What do you think?
Rate this book
The Truth about Clergy Sexual Abuse: Clarifying the Facts and the Causes
This work unpacks the history and root causes of the clergy sex abuse scandals in the United States. Building on decades of data and research, author Bill Donohue, who holds a doctorate in sociology, tells the story from a fresh angle and calls us to rethink our assumptions about the Church''s handling of these horrific abuses.
The Truth about Clergy Sexual Abuse challenges many myths about the scandals, demonstrating that the abuse of minors is a problem that haunts virtually every institution—religious and secular—where adults interact with young people. The work also provides compelling evidence of the great progress that the Church has made in preventing abuse, contrary to public perceptions. Indeed, the media, Hollywood, and activist lawyers have poisoned the public mind with tales of old cases, giving the impression that nothing has changed.
Donohue investigates at length the central role that homosexuality played in the scandal. While homosexuality does not cause sexual abuse, the prevalence of emotional and sexual immaturity among homosexual clergy explains why they committed most of the molestation. Indeed, all of the educational institutions of the Catholic Church, including the seminaries, have been affected by the sexual revolution that began in the 1960s, and this book explores the pernicious effects of dissent from Catholic sexual morality.
The Truth about Clergy Sexual Abuse challenges many myths about the scandals, demonstrating that the abuse of minors is a problem that haunts virtually every institution—religious and secular—where adults interact with young people. The work also provides compelling evidence of the great progress that the Church has made in preventing abuse, contrary to public perceptions. Indeed, the media, Hollywood, and activist lawyers have poisoned the public mind with tales of old cases, giving the impression that nothing has changed.
Donohue investigates at length the central role that homosexuality played in the scandal. While homosexuality does not cause sexual abuse, the prevalence of emotional and sexual immaturity among homosexual clergy explains why they committed most of the molestation. Indeed, all of the educational institutions of the Catholic Church, including the seminaries, have been affected by the sexual revolution that began in the 1960s, and this book explores the pernicious effects of dissent from Catholic sexual morality.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 5, 2021
8 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 19, 2024
A SOLID DEFENSE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE FACE OF SCANDALS
Author Bill Donohue wrote in the Preface of this 2021 book, “Over the past half century, the Catholic Church has experienced two scandals: the clergy sexual abuse crisis, which was caused by priests and bishops, and the exploitation of it, which was caused by strident critics of the Catholic Church and those profiting from legal cases. Both have resulted in great damage to the Church. The clergy sexual abuse scandal, Scandal I, has to do with the internal affairs of the Catholic Church and the environment that facilitated it. It took place mostly between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s, though … the scandal’s being made public [didn’t occur] until the beginning of this century. The two parties to the scandal---the molesting priests and their enabling bishops---have done an enormous disservice to those of us who love the Church and to the Church’s public image. The damage done to victims is immeasurable…
“There is another scandal, Scandal II, that … is the creation of many parties… [who] are bent on promoting the false notion that no institution has a worse record of sexual abuse than the Catholic Church… they are playing the public by holding the Church to one standard and almost every other institution to another. And let’s be honest, there is a lot of money to be made by doing so.” (Pg. 7)
In the first chapter, he argues that “Catholics don’t own this problem… the Catholic Church has no monopoly on sexual abuse.” (Pg. 12-13) “It would take a big book to detail all the secular institutions and professions that have been plagued with sexual misconduct… The media, in general, do not have a sterling record in dealing with sexual misconduct… The Boston Globe had a similar case… While the Globe cut slack for itself, it was a relentless critic of the Catholic Church’s handling of sexual abuse… Finally, there is no end to the politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, who have been involved in sexual misconduct or have had serious accusations made against them... The media occasionally do a story on sexual abuse in non-Catholic organizations… [But] Their favorite target by far is the Catholic Church.” (Pg. 17, 25-26, 31-32)
He summarizes, “It cannot be said too strongly that … there would have been no Scandal II without Scandal I: molesting priests and their enabling bishops…. Many of the bishops lacked fortitude… They should have had the courage to do what was right, not what was expedient… The Catholic Church, however, is a force for great good, which is why those bent on damaging it---from the inside and the outside---need to be held accountable too.” (Pg. 36)
He notes, “Everyone agrees that NO PRIEST should ever be involved in sexually abusing a minor. But it must also be stressed that the evidence shows that almost all priests have never been accused of abusing a young person… a very small percentage of accused priests are responsible for a substantial percentage of the allegations… Another great lie about the Catholic Church is that the sexual abuse scandal continues unabated. This is utter nonsense… the average number of allegations made against current clergy members in any given year has dropped precipitously…” (Pg. 48-49)
He states, “for this loose association of victims’ advocates… accused priests do not deserve to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, as are others suspected of a crime, if the accuser seems to be telling the truth… what would happen to our system of justice if …people were punished on the basis of accusations only.” (Pg. 74)
He recounts, “No one has understood why the clergy sexual abuse scandal took place better then Pope… Benedict XVI. His lengthy 2019 essay … was illuminating and courageous… He started by placing the scandal in a social context… it is impossible to understand why the scandal took place without referencing the effects of the sexual revolution, which hit the dominant culture and the Catholic Church like a hurricane. It is not a coincidence that sexual abuse flourished inside the Church when celebrations of sexual libertinism flourished outside the Church… dissent in the Church peaked at the same time the scandal unfolded… When pornographic films were shown to seminarians, and a gay subculture was not simply tolerated but encouraged, Benedict notes, it is hardly surprising that sexual misconduct grew by leaps and bounds.” (Pg. 84-85) Later, he adds, “Pope Benedict XVI does not get the credit for the actions he took. Quite frankly, no pope in the modern era worked to punish predator priests more than Benedict.” (Pg. 124)
Donohue recalls, “When the clergy sexual abuse scandal was at its worst---from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s---belief in rehabilitation was the zeitgeist in social science and therapeutic circles. There was no one, no matter how incorrigible, who was incapable of being reformed… A bishop wouldn’t be a bishop if he did not believe that everyone including offending priests, is capable of redemption. Many sincerely believed that it would be un-Christian not to help their troubled priests recover.” (Pg. 100)
He observes, “No one argues that because most of the abusers are gay, therefore all gay priests are abusers. That’s a red herring. The real issue is why most of the abusers have been gay. As I have said for many years, most gay priests are not abusers, but most of the abusers have been gay. That is undeniable.” (Pg. 128) Later, he adds, “What about those priests who were given residential treatment following the allegation of sexually abusing a minor? Did they change their behavior? No. The majority continued to be sexually active. It seems nothing was going to stop them. Had they been bounced from the priesthood, they would no doubt have continued their ways, but as least they would no longer have caused harm as ministers of Christ and his Church.” (Pg. 161)
He argues, “Regarding homosexuals, their higher rates of sexual abuse is not caused by their sexual orientation. However, their sexual orientation is related to their immature status, and that explains their greater likelihood to abuse minors… In other words, their immaturity is a function of their sexual orientation… and immaturity is linked to the molestation of minors.” (Pg. 166) Later, he adds, “If there is one factor other than immaturity that is common among abusers, it is narcissism… and when the two are combined in the same person, they create a potent force for doing harm to others.” (Pg. 173)
He summarizes, “The clergy sexual abuse scandal happened because of predatory homosexual priest and their enabling bishops. But they did not live in a social vacuum. The sexual revolution that occurred in Western societies blew through the Church with a fury. Instead of challenging it, too many in the Church succumbed to it… That many of these activists, celebrities, and intellectuals continue to hammer the Church while defending the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents makes them worse than hypocrites: they are facilitators of evil.” (Pg. 201)
He recounts, “the Vatican announced in January 2009 that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was conducting a doctrinal assessment of the [Leadership Conference of Women Religious]… The Vatican decision to assess doctrinal problems among women religious in the United States was not made impulsively. Quite frankly, dissent has been a central feature of many orders of nuns since the 1960s. Their role in undermining the Church’s teachings on sexuality, and in creating the kind of milieu that was a breeding ground for troubled priests is incontestable.” (Pg. 224) Later, he adds, “Dissident nuns have contributed to the clergy sexual abuse scandal by espousing a heterodox message on matters of sexuality, which has played right into the hands of sick priests. The nuns’ complaints about the ‘oppressive patriarchy’ give credence to those abusers who claim that the Church authorities and Catholic morality have caused their sexual problems.” (Pg. 227)
He concludes, “Thanks to the Dallas reforms, and an awakening of concern for the victims of sexual abuse throughout society, Scandal I is largely behind us… but a combination of media bias, rapacious lawyers, politically driven victims’ advocates, dissident Catholics, and outside activists … don’t want it to change. They have a vested interest… in keeping the scandal going… The faithful and the public need to be told that the reforms are, in fact, working and that more is being done by the Church… Without doubt, among the greatest victims of this contrived drama are accused priests… This raises the question: Should homosexuals be admitted to the priesthood? In an ideal world, all men would be welcome to the priesthood, provided they have the internal discipline necessary to accept a vow of celibacy. Regrettably, it appears that criterion is more difficult for many homosexuals to practice… The Church is always in need of reform, but what we don’t need is a NEW Church… We are called as Catholics to put into action the Word of God, and to do that, we need to practice fidelity to the Church’s teachings and to have the courage to defend them. That is the surest way to stop scandals from arising in the first place.” (Pg. 239-247)
This book will be “must reading” for anyone studying the issue of clergy sexual abuse, its coverup, and related issues.
Author Bill Donohue wrote in the Preface of this 2021 book, “Over the past half century, the Catholic Church has experienced two scandals: the clergy sexual abuse crisis, which was caused by priests and bishops, and the exploitation of it, which was caused by strident critics of the Catholic Church and those profiting from legal cases. Both have resulted in great damage to the Church. The clergy sexual abuse scandal, Scandal I, has to do with the internal affairs of the Catholic Church and the environment that facilitated it. It took place mostly between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s, though … the scandal’s being made public [didn’t occur] until the beginning of this century. The two parties to the scandal---the molesting priests and their enabling bishops---have done an enormous disservice to those of us who love the Church and to the Church’s public image. The damage done to victims is immeasurable…
“There is another scandal, Scandal II, that … is the creation of many parties… [who] are bent on promoting the false notion that no institution has a worse record of sexual abuse than the Catholic Church… they are playing the public by holding the Church to one standard and almost every other institution to another. And let’s be honest, there is a lot of money to be made by doing so.” (Pg. 7)
In the first chapter, he argues that “Catholics don’t own this problem… the Catholic Church has no monopoly on sexual abuse.” (Pg. 12-13) “It would take a big book to detail all the secular institutions and professions that have been plagued with sexual misconduct… The media, in general, do not have a sterling record in dealing with sexual misconduct… The Boston Globe had a similar case… While the Globe cut slack for itself, it was a relentless critic of the Catholic Church’s handling of sexual abuse… Finally, there is no end to the politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, who have been involved in sexual misconduct or have had serious accusations made against them... The media occasionally do a story on sexual abuse in non-Catholic organizations… [But] Their favorite target by far is the Catholic Church.” (Pg. 17, 25-26, 31-32)
He summarizes, “It cannot be said too strongly that … there would have been no Scandal II without Scandal I: molesting priests and their enabling bishops…. Many of the bishops lacked fortitude… They should have had the courage to do what was right, not what was expedient… The Catholic Church, however, is a force for great good, which is why those bent on damaging it---from the inside and the outside---need to be held accountable too.” (Pg. 36)
He notes, “Everyone agrees that NO PRIEST should ever be involved in sexually abusing a minor. But it must also be stressed that the evidence shows that almost all priests have never been accused of abusing a young person… a very small percentage of accused priests are responsible for a substantial percentage of the allegations… Another great lie about the Catholic Church is that the sexual abuse scandal continues unabated. This is utter nonsense… the average number of allegations made against current clergy members in any given year has dropped precipitously…” (Pg. 48-49)
He states, “for this loose association of victims’ advocates… accused priests do not deserve to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, as are others suspected of a crime, if the accuser seems to be telling the truth… what would happen to our system of justice if …people were punished on the basis of accusations only.” (Pg. 74)
He recounts, “No one has understood why the clergy sexual abuse scandal took place better then Pope… Benedict XVI. His lengthy 2019 essay … was illuminating and courageous… He started by placing the scandal in a social context… it is impossible to understand why the scandal took place without referencing the effects of the sexual revolution, which hit the dominant culture and the Catholic Church like a hurricane. It is not a coincidence that sexual abuse flourished inside the Church when celebrations of sexual libertinism flourished outside the Church… dissent in the Church peaked at the same time the scandal unfolded… When pornographic films were shown to seminarians, and a gay subculture was not simply tolerated but encouraged, Benedict notes, it is hardly surprising that sexual misconduct grew by leaps and bounds.” (Pg. 84-85) Later, he adds, “Pope Benedict XVI does not get the credit for the actions he took. Quite frankly, no pope in the modern era worked to punish predator priests more than Benedict.” (Pg. 124)
Donohue recalls, “When the clergy sexual abuse scandal was at its worst---from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s---belief in rehabilitation was the zeitgeist in social science and therapeutic circles. There was no one, no matter how incorrigible, who was incapable of being reformed… A bishop wouldn’t be a bishop if he did not believe that everyone including offending priests, is capable of redemption. Many sincerely believed that it would be un-Christian not to help their troubled priests recover.” (Pg. 100)
He observes, “No one argues that because most of the abusers are gay, therefore all gay priests are abusers. That’s a red herring. The real issue is why most of the abusers have been gay. As I have said for many years, most gay priests are not abusers, but most of the abusers have been gay. That is undeniable.” (Pg. 128) Later, he adds, “What about those priests who were given residential treatment following the allegation of sexually abusing a minor? Did they change their behavior? No. The majority continued to be sexually active. It seems nothing was going to stop them. Had they been bounced from the priesthood, they would no doubt have continued their ways, but as least they would no longer have caused harm as ministers of Christ and his Church.” (Pg. 161)
He argues, “Regarding homosexuals, their higher rates of sexual abuse is not caused by their sexual orientation. However, their sexual orientation is related to their immature status, and that explains their greater likelihood to abuse minors… In other words, their immaturity is a function of their sexual orientation… and immaturity is linked to the molestation of minors.” (Pg. 166) Later, he adds, “If there is one factor other than immaturity that is common among abusers, it is narcissism… and when the two are combined in the same person, they create a potent force for doing harm to others.” (Pg. 173)
He summarizes, “The clergy sexual abuse scandal happened because of predatory homosexual priest and their enabling bishops. But they did not live in a social vacuum. The sexual revolution that occurred in Western societies blew through the Church with a fury. Instead of challenging it, too many in the Church succumbed to it… That many of these activists, celebrities, and intellectuals continue to hammer the Church while defending the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents makes them worse than hypocrites: they are facilitators of evil.” (Pg. 201)
He recounts, “the Vatican announced in January 2009 that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was conducting a doctrinal assessment of the [Leadership Conference of Women Religious]… The Vatican decision to assess doctrinal problems among women religious in the United States was not made impulsively. Quite frankly, dissent has been a central feature of many orders of nuns since the 1960s. Their role in undermining the Church’s teachings on sexuality, and in creating the kind of milieu that was a breeding ground for troubled priests is incontestable.” (Pg. 224) Later, he adds, “Dissident nuns have contributed to the clergy sexual abuse scandal by espousing a heterodox message on matters of sexuality, which has played right into the hands of sick priests. The nuns’ complaints about the ‘oppressive patriarchy’ give credence to those abusers who claim that the Church authorities and Catholic morality have caused their sexual problems.” (Pg. 227)
He concludes, “Thanks to the Dallas reforms, and an awakening of concern for the victims of sexual abuse throughout society, Scandal I is largely behind us… but a combination of media bias, rapacious lawyers, politically driven victims’ advocates, dissident Catholics, and outside activists … don’t want it to change. They have a vested interest… in keeping the scandal going… The faithful and the public need to be told that the reforms are, in fact, working and that more is being done by the Church… Without doubt, among the greatest victims of this contrived drama are accused priests… This raises the question: Should homosexuals be admitted to the priesthood? In an ideal world, all men would be welcome to the priesthood, provided they have the internal discipline necessary to accept a vow of celibacy. Regrettably, it appears that criterion is more difficult for many homosexuals to practice… The Church is always in need of reform, but what we don’t need is a NEW Church… We are called as Catholics to put into action the Word of God, and to do that, we need to practice fidelity to the Church’s teachings and to have the courage to defend them. That is the surest way to stop scandals from arising in the first place.” (Pg. 239-247)
This book will be “must reading” for anyone studying the issue of clergy sexual abuse, its coverup, and related issues.
March 25, 2024
Bill Donohue is the president of The Catholic League. He makes $400,000+ a year shilling for the US Catholic Bishops as a living and breathing public relations machine.
Billy wrote a book.
First off, the book spews the “defend bad behavior by comparing it to bad behavior.” It delves into the “only X-percent of priests were ever convicted of sexual assault but look at the high percentage of public school teachers…” 💤 BUT for the highlight of this hateful spew-job one only has to go as far as the jacket cover that reads:
“…Donohue investigates at length the central role that homosexuality played in the scandal. While homosexuality does not cause sexual abuse, the prevalence of emotional and sexual immaturity among homosexual clergy explains why they committed most of the molestation.”
This is simply, unequivocally and wholly untrue. Donohue attempts to defend the RCC hierarchy by comparing pedophilia as a product of a sexual culture while pointing directly to the gay community. He is a disgusting person.
Billy wrote a book.
First off, the book spews the “defend bad behavior by comparing it to bad behavior.” It delves into the “only X-percent of priests were ever convicted of sexual assault but look at the high percentage of public school teachers…” 💤 BUT for the highlight of this hateful spew-job one only has to go as far as the jacket cover that reads:
“…Donohue investigates at length the central role that homosexuality played in the scandal. While homosexuality does not cause sexual abuse, the prevalence of emotional and sexual immaturity among homosexual clergy explains why they committed most of the molestation.”
This is simply, unequivocally and wholly untrue. Donohue attempts to defend the RCC hierarchy by comparing pedophilia as a product of a sexual culture while pointing directly to the gay community. He is a disgusting person.
January 14, 2022
A sobering look at one of the darkest chapters of the Catholic Church in America, forces both within and without the Church that led to the priestly abuse of youth. The devil is indeed alive and well.
August 17, 2023
Thank you for telling the hard truth.
August 29, 2023
This was a brave unflinching analysis of the pederast priest scandal in the Catholic Church. If more of Church leadership would embrace Matt 5:19-12, we would be in a better place as Catholics.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews