founder was a notorious pederast.
Personally, I find it difficult to understand how anyone stays Catholic these days. So much has been revealed, there is so much justified anger and distress, so much betrayal. I was raised Catholic and my entire family, my mother, aunts and uncles, and all of their children, have left the church. It seems to me it takes a great suspension of disbelief to think that that behemoth will change for the better. But if you want a template for change, this book provides one.
The Church has so many problems it is hard to know where to begin. The book begins with Vatican II, a moment of modernization when the church could have changed everything and freed itself from Medieval strictures. Sadly, more reformation was discussed and rejected. Birth control continued to be explicitly forbidden. Women were banned from the priesthood. Celibacy continued to be the shining jewel of the church (sort of weird image). The authors make the point that the church believes that the Holy Spirit determines who enters the seminaries and joins the priesthood so if the priest errs, he has still been chosen by the Holy Spirit and should be given a chance to redeem himself. It is logic like that that keeps the blinders on.
The authors condemn the tendency of the church and conservatives to blame the sexual abuse crisis on homosexuality. First of all, there are a number of female victims. Secondly, there are a number of gay priests who are not predators. It is important to remember that. The authors propose as a solution what they call optional celibacy; they argue that allowing priests to marry will bring a fresh new perspective to the church as priests will be humanized and secrecy could be banished.
The history of sex abuse is sad and the coverups are so tawdry. There is a discussion of the various cults within the church -- Opus Dei, Regnum Christi, and the Legionaries. The Legionaries are given a great deal of attention because their founder was a notorious pederast.
Personally, I find it difficult to understand how anyone stays Catholic these days. So much has been revealed, there is so much justified anger and distress, so much betrayal. I was raised Catholic and my entire family, my mother, aunts and uncles, and all of their children, have left the church. It seems to me it takes a great suspension of disbelief to think that that behemoth will change for the better. But if you want a template for change, this book provides one.
September 26, 2012
Tough read for anyone, especially someone who was raised Catholic. On Amazon, many derailed this as anti-Catholic, but I think exposing corruption within the RCC is PRO catholic. Like Vatican II had been intended, the people of the church are as important as the hierarcy. They have been betrayed on many levels.
It is a detailed read, and sometimes I had to take notes to keep track of people. As much as it angered me, it also helped me put aside some bitterness I have..because it helped me to understand why Pope John Paul II would have had trouble understanding a democratic justice system , having grown up in communist Poland.
I also had some faith and hope restored by the likes of Father Thomas Doyle and the former Rev. Charles Curran for their moral courage in continuing to take on a centuries old hierarchy that does not appear to be able to introspect and identify when it is harming others.
The abuse of power, esp. when power is unquestioned, is not unique to the Catholic Church, and this book points out how easily it can happen. It also touches on beginning to understand the disease of pedophilia, and how the perpetrators (often victims themselves) confuse this abuse with some sort of "special love."
What also stood out in the book is that the cover ups not only failed the abuse children, but it failed the priests who abused. IF they confessed and were given absolution and given no earthly consequences than their superiors were failing to address calls for help.
Though I doubt I will ever return to Catholocism, I found some hope in knowing there are others out there like me who believe that a liberal theology is most in keeping with the message of Christ, and there is nothing to be gained in marginalized homosexuals to the shadows of our society.
I did read updates online since the book was written, and there is slow recognition of the crimes committed happening. The U.S. Justice System (and the justice systems of other countries) are catching up to this.
Holding a religious organization accountable is not anti-Catholic, it is in its best interest. That is what adults do.
It is a detailed read, and sometimes I had to take notes to keep track of people. As much as it angered me, it also helped me put aside some bitterness I have..because it helped me to understand why Pope John Paul II would have had trouble understanding a democratic justice system , having grown up in communist Poland.
I also had some faith and hope restored by the likes of Father Thomas Doyle and the former Rev. Charles Curran for their moral courage in continuing to take on a centuries old hierarchy that does not appear to be able to introspect and identify when it is harming others.
The abuse of power, esp. when power is unquestioned, is not unique to the Catholic Church, and this book points out how easily it can happen. It also touches on beginning to understand the disease of pedophilia, and how the perpetrators (often victims themselves) confuse this abuse with some sort of "special love."
What also stood out in the book is that the cover ups not only failed the abuse children, but it failed the priests who abused. IF they confessed and were given absolution and given no earthly consequences than their superiors were failing to address calls for help.
Though I doubt I will ever return to Catholocism, I found some hope in knowing there are others out there like me who believe that a liberal theology is most in keeping with the message of Christ, and there is nothing to be gained in marginalized homosexuals to the shadows of our society.
I did read updates online since the book was written, and there is slow recognition of the crimes committed happening. The U.S. Justice System (and the justice systems of other countries) are catching up to this.
Holding a religious organization accountable is not anti-Catholic, it is in its best interest. That is what adults do.
January 26, 2018
This was a really tough book for me. I honestly wanted to read it with an open mind and learn more about the issues with the church. Unfortunately, the writing in the book was so disjointed and confusing, I really struggled even understanding the most basic information. Maybe it's because I can't sit and read for long periods at this point in my life!!! Basically, I am going to have to find another source of info on this topic.
December 7, 2022
The best book I have read out of many books about the systemic abuse of children by pedophile priests. Drawn on in-depth interviews with Vatican insiders, it is a penetrating account that gives the answer as to why the atrocities occurred and continue to occur.
November 12, 2024
Why anyone would want to support the Catholic Church in ANYTHING after reading this is beyond me.
March 17, 2016
The book, Vows of Silence, is an account of the child abuse scandals during the years of papacy of John Paul II.
The first part of the book deals largely with diocesan instances of abuse and the very slow coming-to-terms with it that occurred in the American Church and in Rome. It does cover details about the shock and resistance both here and in Rome, during the reign of Pope John Paul II, that prevented resolute and rapid resolutions. The book is well-researched and footnoted and this is valuable information going forward.
The latter part is predominantly about the Legionaries of Christ and its affiliated groups, including Regnum Christi. The behavior of Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado, the notorious founder, is well-covered. I've read a lot about this topic over the last couple of years, but what Jason Berry has here is a very good summary. I've also had some exposure to Regnum Christi, so some of this information was new to me and some wasn't. I'd recommend these chapters on Regnum Christi to anyone coming into proximity with them in any way.
However, mixed in with all the really well-documented detail is a lot of intra-organizational polemics that the reader has to watch for. When reading this, it's wise to remember that abuse occurred across the interpretative spectrum within the Church.
There were abusers in "progressive" enclaves, abusers in "traditional" enclaves, abusers in idiosyncratic small groups, and abusers among individual members of clergy. The commonality among them all was the psychological morbidity seen in these men, rather than in their ecclesial or political views. Many of them were sociopaths, pure and simple. The group dynamics involving these men were usually also shocking and immoral.
Trying to build a workforce of priests without also drawing covert defectives, with tendencies towards setting up immoral or psychologically warped arrangements for themselves, is a problem for any large organization like a Church, particularly since until just recently people didn't expect to see this kind of deviancy in clergymen, and it routinely "flew under the radar," so to speak. This is the sad story of the Catholic Church's coming to terms with flowery assumptions and the deviancies and criminality that those assumptions can conceal.
The first part of the book deals largely with diocesan instances of abuse and the very slow coming-to-terms with it that occurred in the American Church and in Rome. It does cover details about the shock and resistance both here and in Rome, during the reign of Pope John Paul II, that prevented resolute and rapid resolutions. The book is well-researched and footnoted and this is valuable information going forward.
The latter part is predominantly about the Legionaries of Christ and its affiliated groups, including Regnum Christi. The behavior of Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado, the notorious founder, is well-covered. I've read a lot about this topic over the last couple of years, but what Jason Berry has here is a very good summary. I've also had some exposure to Regnum Christi, so some of this information was new to me and some wasn't. I'd recommend these chapters on Regnum Christi to anyone coming into proximity with them in any way.
However, mixed in with all the really well-documented detail is a lot of intra-organizational polemics that the reader has to watch for. When reading this, it's wise to remember that abuse occurred across the interpretative spectrum within the Church.
There were abusers in "progressive" enclaves, abusers in "traditional" enclaves, abusers in idiosyncratic small groups, and abusers among individual members of clergy. The commonality among them all was the psychological morbidity seen in these men, rather than in their ecclesial or political views. Many of them were sociopaths, pure and simple. The group dynamics involving these men were usually also shocking and immoral.
Trying to build a workforce of priests without also drawing covert defectives, with tendencies towards setting up immoral or psychologically warped arrangements for themselves, is a problem for any large organization like a Church, particularly since until just recently people didn't expect to see this kind of deviancy in clergymen, and it routinely "flew under the radar," so to speak. This is the sad story of the Catholic Church's coming to terms with flowery assumptions and the deviancies and criminality that those assumptions can conceal.
December 25, 2021
Canon law 1324 the perpetrator of a violation is not exempted from penalty but a penance may be substituted if the offence was committed by one who had only imperfect use of reason.
The good of the church was a stock phrase to keep people quiet.
San Diego has a history of being a clerical dumping ground. Bishop Maher was known for taking in the walking wounded from other dioceses.
Canon law: clerics were protected against any kind of harm inflicted by the laity.
Since 1950, 100,000 men worldwide had left the priesthood, more than the number who had entered.
Keep quiet, deny, apologize, if necessary and when in doubt attack the messenger.
Dirty laundry must be washed at home.
A power structure that is accountable only to itself will always end up by abusing the powerless.
Archbishop of New Orleans lost 2 million investing church funds.
Only answerable to Rome and to god as the separation of church and state.
Bishop of Phoenix paying street hustler for sex.
Milwaukee Archbishop payoff of $450,000 to quiet an man from his past.
Church settlements come from money that Catholics put in the Sunday basket.
You don't pay large sums with the law on your side unless you have something to hide.
William Bennett, author of a book of virtues, lost 8 million casino gambling.
Dallas jury awarded $18.6 million in punitive damages and $101 million in compensation. The diocese scrambled to transfer its assets as a way to reduce it's final liability. It ended with a $30 million settlement.
The US Conference of Catholic bishops hired a Madison Avenue public relations firm which specializes in corporate damage control.
The good of the church was a stock phrase to keep people quiet.
San Diego has a history of being a clerical dumping ground. Bishop Maher was known for taking in the walking wounded from other dioceses.
Canon law: clerics were protected against any kind of harm inflicted by the laity.
Since 1950, 100,000 men worldwide had left the priesthood, more than the number who had entered.
Keep quiet, deny, apologize, if necessary and when in doubt attack the messenger.
Dirty laundry must be washed at home.
A power structure that is accountable only to itself will always end up by abusing the powerless.
Archbishop of New Orleans lost 2 million investing church funds.
Only answerable to Rome and to god as the separation of church and state.
Bishop of Phoenix paying street hustler for sex.
Milwaukee Archbishop payoff of $450,000 to quiet an man from his past.
Church settlements come from money that Catholics put in the Sunday basket.
You don't pay large sums with the law on your side unless you have something to hide.
William Bennett, author of a book of virtues, lost 8 million casino gambling.
Dallas jury awarded $18.6 million in punitive damages and $101 million in compensation. The diocese scrambled to transfer its assets as a way to reduce it's final liability. It ended with a $30 million settlement.
The US Conference of Catholic bishops hired a Madison Avenue public relations firm which specializes in corporate damage control.
March 2, 2013
Published in 2004, the book demonstrates the present virtual impossibility for any survivor of clergy sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church to ever get real and true justice. The intransigence and willful, calculated dishonesty and cover-up by the majority of the hierarchy and clergy on the upper levels of both the Vatican and the dioceses throughout the world, if continued, will almost certainly bring the Church down. This book traces only what's happened during John Paul II's reign, and suggests that it's dependent on the next Pope to "clean house" in a radical way. By now we all know that the next Pope was one of John Paul's right-hand men, Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, and that not only was nothing done differently, but perhaps even a little worse. We also know, as of this week, that Ratzinger, Benedict XVI, hurriedly abdicated the papal throne: something which hasn't been done in over 600 years. If we take Vatican media protests for what they've really been in the past -- i.e., distractions from real serious problems -- we can assume that Benedict's leaving wasn't just because of his age or infirmity. Perhaps 10 years or so down the line we'll discover the real reason!
The Roman Catholic Church currently is a "house divided against itself", unfortunately by its own choosing. As Jesus assures us, such a house cannot stand!
The Roman Catholic Church currently is a "house divided against itself", unfortunately by its own choosing. As Jesus assures us, such a house cannot stand!
January 28, 2015
This book was disturbing and depressing but extremely enlightening on the sexual abuse scandal that plagues the Catholic Church. Berry and Renner’s incredibly researched book goes beyond identifying the “what” of the story and centers squarely in the “why” and “how” of it. Their detailed account of Rev. Thomas Doyle’s first encounter with a cover-up of Catholic priests’ sexual crimes, as far back as the early 70s, gives the reader an inside look into how these charges were perceived by the hierarchy and how their response to them was a direct result of the culture of secrecy and elitism that permeated the leadership echelons of the church. Similarly, the case study of the abuses perpetrated by the founder of the Legion of Christ, Father Maciel, not only shows the danger of such secret-obsessed tendencies but also shows how the method that the Vatican kept defending for dealing with these cases fails miserably. Berry and Renner go deep into the antiquated process required by canon law to laicize (“defrock”) a priest and show how a perfectly valid case can be shut down simply because it is inconvenient. I would strongly recommend this to anyone who cares to understand the failure of the Catholic Church in dealing with the abuse of those most innocent among us.
April 10, 2014
This is a disturbing book, which I was prompted to read after watching PBS' Frontline program (really expose), about The Vatican. As a life long Roman Catholic, the sexual abuse scandal has shaken me to the core. Some of my friends and family were abused, but kept quiet about it. It is not a new problem, but obviously one that the politicians (I won't refer to them as 'priests' or even 'clerics') at the Vatican ignored. The "old boys" club was and is alive and well and living at the Vatican. One of my favorite quotes from the book was "A power structure that is accountable only to itself will always end up by abusing the powerless." - James Carroll from his book, 'Constantine's Sword.'
I read it in small doses, because it was very upsetting, but it is an important book, which I encourage my Catholic family members and friends to read.
I read it in small doses, because it was very upsetting, but it is an important book, which I encourage my Catholic family members and friends to read.
April 18, 2012
This book was published in 2004 and I think I've picked up most of this information from either reviews when it was published or in periodicals dealing with the priest sex scandal. I learned nothing new, but I was reminded of Ratzinger's complicity and John Paul II's co-equal guilt. I don't want to write anymore about this. Another to-be-read book that wasn't worth the wait. All it did was remind me how truly sad and pathological the Catholic hierarchy is. Never gladder to be an Episcopalian.
March 14, 2014
Very informative concerning the crisis in the Church. I also saw a documentary by Jason Berry with the same title. Both are good for people to understand the depths of the crisis and the cover-up. It will bee impossible for those interested in working toward perfecting the Church if they avert their eyes from these truths.
April 27, 2013
A disturbing yet voluminous rendering of the bizarre priorities of the modern Roman Catholic Church, which under John Paul and Benedict preferred to focus on suppressing liberal theologians while ignoring the systemic sickness of the priestly pedophile scandals. This is history with detail. Refuting this is denial writ large.
September 16, 2014
Having read a more current book on the subject did not really learn anything new. Really admire Father Doyle but he was fighting against the wind. The Vatican is obviously as political an organization as any other administration. Sad. You would think with the numbers of priests and nuns leaving and no new ones being added the church would rethink their policies on celibacy.
July 22, 2010
Excellent!
February 12, 2013
I sadly recommend this book. Very well written, researched and presented.
July 21, 2013
Key book about sexual abuse in the Catholic Churt, with particular detail about Father Marcial Maciel Degollado and the Legionaries of Christ. Very good investigative work.
July 1, 2013
Eye opening to the inner works of the Vatican Political Machine
April 1, 2017
Captivating for its extensive reporting and well written, this book in 2017 sounds like yesterday's news. That's a pity because as I said it is so wide ranging and so damning but unfortunately or perhaps fortunately so much has happened in the 13 years since this title must've caused a sensation when it came out in 2004. We're very used now to scandals, pedophile Catholic clergy, cover-ups reaching all the way to the Vatican that there's nothing new here. But if one wants an in-depth, no holds barred exposee of the Church in the late 20th and early 21st century, look no further.
(I did skim it).
(I did skim it).
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