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Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II Paperback – May 11, 2010

by Jason Berry (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 98 ratings
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Going deep behind the headlines about scandals in the Catholic Church, Jason Berry and Gerald Renner follow the staggering trail of evasions and deceit that leads directly to the Vatican and taints the legacy of Pope John Paul II.

Based on more than six years of investigative reporting and hundreds of interviews, Vows of Silence is a riveting account of Vatican cover-ups. Both a profound criticism and a wake-up call to reform by two Catholic writers, this book reveals an agenda of top-down control under John Paul II and a hierarchy so obsessed with secrecy as to spawn disinformation.

Vows of Silence cuts between the life story of Father Tom Doyle, who sacrificed a diplomatic career with the Vatican to seek justice for sex-abuse victims, and Father Marcial Maciel, an accused pedophile and founder of the militaristic religious order, the Legion of Christ. Drawing on in-depth interviews with Father Doyle and with ex-Legionaries who filed a canonical suit against Maciel, as well as interviews with Vatican insiders and an array of sources in Mexico, Ireland, Canada, and Australia, Berry and Renner provide a penetrating account of a hierarchy directly in conflict with its followers.

With keen insight and scrupulous reporting, Vows of Silence is a powerful narrative that chronicles the church's struggle between orthodoxy and reform—going straight to the heart of one of the world's largest power structures. It is not a book about sexual abuse; it is a book about abuse of power throughout the Vatican.
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  1. Print length
    368 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    May 11, 2010
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0743287061
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0743287067
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Berry and Renner paint a portrait of a clueless, isolatedCatholic hierarchy that is Orwellian in its absurd embrace of dubious figureslike Maciel and its paranoid rejection of good priests like Tom Doyle . . . ."—The Boston Globe

"Vows of Silence” findsthe same system of secrecy and protection that pervaded the American scandalsin evidence in the Vatican. Itchronicles the way in which top church officials squelched an investigationinto accusations of sex abuse by the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, theinfluential founder of the Legionaries of Christ. . . ."—Newsday

"No intelligenceorganization is as wrapped in secrecy as the hierarchy of the Roman CatholicChurch, and nothing inspires silence in the Vatican more than scandal involvingpriests and sex. The story that unfoldsin Vows of Silence is carefullydocumented by two veteran reporters—both Catholics—who penetrated the defensesof the Vatican to give us a powerful account of failures about which churchauthorities never wanted anyone to now."—Thomas Powers, author of Intelligence Wars: American Secret Historyfrom Hitler to Al Queda

“Berry and Renner properly trace the basic cause of thesexual abuse crisis to the church’s historic obsession—at the very highestlevels—with secrecy. The propensity tostonewall, cover-up and deceive ‘for the good of the church’ seems irresistibleeven in an age in which, as the Lord said, that which is whispered in theclosets is proclaimed from the housetop.Readers will find it a fascinating account.”—Father Andrew Greeley

About the Author

Jason Berry achieved national renown for his highly praised book, Lead Us Not Into Temptation. He produced an award-winning film documentary based on Vows of Silence. A novelist and jazz historian, he lives in New Orleans. For more information, please visit www.JasonBerryAuthor.com.

Gerald Renner (1932 - 2007) was a veteran journalist at The Hartford Courant, and the recipient of many awards for his reporting on religious news, issues and trends.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Free Press (May 11, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0743287061
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743287067
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 98 ratings

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Jason Berry

Jason Berry

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Jason Berry's first novel, Last of the Red Hot Poppas, takes the reader on a ride through the corrupt and vibrant culture of southern Louisiana, which Berry has been reporting on for decades. This “spiritual comedy,” as Berry calls it, borrows on the nove

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Randall R. Rice
    5.0 out of 5 stars At times a prophetic glimpse
    Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    into the future of the church. Many of the negative reviews seem to take defense of this "Legion of Christ" cult. What I found both fascinating and prophetic was Ratzinger's role in this continued scandal.

    While a great deal of the book is devoted to the Legion of Christ scandal, it also gives a good understanding of the history and culture of a church that allowed this abuse.

    Written and published before Ratzinger's election as pope, it is a disturbing indictment of the clericalism of the church, in trying to turn victim into the accused and the accused into the victim. But it has given me an understanding of his papcy, and also that of John Paul II.

    If a drawback is noted, I found the chronological elements difficult to follow, and had to stop and keep dates together. I wish more had been said of Bernard Law, who now resides in the protection of the Vatican State, since we in Boston were his victims.

    This is a good book, not easy, not uplifting. I would recommend having a light comedic/murder mystery ready to read after this book.

    But if any message gets through, it is that the church, the REAL church, the people of God in the pews each Sunday, is strong, in spite of clericalism. There are modern day heroes such as Thomas Doyle and the church needs many more. This scandal makes the Reformation a minor blip on the screen of the history of the church. And this coming from a Lutheran!
    8 people found this helpful
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  • DarkEl
    5.0 out of 5 stars A riveting read
    Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2014
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    This book is especially helpful if you wish to *understand* the motives and mechanisms governing the cover-ups of child abuse in the Catholic Church in the US and the crisis that has shaken the Church in America starting in 1980s. Most importantly, the book tells what has since been confirmed as the *true* story of the Legion of Christ, with a particular focus on its corrupt founder. A must-read for anyone interested in the Legion or - God forbid - considering joining their ranks.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Jack Ryan
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Gift to the Church
    Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2004
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    I lived in a rectory with Father Juan Vaca, a major character in this book, 15 years ago. He poured his heart out to me about the abuse he now describes and was wounded to the heart. Those who love the church love the truth, this book tells the truth. I hope it is a beginning of a cleansing of our church and the replacement of a sick clerical culture with true gospel values. We priests must demand integrity of our leaders, it is the only way to restore the good name of the church. I would like to thank the authors, and especially Father Thomas Doyle who have helped to bring the cleansing light of day to this dark moment in the history of our church. I couln't put it down.
    130 people found this helpful
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  • driver8
    4.0 out of 5 stars 2010 edition
    Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    A small note on the 2010 paperback edition. This seems to be a straight reprint of a book first published in 2004. Worthy as an account of the terrible events it relates I nevertheless missed an update on the developments in the story since 2004. Perhaps there is scope for a second updated edition?
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Mary Bellis Williams
    5.0 out of 5 stars A real expose of power!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This book should be required reading for anybody bound to tradition, as it exposes the dangers and real harm done by ignorant obedience to an enormous and ancient establishment, the Catholic Church, and how the whole enterprise revolves around money. This is how the pedophile priests got away with it -- it's no different from Warren Jeffs and his rants and pedophilia except that the Catholic Church is bigger than his loony Mormon offshoot. The results of unthinking obedience and hewing to party lines is exactly the same and with the same harmful, tragic results for the most helpless, the children.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Thomas Hinkhouse
    1.0 out of 5 stars Better books available that include this information.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Just didn't like it and the writing was hard to follow
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  • Shane Music
    3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
    Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I liked the history the author put in his story. I also learned a lot I didn't know, about the faith,as well ad the cover up.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Fr. Ronald Lemmert
    5.0 out of 5 stars "Legionnaires Disease" in the Catholic Church
    Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Read it and weep! It describes the despicable behavior of the "Legionnaires Disease" caused by Marcial Maciel who conned Pope John Paul II into allowing him to perpetrate one of the greatest frauds in the Catholic Church. While milking devout Catholics of millions of dollars to support the Legionaries of Christ cult, he had mistresses on the side and raped innumerable young seminarians with complete immunity from the Vatican bureaucrats whom he cultivated with large bribes.
    6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Gar
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 15, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    very interesting
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  • I. A. Jakubiak
    4.0 out of 5 stars cruel facts
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 26, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    If you need more facts before you make a judgement this book may be right for you.
    It doesn't make easy read, though. There is a lot of names and localities, many dramatic stories but it is written with awkward language, probably contaminated by legalism (professional background of the authors). It is a document and not fiction.
    I didn't mention the topic - it presents a discovery of child abuse by the catholic clergy in America.
    It leaves many leads unfinished. It doesn't deliver on advertised involvement of the pope JPII and cardinal Dziwisz but shows implications of the present pope Benedict.
    Summarising - worth reading if you are after the truth.
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