Lead us not into temptation : Catholic priests and the sexual abuse of children
by Jason Berry
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"In the autumn of 1984, Jason Berry first heard reports of the sexual abuse of boys by a priest in rural Louisiana. He didn't want to believe it. As a Catholic, he loved the church. As an expectant father, he was horrified for the abused children. But as a reporter, he wanted to find out what had happened." "And what he found was that the case in Louisiana was by no means unusual. In fact, between 1984 and 1992, four hundred Catholic priests in North America have been reported for molesting show more children. To date, Berry estimates, $400 million has been paid by the church to resolve these cases. One source projects that $1 billion may be paid by century's end." "Lead Us Not into Temptation is a masterful behind-the-scenes account of this unprecedented crisis in the Catholic Church. The story begins with an in-depth look at the case in Louisiana - a case representative of many across North America. A devout community is rocked by once-unspeakable things. Church officials are tragically indifferent to the victims' plight. And one brilliant Cajun attorney charges the church with a coverup, while another attorney learns that his client is one of many local priests who have abused boys." "The story moves next to the Vatican Embassy in Washington, D.C., where a secret pedophilia report warns American bishops of the staggering implications if a forthright policy is not developed to deal with the crisis. Yet cases keep cropping up. New York City, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago, Cleveland, Newfoundland, Honolulu, Seattle, New Orleans - in these and other locales Berry courageously reveals a web of suffering and of struggles for justice." "Slowly a picture emerges of a venerable, age-old institution grappling in a strange world. While abusive priests are quietly posted to new clerical duties, liberal theologians are loudly sent packing by the Vatican. 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." "Lead Us Not into Temptation is a fair and fearless portrayal of what has been called the Catholic Church's sexual Watergate. And because of Jason Berry's fearlessness, it is also a haunting affirmation of faith."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved show lessTags
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aulsmith Berry, a straight man, spends a lot of time on the sexual problems of gay priests. France, a gay man, spends time on the the problems of gay priests being scapegoated for pedophilia. Read both for multiple insights
Member Reviews
The 1992 edition of this book, written 10 years before the priestly abuse scandal broke in Boston is just the same thing all over again except in Louisiana: pedophile priests covered up by the hierarchy and exposed by the patient work of journalists and lawyers.
The first part of the book deals with the uncovering of the Gauthe scandal and its outcome. In the second half. Berry looks broadly at the various crisis related to sexuality in the Catholic Church, especially of the prevalence of gay clergy in the post-Vatican II church. Berry is clearly uncomfortable with the idea of gay priests, especially of those not committed to his idea of celebecy, but he has listened carefully to the voices defending the rights of gay people in the show more Catholic church and worked very hard at not victimizing gay people in general in his attempts to find a way to make the clergy more responsive to the needs of the people who are the church.
Well and thoughtfully written, I would recommend it to people who continue to struggle with the Catholicism on these issues. show less
The first part of the book deals with the uncovering of the Gauthe scandal and its outcome. In the second half. Berry looks broadly at the various crisis related to sexuality in the Catholic Church, especially of the prevalence of gay clergy in the post-Vatican II church. Berry is clearly uncomfortable with the idea of gay priests, especially of those not committed to his idea of celebecy, but he has listened carefully to the voices defending the rights of gay people in the show more Catholic church and worked very hard at not victimizing gay people in general in his attempts to find a way to make the clergy more responsive to the needs of the people who are the church.
Well and thoughtfully written, I would recommend it to people who continue to struggle with the Catholicism on these issues. show less
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18+ Works 389 Members
Jason Berry achieved renown for Lead Us Not into Temptation, a milestone work on the Catholic Church crisis. His award-winning film, Vows of Silences, on the Vatican and the Maciel scandal, has been broadcast in several European countries. A recipient of Guggenheim and Alicia Patterson fellowships, he is also a novelist and playwright. He lives in show more New Orleans. show less
Some Editions
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Lead us not into temptation : Catholic priests and the sexual abuse of children
- Original publication date
- 1992-10
- People/Characters
- Gilbert Gauthe; Thomas P. Doyle (canon lawyer); Michael Peterson (priest and psychiatrist)
- Important places
- Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, USA; San Diego, California, USA
- Important events
- Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal (1950- (1950-)
- Epigraph
- "Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better that a millstone were hanged around his neck and he were cast into the sea."
MARK 9:42 - Dedication
- For my wife, Lisa
and for my brothers, Lamar and Jack - First words
- Among other things this book is a story of personal religious faith. (Foreword by Andrew M. Greeley)
The coming of a couple's first child is a precious experience. (Prologue)
In the beginning, wild horses roamed the Attakapas, a soft, green prairie named after the Indian tribe who lived there and along arterial bayous crossing the land. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I know now that faith is an odyssey, and in the darkness of this journey each of us must find a light.
- Publisher's editor
- David DeCosse
- Blurbers
- Hechler, David
Classifications
- Genres
- Religion & Spirituality, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 253.2 — Religion Christian pastoral practice & religious orders Pastoral work (Pastoral theology) The Minister's Personal Life
- LCC
- BX1912.9 .B47 — Philosophy, Psychology and Religion Christian Denominations Christian Denominations Catholic Church Government and organization
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 69
- Popularity
- 452,345
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.83)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 1
