Child sexual abuse inquiries and the Catholic Church: Reassessing the evidence

This book is an objective, evidence-based analysis of the empirical findings, methodologies and conclusions of the three main national inquiries (Irish, US, Australian) into child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and of the responses of the Catholic Church to child sexual abuse. As such, it stands in contrast to the overall media reporting of the problem. Based on the evidence of these inquiries it draws two major conclusions. Firstly, child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in the countries surveyed, while widespread during the 60s and 70s, is largely an historical problem. Secondly, safe-guarding mechanisms introduced into the Catholic Church since the 90s have been effective in curbing child sexual abuse.