Stuff
Product Details
Free Press, February 2004
Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN-10: 0743244419
ISBN-13: 9780743244411
Description
Going deep behind the headlines about scandals in the Catholic Church, Jason Berry and Gerald Renner's Vows of Silence follows the staggering trail of evasions and deceit that leads directly to the Vatican -- and taints the legacy of Pope John Paul II. Based on more than six years of investigative reporting and hundreds of interviews, this book is a riveting account of Vatican cover-ups and the tumult they have caused in the church worldwide. Both a profound criticism and a wake-up call to reform by two Catholic writers, Vows of Silence reveals an agenda of top-down control under John Paul II and a hierarchy so obsessed with secrecy as to spawn disinformation. Vows of Silence is not a book about sexual abuse; it is a book about abuse of power, throughout the Vatican.
The book cuts between the life story of Father Tom Doyle, who sacrificed a diplomatic career with the Vatican to seek justice for sex-abuse victims, and Father Marcial Maciel, an accused pedophile and founder of the militaristic religious order, the Legion of Christ. One of the most mysterious and powerful men in the Catholic Church, Maciel has built a network of priests, lay people, and elite prep schools in more than twenty countries, using the Legion as a fundraising machine to position himself as a favored figure of John Paul II.
In addition to accusations against Maciel of sexual abuse and of using Legion money for his own extravagant lifestyle, many ex-Legionaries claim that the order uses mind-control techniques to isolate seminarians and even priests from their families. And yet, because he enjoyed the protection of Pope John Paul II and members of the Roman Curia, charges against Maciel for sexual misconduct -- all of which he denies -- were blocked in the Vatican court system.
Drawing on in-depth interviews with Father Doyle and with ex-Legionaries who filed a canonical suit against Maciel, as well as interviews with Vatican insiders and an array of sources in Mexico, Ireland, Canada, and Australia, the authors provide a penetrating account of a hierarchy directly in conflict with its followers. With keen insight and scrupulous reporting, Vows of Silence is a powerful narrative that chronicles the church's struggle between orthodoxy and reform -- going straight to the heart of one of the world's largest power structures.
Thomas Powersauthor of Intelligence Wars: American Secret History from Hitler to Al QaedaNo intelligence organization is as wrapped in secrecy as the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, and nothing inspires silence in the Vatican more than scandal involving priests and sex. The story that unfolds in Vows Of Silence is carefully documented by two veteran reporters -- both Catholics
-- who penetrated the defenses of the Vatican to give us a powerful account of failures about which church authorities never wanted anyone to know.
Robert Blair Kaiserauthor of Clerical Error and contributing editor for Newsweek at the VaticanA fascinating fact-filled account that tells us we cannot trust our bishops -- not even the pope -- to spearhead the kind of reform that will make the hierarchy accountable to the "lower-archy." Berry and Renner show us villains aplenty in this narrative, but they also introduce a marvelous, truth-telling priest-hero named Tom Doyle
-- who may stand for all the great priests we know who do not make any headlines, but do make a difference.
Rev. Richard P. McBrienCrowley-O'Brien Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame, and author of Catholicism Vows of Silence is one of the most important books to appear on the current sexual-abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. This is a detailed, carefully documented work, consistent with the highest standards of journalism. The authors lay the blame squarely on the papacy of John Paul II, who appointed the bishops who mishandled the crisis and who protected and openly promoted those, like Fr. Maciel, the founder of the cult-like Legion of Christ, who are key to understanding its acute harmfulness and worldwide scope.
Father Andrew Greeleyauthor of The Catholic MythBerry and Renner properly trace the basic cause of the sexual abuse crisis to the Church's historic obsession -- at the very highest levels
-- with secrecy. The propensity to stonewall, cover-up, and deceive "for the good of the church" seems irresistible even in an age in which, as the Lord said, that which is whispered in the closets is proclaimed from the housetop. Readers will find it a fascinating account.
Carl M. CannonWhite House correspondent for National JournalVows of Silence is a must read
-- investigative journalism at its best, tracking abuses that were decades in the making and go far beyond the American clergy, with responsibility at the highest levels of the Vatican. Jason Berry and Gerald Renner are tough-minded, but fair; the book is painstakingly researched, beautifully written and gives sweeping historical context on issues of specific, current relevance. If this were fiction, it would be a chilling narrative. Alas, it's contemporary human history, brought to you by the two American authors who know more about this subject than anyone else writing about it.
James Carrollauthor of Constantine's SwordA chronicle of hard truths that shows why the Catholic Church must undergo reform -- or burial. Berry and Renner address their tragic subject with wide knowledge, impressive research, courage
-- and authentic love of the Faith. Everyone who reveres the memory of Jesus Christ, or who cares for justice, should read this book.
