Read an Excerpt

THE STATE OF THE NATION

Our world has grown into a precarious place where greed, hatred and instability run rampant.  From terrorism and youth violence, to an increased emphasis on material things, everyone has been touched in some way by the escalating fear of modern society.  One need only look around their own neighborhood or social circle to see the state of things — the effects of divorce and abuse, the increasing rates of drug and alcohol dependence, and the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress.  The news media focuses on the most serious offenses, from mothers killing their own children to disgruntled ex-employees gunning down innocent office workers and our youth slaughtering one another at school.  Indeed, our nation, our world feels decreasingly safe and secure.

One of the most poignant and disturbing trends to many people is the widespread allegations of sexual abuse to minors by Catholic clergymen.  The media immediately highlights the cases and the news spreads like wildfire.  The most recent reports (John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 2004) indicate that approximately 10,667 such allegations have been lodged.  The Associated Press quotes David Clohessy (National Director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests) as saying this number is grossly understated because “thousands of victims haven’t reported.”

The number of clergy accused of perpetrating these sexual misdeeds translates to roughly 4% of the total number of clergy practicing in the nation during that time.  Some feel that this percentage is insignificant given the 96% of priests that are presumably not molesting children.  Others feel that one molesting priest is too many.

The misdeeds have been labeled pedophilia (the act or fantasy on the part of an adult of engaging in sexual activity with a child or children), hebephilia (a condition in which an adult, usually male, is sexually attracted to post-pubertal adolescents between 14 and 17 years of age), and phebophilia (a condition in which an adult, usually male, is sexually attracted to young people about the age of puberty); others simply call it sexual abuse.  Regardless of how one chooses to classify these incidents, one thing remains clear ¾ they are particularly unsettling because the Catholic clergy have traditionally ranked among the most trusted individuals; men to whom we bear our soul in confession.  They are, Catholics believe, God’s representatives on Earth, human beings ordained to put others before themselves to further God’s work.

Perhaps over the years our society has set standards too high for these clergymen, forgetting that our clerics are mere mortals, human beings, faulty and imperfect, capable of weakness and even crime.  Or maybe their indiscretions are among the greatest betrayals of all time.  The emotions involved seem to be inseparable from the facts.  I sought out to make this book an objective appraisal, an emotionless assessment, of the atrocities committed by otherwise good men.  What I believe I ended up with was a collection of experiences that should serve as a wake-up call to us all.  They are a testament to the state of our nation.