Child Sexual Abuse Inquiries and the Catholic Church: Reassessing the Evidence : Second Edition, Revised and Expanded

Abstract

This book is an objective, evidence-based analysis of the empirical findings, methodologies and conclusions of the main inquiries into child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Europe, the US/Canada, the UK and Australasia. Based on the evidence in these official inquiries it concludes that child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in these countries, while widespread from 1960-1990 is largely an historical problem; there are relatively few instances of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in recent decades. Safe-guarding mechanisms introduced into the Catholic Church since the 1990s have been effective in curbing child sexual abuse. The analysis in this book stands in contrast to sensationalistic, uninformed media reporting on the problem. The book is a second revised and expanded edition, with previously unreleased content.