Betrayal of Trust: The Father Brendan Smyth Affair and the Catholic Church [Paperback]

Chris Moore (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 186023027X | ISBN-13: 978-1860230271 | Publication Date: December 1995

At the end of 1994, the Father Brendan Smyth affair brought shame on the Catholic Church in Ireland, and led directly to the fall of the Labour-Fianna Fail Government led by Albert Reynolds. The Irish public grew used to the face of the paedophile priest who was sentenced in Belfast on several counts of sexual abuse of children. This book is the inside story of the Brendan Smyth affair, written by the person most responsible for breaking the story. It follows the trail of the paedophile priest throughout Ireland, in Italy and in America. It reveals new information about the extent of the abuses carried out by Brendan Smyth, and the depth of the lack of intervention by the Catholic Church. Most of all, this book gives voice to those who were abused and betrayed by a priest and by the religious leaders who shielded him. The affair has caused a crisis of credibility for the Catholic Church in Ireland. It has damaged relationships between priests and people. This book evalutes the mishandling of the affair by the hierarchy, and explores how trust can be restored.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In 1994, Father Brendan Smyth of Belfast pleaded guilty to 17 charges of sexual abuse of children-crimes ignored or excused by the Catholic Church and his religious community-and was sentenced to four years in prison. After being charged but before the conviction, he spent three years in an Irish abbey, protected by Dublin officials who refused to honor extradition warrants. Only after Moore, a television journalist, exploded the scandal on TV was the enormity of the incident revealed, forcing resignations in Church and state. While dramatically disclosing the affair and its consequences, this version, first published in Britain, demonstrates that powerful television doesn't necessarily translate into effective writing. Convoluted chronology, background, and details obfuscate rather than elucidate events and players, particularly for a non-Irish audience. A less sensationalized version would have done more justice to the subject of sexual abuse by clergy.
Nancy M. Laskowski, Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: Irish Amer Book Co (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 186023027X
• ISBN-13: 978-1860230271
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,547,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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