Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church

It doesn't matter if one is Catholic or not, one thing that must be agreed upon is that the abuse and mistreatment of children must not be tolerated. Therefore, it is disturbing to read such an account as this; that one can see the mechanisms that were systematically used to protect the perpetrators of these crimes, rather than the slew of victims.This book is NOT a book condemning Catholism or Christianity. I am not Catholic myself, but I have enough respect for Christianity and the Catholic Church, that had it been merely thus, I probably wouldn't have wasted my time reading it. With the persistance of the staff of the Boston Globe, though, much of this information, which was previously off-limits, has been opened and researched. This book is a product of that research, and without drowning the reader in tons of details, goes into many aspects of this story - how the story broke, victims' stories, profiles of some of the most heinous perpetrators, the Catholic culture around Boston, and the heirarchical structure of the Catholic Church, and the effects this scandal has had on the Catholic Church in America and in the world. As late as this has come to many people, I am glad that somebody had the nerve to pursue the story. For those who still want to believe that this isn't a major problem, remember that what is written here is just Boston's story, and just a small bit, at that. The priests who committed these crimes are criminals, and should be recognized as such, both inside and outside the Catholic Church.

I was raised Catholic and educated at both the high school and college level by the Jesuits. All through school, there was not the slightest indication of abusive propensities, yet today, we see that many, many Catholic priests molested children over the years, and were assisted in this horrific behavior by Church leaders. This book ably and frighteningly illustrates the betrayal of trust on the part of these "Princes of the Church", who actively enabled these predatory monsters to engage in their obscene behavior by moving them from parish to parish, and defended these men and what they did when confronted by parents of the child victims. "Betrayal" is an apt title of a work that shows how the bishops betrayed not only their obligation to children, but their faith as well. Instances are also described where other priests who observed active child molestation did nothing to stop it.In my value system, catching one of these guys "in the act" would result in anything BUT passivity! As a retired lawyer with 30 years in the Courts, I cannot even begin to comprehend the mind set of men who preached, "Suffer the little children to come unto me" and "Whatever you do to the least of my little ones, you do unto me", yet knowingly engaged in and/or permitted the ongoing sexual abuse of children. This book is a must read for all Catholics, because if the Church can't or won't protect their children, informed Catholics must, and, perhaps, finally cast off the yoke of "pray, pay and obey". The Boston Globe has done a huge public service in producing this excellent reportorial work. Yet it does raise questions in my mind about the unthinking and uncritical belief systems of some of my still practicing Catholic friends who react rather placidly to this scandal.

This rare, balanced and highly researched book is both captivating in drama and challenging in content. Written from a secular rather than a religious perspective, the authors chronicle the lives of victims, the cover-ups by bishops and the socio-political structures which have allowed sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clerics to continue unabated. This book is serious reading for all, but especially for many of the Catholic faithful who have placed an almost blind trust in their leaders. The shocking, painful disclosures of this book will undoubtedly challenge laity to ask questions, honest priests to speak up, and law enforcement to prosecute.

1. This book is an excellent investigation into what occured in Boston involving the Catholic church and sex abuse.2. It is also an excellent book in explaining the power of the Catholic Church in the culture and politics of Boston. This power may explain why Cardinal Law and others were able to get away with such abuses of power.3. This is an extremely painful read as it details exactly what occurred to these children while they were being abused.4. With that said, THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ FOR ALL CATHOLICS!

As a Catholic, recent events have left me questioning the leadership of the church. After reading this book, I feel like I understand how we've gotten to this point, who is responisible, and what we can do to make things better and get on with our lives in the church. This book gave me hope that we will come out of this stronger than ever. Everyone looking for answers, and healing or hope, should read Betrayal.