Boys of the Cloth
The Accidental Role of Church Reforms in Causing and Curbing Abuse by Priests
By (author) Vincent J. Miles
Publication date:
02 October 2012Length of book:
136 pagesPublisher
Hamilton BooksDimensions:
229x151mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9780761859741
Drawing on the author’s unusual background as a seminarian turned scientist and business executive, Boys of the Cloth presents a unique analysis of the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. The book combines a first-hand account of seminary life during the 1960s—a period that turns out to be crucial for understanding the crisis—with explorations of the history of the seminary system, current scientific knowledge about abusive behavior, and the Church’s own investigations into the “epidemic” of abuse by its priests. Through the interplay between these topics, two paradoxical conclusions emerge. First, that the epidemic was caused by an ancient reform intended to eradicate rather than encourage clerical corruption. Second, that it was reversed by modern Church policies with no obvious connection to sexual abuse. Boys of the Cloth will transform your understanding of predatory behavior by priests and of measures that will be crucial to prevent it.
Boys of the Cloth is invaluable for many reasons. It provides the clearest, most concise and most accurate analysis and explanation of the relationship between seminary formation and priests who sexually abuse minors that I have seen.
The standard response from the official Catholic Church to questions about the connection between sexual violation of minors and adults, and mandatory celibacy, is that there is none. Those who have probed deeply into the phenomenon and understand the nature of the clerical sub-culture know full well that there is a direct connection, but one that is not as black and white as would be expected: being celibate does not cause a man to be obsessed with sex with children or adolescents. The connection is in the culture that forms and nurtures clerics, and in the isolated environments where seminarians are trained to go forth and help heal human wounds and provide moral and spiritual guidance for married and single men and women of all ages. Ironically the preparation for this heroic challenge was total isolation from normal society. Vincent Miles presents a profoundly insightful analysis of the role that minor seminaries and the strange culture they created played in the sexual abuse phenomenon. He should know. He was in one and since has had the brilliance and courage to delve deeply into his life and the years of his seminary experience to look at it all with almost rare objectivity. The book is an absolute must for anyone struggling to understand the bizarre and destructive phenomenon of sexual violence by clergy, and the cover up and enabling by the bishops, cardinals and popes. In addition, Vincent Miles provides a brilliant critique of the recent John Jay College study of the sex abuse issue, 'Causes and Context.'
There are hundreds of books published about the Catholic clergy abuse issue. Many are very good. Some are mediocre. A few try to defend the institution and project the bishops' collective denial... and are a waste. Then there are a few that are foundational to understanding the length and breadth of this nightmare. This is one of them.
The standard response from the official Catholic Church to questions about the connection between sexual violation of minors and adults, and mandatory celibacy, is that there is none. Those who have probed deeply into the phenomenon and understand the nature of the clerical sub-culture know full well that there is a direct connection, but one that is not as black and white as would be expected: being celibate does not cause a man to be obsessed with sex with children or adolescents. The connection is in the culture that forms and nurtures clerics, and in the isolated environments where seminarians are trained to go forth and help heal human wounds and provide moral and spiritual guidance for married and single men and women of all ages. Ironically the preparation for this heroic challenge was total isolation from normal society. Vincent Miles presents a profoundly insightful analysis of the role that minor seminaries and the strange culture they created played in the sexual abuse phenomenon. He should know. He was in one and since has had the brilliance and courage to delve deeply into his life and the years of his seminary experience to look at it all with almost rare objectivity. The book is an absolute must for anyone struggling to understand the bizarre and destructive phenomenon of sexual violence by clergy, and the cover up and enabling by the bishops, cardinals and popes. In addition, Vincent Miles provides a brilliant critique of the recent John Jay College study of the sex abuse issue, 'Causes and Context.'
There are hundreds of books published about the Catholic clergy abuse issue. Many are very good. Some are mediocre. A few try to defend the institution and project the bishops' collective denial... and are a waste. Then there are a few that are foundational to understanding the length and breadth of this nightmare. This is one of them.