About the Author

Frank Bruni, a reporter in the Washington bureau of the New York Times, now writes full-time for the Times Sunday magazine. For his previous work on other subjects, he was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing and a winner of the Polk Award for Metropolitan Reporting. He has appeared on ABC-TV's Nightline and other programs to talk about the Bush campaign and presidency. Elinor Burkett has worked as a newspaper reporter, university professor, and magazine writer. A Pulitzer Prize--nominated journalist and the author of eight previous books, she divides her time between the Catskill Mountains of New York and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Reviews

In this riveting, disturbing expose, journalists Burkett of the Miami Herald and Bruni of the Detroit Free Press , present an indictment of not only pedophiliac priests, but also of a church hierarchy that is interested more in concealment than compassion. Among the cases documented, the book focuses on Frank Fitzpatrick, a private detective living in Rhode Island, and his search for Father James Porter, a priest who 30 years earlier had molested him in elementary school in Massachusetts. Fitzpatrick was stonewalled by both the church and the law in tracking down the elusive cleric. When he finally found him in Minnesota in 1990--now married but also still a molester, according to court records-- Fitzpatrick helped direct the public's attention to a problem the church had been denying for years. Through the attention of the media, more than 200 people nationwide accused Porter of molesting them. This case could serve as a catalyst for many Catholics, male and female alike, who had been molested by their parish priests to now come forward. The authors estimate that the lawsuits to date have cost the church $400-500 million. Unfortunately, one concludes from this frightening book that if your child is molested by a priest, the bishop is not the avenue of recourse; better to call the police and a lawyer. Photos. (Oct.)

This study by two Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalists addresses the issues of trust, sacredness, and corruption within the Catholic Church. It chronicles the extent of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, who are protected by the secretive hierarchical nature of the Catholic community, and the trials experienced by the families involved. What makes the book noteworthy is its attempt to show the hesitation by the media, the mental health community, and law enforcement agencies to treat priests like other sexual offenders, such as day-care workers and teachers. Unfolding new accounts along with interviews of priests and victims, the authors explore the psychological nature of abusers and the self-preservation of the Catholic moral canon. Recommended for large collections in Catholicism.-- L. Kriz, Sioux City P.L., Ia.