As the title suggests, the book endeavors to uncover why the sexual abuse of minors occurred as well as what steps may be taken to dismantle the mechanisms and networks that have allowed child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Given recent publications of the Pennsylvania Report (2018) and McCarrick Report (2020), this study is apropos.

The text is an edited volume that includes nine chapters that examine a variety of issues such as the cultural context of sex abuse (Chapter 2); clinicians’ perspective (chapter 1); social networks that allowed sex abuse to flourish and go unchecked (chapter 4); canonical responses (chapter 6); tort liability (chapter 7); sex abuse of minors and homosexuality (chapter 8) from a diverse group of scholars.

One of the important topics discussed in this text is the link between sex abuse and homosexuality. Jay Fierman’s chapter on the “Sexual Abuse of Young Boys in the Catholic Church” reveals that unlike other organizations sex abuse in the Catholic Church disproportionately affects peri-pubertal boys (ages 10-14). Shockingly, eighty-one percent of abused children were males. His research, based on data-driven studies, provides a solid argument that homosexuality and pedophilia are not linked. Many of the abusers identified as heterosexual. Moreover, recent steps by the magisterium to limit homosexuals to the priesthood does not address the root of the problem. He argues that from a risk-management perspective the best solution is to allow priests to marry; ordain women to the priesthood; and allow married persons and women into the hierarchy. (38) However, these recommendations are not a cure-all: they would reduce the number of boys being sexually abused, which is the main problem in the Catholic Church, but not necessarily the amount of abuse.

However, Dominikus Kraschl in his chapter entitled, “Abuse of Minors & Clerical Homosexuality”, challenges Feirman’s assessment. Kraschl demonstrates that a statistical analysis of the amount of homosexual clergy as well as the complaints of abuse suggest that “it is 12 times more likely for a homosexual cleric to get accused of sexual abuse than for his heterosexual colleague.” (221) Another important fact to consider is the ten-fold increase in the sexual abuse of minors by clergy from the 1960s to the 1980s that coincides with the sexual revolution and weakening of traditional sexual morality. (232) This is evidence in the least that social factors play a role. Undoubtedly there are many other factors the contribute to the sex abuse of minors by clergy besides or in addition to their sexual orientation. Thus, Kraschl is critical of “suggestive narratives” such as celibacy sexually represses the priest that contributed to a loss of “libidinous pressure” and then child sex abuse. Celibacy, sexual immaturity, homophobia may very well be a factor but there is no sufficient empirical data to justify these claims at this time. Kraschl also warns against hasty decisions because “we do not really know why there is such a striking correlation between clerical homosexuality and sexual abuse.” (224)

In addition to the relationship of homosexuality to sex abuse, the culture of cover-up is another important theme addressed in this book. Pogorelc in his chapter entitled “Social Networks and sexual abuse in the Catholic Church: when priests become pirates,” writes that “in the Catholic Church, service to the Church has often been made into an end in itself.” (105) This can translate into protecting the Church at the expense of the survivor of sexual abuse. The social networks are so strong between priests and bishops, that priests who were aware of the sex abuse by a peer priest attempted to protect the abused child by reporting the misdeeds to their archbishop. However, “[h]is loyalty to the organization would not allow him to conceive of going over the archbishop’s head or becoming a whistleblower to protect victims.” (105) The Church must prioritize service to and protection of the most vulnerable, not service to the Church. This is precisely that kind of culture or social network that needs to be dismantled.

Patricia Dugan in her chapter, “Canonical responses to crisis in the U.S.” examines how the hierarchy has “reacted” to the sexual abuse crisis. One of the most important actions was Pope Francis’ motu proprio, Vos Estis Lux Mundi (VELM) that created norms for handling sex abuse cases and accusations against bishops, particularly covering up sex abuse cases. (172) Dugan notes that “[the] recognition here of the possibility of persons of authority committing delicts is groundbreaking.” (174) This document provides evidence of movement within the Church to dismantle the culture mentioned above. However, it still has bishops investigating bishops. This is a problem because under the procedures of VELM, bishops that are in the same episcopal conference, and therefore known to one another and perhaps friends, initiate the investigation. VELM is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough. Dugan suggests that a National Penal Tribunal be established to oversee allegations of sex abuse that would not only remove the process from the local ordinary but pool resources together to have qualified investigators and consistent application, judgment, consequences, and sentences across the dioceses in the US.

The book is a welcomed addition to the growing literature on sex-abuse in the Catholic Church. I highly recommend this erudite overview of the complexities and the causes of the sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. It would be well-suited for a graduate course on this topic.