Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church (Paperback)

by The Investigative Staff of the Boston Globe (Author) "He was a small, wiry man with a disarming smile that, from a distance, gave him the gentle bearing of a kindly uncle or a..." (more)
Key Phrases: clergy sexual abuse crisis, sexually abusive priests, clergy sexual abuse scandal, Cardinal Law, New York, Father Geoghan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
'The fullest account to date of the egregious priestly and episcopal mistakes, sins and crimesthat occurred at the epicenter of what almost became a national crisis.' - NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Product Description
Brought completely up to date in this new paperback edition, this groundbreaking book provides a detailed, devastating account of the Catholic Church's decades-long cover-up that has left millions of American Catholics shocked, angry, and confused. Encompassing the story in its entirety--as it has unfolded throughout the U.S. and throughout the Church hierarchy--BETRAYAL brings into focus the scores of abusive priests who preyed upon innocent children, and the cabal of senior Church officials who covered up their crimes.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (April 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316776750
• ISBN-13: 978-0316776752
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #160,345 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Documents of a horrendous crime, October 22, 2002

By	cnyadan (Bavaria, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church (Hardcover)

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.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A painful read, but a must read, July 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church (Hardcover)

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!

22 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Appalling Indictment of Catholic Heirarchy, August 28, 2002

By	John G. Gleeson Sr. (Frederic, Mi USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church (Hardcover)

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.