The concept and institution of priesthood in the Catholic Church has been the subject of serious challenge not only since the time of the Protestant Reformation but also, more recently, from within the Catholic Church, as the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and theologians afterward have reconsidered the place and function of priests in relation to both bishops and laity. In dialogue with those challenges, and by means of research into Scripture and the theological tradition--patristic, medieval, and modern--the author of this book considers classic images of priests and priestly ministry as a way of recovering an understanding of the priesthood that is at once both biblically and theological sound.

While seminaries, by many accounts, admit an increasing number of homosexuals, women are strictly barred from ministerial roles. The church's time-honored tradition of "avoiding scandal" also backfires. For by the shielding of fallen clerics, Berry shows, the suffering of the abused is often compounded.

In 2002, the national spotlight fell on Boston’s archdiocese, where decades of rampant sexual misconduct from priests—and the church’s systematic cover-ups—were exposed by reporters from the Boston Globe. The sordid and tragic stories of abuse and secrecy led many to leave the church outright and others to rekindle their faith and deny any suggestions of institutional wrongdoing. But a number of Catholics vowed to find a middle ground between these two extremes: keeping their faith while simultaneously working to change the church for the better. Beyond Betrayal charts a nationwide identity shift through the story of one chapter of Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), an organization founded in the scandal’s aftermath. VOTF had three goals: helping survivors of abuse; supporting priests who were either innocent or took risky public stands against the wrongdoers; and pursuing a broad set of structural changes in the church. Patricia Ewick and Marc W. Steinberg follow two years in the life of one of the longest-lived and most active chapters of VOTF, whose thwarted early efforts at ecclesiastical reform led them to realize that before they could change the Catholic Church, they had to change themselves. The shaping of their collective identity is at the heart of Beyond Betrayal, an ethnographic portrait of how one group reimagined their place within an institutional order and forged new ideas of faith in the wake of widespread distrust.

Yes, Catholic priests terribly abused minors, and bishops failed to stop the unspeakable harm. That is an undeniable truth. Nothing justifies such an evil. However, major media outlets are unfairly attacking the Catholic Church, and this fast-paced, compelling book has the shocking evidence to prove it. This book addresses numerous topics, including: ... appalling cases of abuse and cover-ups happening today - but they're not happening in the Catholic Church ... proof that Catholic clergy do not offend more than teachers or those of other religious denominations ... data that shows that the Catholic clergy scandal is not about "pedophilia" ... affirmation that the Catholic Church may be the safest environment for children today ... research that uncovers the shady relationships between SNAP (Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests), lawyers, and the media ... the alarming roots of SNAP's attacks on the Church ... the surprising truth about "repressed memories" ... unheard, agonized priests who deny the accusations against them ... evidence of how the "documentary" Deliver Us From Evil deceived moviegoers plus much more. Double Standard covers topics that the major media won't. There is no other book about the Catholic Church abuse narrative like this one.

When the Roberts family's favorite priest started inviting himself to dine at their dinner table weekly, they were delighted to oblige. Then, when the priest started inviting their teenaged son, Michael, on day trips, they were even more pleased to see their son developing a close friendship with their beloved priest. What the family did not know was that the priest was grooming Robert for what would become years on ongoing sexual abuse. In Behind Sacred Walls, Michael describes how he fell under the control of the priest, who abused him verbally, emotionally, and sexually. It was, the priest told him, God's will that the teenager satisfy the priests human needs. Even though he was riddled with shame and guilt, Michael saw no way out of the continuing abuse. Most of all, he feared the pain it would cause his parents if they found out. In the end, Roberts tells how he was eventually able to extricate himself from the abusive relationship with the priest. He also relates the years of red tape he encountered with the Catholic Church while seeking justice.

The sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church captured headlines and mobilized public outrage in January 2002. But much of the commentary that immediately followed was reductionistic, focusing on single "causes" of clerical abuse such as mandatory celibacy, homosexuality, sexual repressiveness or sexual permissiveness, anti-Catholicism, and a decadent secular culture. Predatory Priests, Silenced Victims: The Sexual Abuse Crisis and the Catholic Church, a collection of groundbreaking articles edited by Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea and Virginia Goldner, eschews such one-size-fits-all theorizing. In its place, the abuse situation is explored in all its troubling complexity, as contributors take into account the experiences, respectively, of the victim/survivor, the abuser/perpetrator, and the bystander (whether family member, professional/clergy, or the community at large). Setting polemics to the side, Predatory Priests, Silenced Victims provides a sober and sobering analysis of the interlacing historical, doctrinal, and psychological issues that came together in the sexual abuse scandal. It is mandatory reading for all who seek thoughtful, informed commentary on a crisis long in the making and yet to be resolved.