Customer Reviews

Slayer of the Soul: Child Sexual Abuse and the Catholic Church

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I have read both this book and Rossetti's book Slayer of the Soul. Both books speak of the destructive impact of clergy abuse. As the Executive Vice-President and COO of St. Luke Institute, one of the main US Roman Catholic clergy psychiatric facilities, the author could have provided invaluable first-hand accounts of dealing with the church hierarchy's handling of clergy who abuse, including reassignment, failure to report the abuse to civil law enforcement authorities and failure to be forthright to parish communities who may have an abuser in their midst. Missing from the book is carefully developed insight concerning how organizations like St. Luke Institute treat clergy offenders and how impact of the abuse on victim(s) is incorporated in the treatment and how the victim/s and parish community is prepared for the clergy abuser's release from treatment. The author stands in a position of knowing directly how the archbishops and bishops respond to victims both in terms of compassion and justice and inclusion of information on those experiences would have been insightful. Also, introspection of the role of such treatment facilities on releasing clergy sexual offenders back into positions of trust in which they come into contact with the vulnerable should have been covered. Additional insight into how offending clergy are monitored upon release from institutions like St. Luke Institute would have been a relevant chapter in the book.

I've only heard about it, and i want the $50 gift certificate to be able to buy this book. thx-DLH