Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal [Paperback]

Gregory Erlandson (Author), Matthew Bunson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 2010

"You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured."----- Pope Benedict XVI

The True Story

Since 1985, the Catholic Church in the United States has been living in the shadow of the clerical sexual abuse crisis. In 2002, revelations in Boston ignited an institutional nightmare. More recently, the scandal erupted in Ireland and spread across Europe. There is now a rush by some, both inside and outside the Church, to place direct blame upon Pope Benedict XVI.

There is no escaping the fact that Pope Benedict, as the former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and now as pope, has played an historically pivotal and personal role in the Vatican's response to the crisis.

Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis is a groundbreaking, critically objective assessment of the criticism facing the pope as well as a review of his real response to the victims, abusers, bishops, media, and the millions of Catholics worldwide who continue to be justifiably horrified by the scandal. The first and foremost objective for this book is the truth no matter how difficult to face and letting the pope's record speak for itself.

"No one imagines that this painful situation will be resolved swiftly. Real progress has been made, yet much more remains to be done." Pope Benedict XVI

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

About the Authors: Gregory Erlandson is President and Publisher of Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Company. Our Sunday Visitor is one of the largest Catholic publishers in the world, publishing books, periodicals, curriculum, and pamphlets.

Matthew Bunson, editor of both The Catholic Almanac and The Catholic Answer magazine, is a consultant on Catholic issues for several national news organizations, including USA Today.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor (May 17, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592768067
• ISBN-13: 978-1592768066
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #648,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Much Needed Corrective look at the Pope, July 16, 2010

By 

James Watrous - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal (Paperback)

In this society we are allowed to be critical of anyone, including religious figures such as Pope Benedict XVI. I am critical of the pope myself on certain issues. Nonetheless, it needs to be fair criticism. There is a lot of unfair criticism concerning his role in dealing with the sexual abuse crisis. Sadly, there are victims of sexual abuse by priests that are so hurt that no matter what the Church does it will never be enough. Then there are those victims who think there can be reform and I do believe the Pope is working for reform. Sadly, there are some (not all) in the media who have not been fair to the Pope. Then, sadly, there are members of the so called new atheism who want to the pope arrested. Finally, there are some very angry liberal Catholics who want the pope to resign over this issue, which may have to do more with their dislike of his conservative Catholicsm than anything else. I write this as a moderate Catholic usually leaning towards the liberal side of the Church.
This book shows how Cardinal Ratzinger took the crisis seriously eight years ago. The Congregation of the Doctorine of the Faith (CDF) which he was the head became much more involved in dealing with this problem. It shows how after he was elected pope this has been a serious issue for him. How he has supported the American church in dealing with the problem. Finally, it shows a man who is truly upset and sorry that these horrible acts happened and who hopes to rid the Church of this problem. Mistakes have been made which he acknowledges that. A lot of work still needs to be done which he is quite aware of. I, myself, would rather have him as pope because he is dealing with this problem better than any pope has in recent decades. (Not to say that John Paul II was horrified when he found out how bad it was because he was indeed horrified.) Unfortunately this problem will not go away over night. Yet, it needs to be stated that most of the sexual abuse cases go back many decades. There are some that are within the last few years but most are older. The Church messed up there is no doubt about it. But society itelf messed up, especially within the law enforcement and psychological communities. (For more on that see MORAL PANIC: THE CHANGING FACE OF THE CHILD MOLESTOR IN MODERN AMERICA by Philip Jenkins.) I would hope more people would read this book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book should be in every mainstream newsroom in the country., June 18, 2010

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David Scott (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal (Paperback)

This is Catholic journalism at its best. Erlandson and Bunson are two of most knowledgeable people in the world on the Church and this book shows it. Good reporting, sharply written, smart analysis, not afraid of the hard questions--even if the answers don't always put the Church in the best light. This book should be in every mainstream newsroom in the country. It offers a definitive historical overview of the abuse scandal and Pope Benedict's role, first as head of the Vatican's doctrine office and now as Pope. This should be an eye-opener for those who think Benedict has been negligent or worse. The facts just don't support the conclusions that the mainstream media has been insisting upon. In addition to good reporting, this book provides excellent documentation--full texts of every reference Benedict has made on the crisis, including his addresses to the U.S. bishops and his historic letter to the people of Ireland. A good read and an essential reference.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The truth about the abuse crisis, October 23, 2010

By 

seroteamavi (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal (Paperback)

In a time when most people get their information about the clergy sex abuse scandal from a secular press primarily interested in grabbing headlines, gossip, and sometimes outright distortions of the truth, this book is an important corrective. Not only does it explain Ratzinger's/Benedict's documented role in the crisis, but it helps to place the crisis in context, using facts and figures gleaned from various sources. Despite what it may sound like, it's a quick read, but an important one.