Shaken by Scandals: Catholics speak out about priests' sexual abuse

Sexual abuse by Catholic priests?

Cover-ups by bishops?

How could this happen?

What can we do about it?

Catholics and non-Catholics alike have been scandalized by widespread reports of priests' sexual crimes and bishops' attempts to hide the misconduct. This "complex and difficult situation," as Pope John Paul II has called it, calls for a complex and thoughtful response. In Shaken by Scandals, fourteen Catholic leaders offer a variety of hard-hitting analyses, each focusing on a different aspect of the crisis.

The first section, "Understanding the Problem," wrestles with these questions:

- How widespread are these problems?

- Is our sex-saturated culture to blame?

- Have critics of traditional Catholic morality contributed to this moral chaos?

- Do the roots of the crisis lie in the seminaries?

- Is priestly celibacy the problem?

- Are homosexual priests the problem?

The second section, "Responding to the Crisis," tackles these issues:

- How can we help the victims?

- How can we support faithful priests through this trial?

- What action should we expect from our bishops?

- How can everyday Catholics help purify the Church?

- What do we tell our children about what's going on?

- What do we say to scandalized non-Catholics?

- Can lessons from history offer hope for the future?

On all these topics and more, Catholics who deeply love the Church speak out in Shaken by Scandals to clarify the issues and point the way out of this alarming predicament.