Child Abuse in the Catholic Church
Child Abuse in the Catholic Church | The Catholic Church’s Response to Child Sexual Abuse Is Inadequate
Stephen J. Pope is associate professor of theology and chair of the department of theology at Boston College.
Summary: In letters addressing the child sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, Cardinals Bernard Law and Edward Egan provide explanations and excuses, but they do not accept moral responsibility for their failure to protect the victims of abuse and never apologize for their mistakes. Both cardinals try to explain away their actions by claiming ignorance, but such ignorance is morally negligent. While the laity seeks personal accountability...
[The entire page is 1746 words long]
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- Introduction
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Table of Contents
- Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church: An Overview
- A Message from the Pope on the Child Sexual Abuse Crisis
- Three Types of Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church
- The Celibacy Requirement for Priests Contributes to Child Sexual Abuse
- The Celibacy Requirement for Priests Does Not Contribute to Child Sexual Abuse
- Practices Within the Catholic Hierarchy Encourage Child Sexual Abuse
- The Catholic Church’s Response to Child Sexual Abuse Is Adequate
- The Catholic Church’s Response to Child Sexual Abuse Is Inadequate
- Zero Tolerance of Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church Is Unfair and Un-Catholic
- The Church’s Zero-Tolerance Policy Is Unfair to Victims
- Homosexuality in the Priesthood Fosters Child Sexual Abuse
- Catholic Bishops Must Reform to Resolve the Child Sexual Abuse Crisis
- Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church Should Be Treated as a Crime
- The Costs of Child Sexual Abuse Litigation Threaten the Catholic Church
- A Victim Speaks Out
- A Nonabusing Priest Speaks Out
- Organizations to Contact
- Bibliography
- Copyright
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