Sexual Abuse and Catholicism: How Priests and Nuns Become Perpetrators

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Overview

An inside look at the reasons Catholic priests and nuns commit sexual abuse

Sexual Abuse and the Culture of Catholicism digs beneath the public scandals to explore the underlying causes of sexual abuse by priests and nuns from the unique perspective of an abuse victim/survivor who is an experienced mental health practitioner and social science researcher. This powerful book includes the author’s personal account of sexual abuse by a nun and her years of struggle to recover. ...

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Sexual Abuse and the Culture of Catholicism: How Priests and Nuns Become Perpetrators

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Overview

An inside look at the reasons Catholic priests and nuns commit sexual abuse

Sexual Abuse and the Culture of Catholicism digs beneath the public scandals to explore the underlying causes of sexual abuse by priests and nuns from the unique perspective of an abuse victim/survivor who is an experienced mental health practitioner and social science researcher. This powerful book includes the author’s personal account of sexual abuse by a nun and her years of struggle to recover. Passionate but scholarly and objective, the book advocates the need for healing dialogue, empirical research, and informed prevention strategies to bring a meaningful resolution to the crisis of sexual abuse in the church.

Popular explanations for the reasons behind the crisis have included issues related to celibacy, homosexuality, the power structure of the church, and poor seminary screening practices. But none of these theories are supported by research nor can they explain why Catholic priests and nuns may be more likely to abuse children that other adults in positions of trust. Sexual Abuse and the Culture of Catholicism uses a complex, systemic approach to draw parallels between the church as a human system and a family that has experienced incest, presenting a model for a sexual trauma cycle in the church based on systemic sexual shame passed down through the beliefs and practices of Catholicism.

Sexual Abuse and the Culture of Catholicism examines:

  • the prevalence and characteristics of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and nuns compared to sex offenders in the general population
  • celibacy, homosexuality, and the power structure of the church as contributing factors in the sexual abuse crisis
  • an analogy of the church as a family in which incest occurs
  • the effects and causes of sexual offending from one generation to the next
  • how current research on sexual offending applies to sexual abuse by priests and nuns
  • healing and empowerment for those affected by religious-based sexual trauma
  • reform and renewal within the Catholic Church
  • and much more
Sexual Abuse and the Culture of Catholicism is a unique and important resource for clergy, religious order, and lay leaders in the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations; social science researchers; social workers and mental health professionals; lay and religious members of the Catholic Church; and anyone recovering from religious-based sexual trauma.
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What People Are Saying

Anson Shupe
A USEFUL TOOL for those readers interested in the intersection between clinical social work and religion, particularly the modern decades-old pedophilia scandal in the Roman Catholic church. It is SOLIDLY REFERENCED on the related problems of incest, child abuse, 'families of faith,' and sexually errant leaders. The author is admirably open about her motives for writing such a book as a former victim exploring the roots of her own victimology and the search for personal closure. Her work joins a growing corpus by critics both inside and outside the Catholic church who by examining the dysfunctional system of rigid patriarchy and secrecy point to the structural remedies needed for healing. (Anson Shupe, PhD, Professor of Sociology, Indiana University-Purdue University)
Thomas Patrick Doyle
Myra Hidalgo's book is one of the few that must be considered FOUNDATIONAL for anyone seeking to understand how widespread sexual abuse and its cover-up by the hierarchy could be a part of the world's oldest and largest Christian denomination. . . . Makes A UNIQUE AND ESSENTIAL CONTRIBUTION to the on-going efforts to comprehend why Catholic clergy and nuns become sexual abusers and why the Church leadership has gone to such extraordinary lengths to cover this up. . . . There are numerous 'new' insights and contributions in this book. Hidalgo's theory of clergy/religious sexual perpetration is certainly a major one and another is the manner with which she frames her goals in writing the book. . . . The concluding 'implications for recovery, research and prevention' are especially relevant because they relate the book's essential themes to practical steps that can be immediately taken by those willing to work at a basic change of attitude. (Thomas Patrick Doyle, Canon Lawyer, author, researcher, addictions therapist, long-time clergy abuse victim advocate)
Gary R. Schoener
Goes far beyond the child sex abuse crisis by also examining sexual exploitation of adults by clergy, a topic often forgotten amidst the current scandals. Quite noteworthy is her observation that systematic sexual shame as taught by the church is part of the basis for sexual misconduct. Ironically, as the church is currently being shamed for the misconduct to some degree this cycle is continued. Unlike so many books on this topic, this is not about demons in the ranks of priests or nuns, but rather about social forces inside of a faith which help shape the exploitation and abuse of parishioners and others. The author believes this book is just about Catholicism—I disagree. It is about the risks in all faith groups, and for that matter other organizations. (Gary R. Schoener, Clinical Psychologist, Executive Director, Walk-In Counseling Center, Mpls.)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780789029553
  • Publisher: Taylor & Francis, Inc.
  • Publication date: 3/29/2007
  • Pages: 164
  • Product dimensions: 6.00 (w) x 8.60 (h) x 0.70 (d)

Table of Contents

Doyle, Foreword. Acknowledgments. Introduction. The Revelation of Crisis. Taking a Closer Look: Prevalence and Characteristics of Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church. Political Attempts to Identify a Singular Cause. The Catholic Church As a Human System. Systemic Sexual Shame and Catholicism. Implications for Recovery, Research, and Prevention. References. Index.

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