Sex Abuse and the Catholic Church

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reviews |  Beyond the Book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

Losing My Religion by William Lobdell

Losing My Religion

How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America—and Found Unexpected Peace

by William Lobdell
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (8):
  • First Published:
  • Mar 1, 2009, 304 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Sex Abuse and the Catholic Church

This article relates to Losing My Religion

Print Review

The tide of sexual abuse cases against Catholic Church officials took its toll on William Lobdell, causing him to abandon his faith altogether. Surprisingly, however, this may not be a widespread effect. According to a recent survey, while membership in most religious groups has fallen during the last two decades, the Catholic Church - whose halo was severely tarnished by the scandals - lost fewer members than mainline Protestants* and Baptists.

The Church may not have suffered significant losses in the number of faithful who call themselves Catholic but, almost a decade since news of that first lawsuit hit the headlines, they are still being hit where it hurts - in the pocketbook. As Newsday reporter Bart Jones reported just recently, "In Los Angeles, the Roman Catholic archdiocese cut its central staff in half and sold its 12-floor headquarters. In Tucson, the diocese sold 85 pieces of property in the Arizona desert. In Davenport, Iowa, church officials posted a 'for sale' sign on the bishop's residence - then moved him into a modest bungalow."

Apparently lawmakers in New York are still taking a dim view of the personal hardship imposed upon innocent children - who are now adults - by abusive clergy and their passively complicit superiors. They are looking to follow the lead of states like California and Delaware who have suspended the time limit to file a lawsuit alleging child abuse. Needless to say, the Church opposes the legislation on the grounds that it could conceivably bankrupt its coffers.

In a ripple effect the Catholic Church's actions have seemingly cursed other religious groups as well. A number of Orthodox Jews who contend they were abused by rabbis when they were children are joining Catholic survivors in a push to pass this legislation. This is forcing the Church to turn to Jewish officials to bolster their opposition.

On a more personal level, good priests have had to alter their behavior when it involves children. In a 2003 interview Anderson Cooper asked Reverend Thomas Reese, former editor of America magazine, how the scandal has affected him and other priests he knows. He replied that he would not hug a child after mass anymore and knows several good priests who have also abandoned the practice because they fear their actions could be misconstrued.

*Mainline Protestant denominations are those that arrived in the USA with historically significant immigrant groups; they include the Episcopalian (English), Presbyterian (Scottish), Methodist (English and Welsh) and Lutheran (German and Scandinavian) churches.  They are sometimes referred to as mainstream or heritage churches.  Apparently the term originates from the Pennsylvania Main Line - an unofficial region of suburban Philadelphia made up of various affluent towns built along the old Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Filed under Society and Politics

Article by Donna Chavez

This article relates to Losing My Religion. It first ran in the April 22, 2009 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.

This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access become a member today.
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    The River Knows Your Name
    by Kelly Mustian
    A haunting Southern novel about memory and love, from the author of The Girls in the Stilt House.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Girl Falling
    by Hayley Scrivenor

    The USA Today bestselling author of Dirt Creek returns with a story of grief and truth.

  • Book Jacket

    Jane and Dan at the End of the World
    by Colleen Oakley

    Date Night meets Bel Canto in this hilarious tale.

  • Book Jacket

    The Antidote
    by Karen Russell

    A gripping dust bowl epic about five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their small Nebraskan town.

Who Said...

It is among the commonplaces of education that we often first cut off the living root and then try to replace its ...

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

T B S of T F

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.