Catholic leaders will gather in Rome later this month to discuss the clergy sex abuse crisis. Experts doubt they’ll approve any major policy changes.

The Roman Catholic Church, established in the first century, is one of the oldest Christian traditions. One of the primary tenets of Catholicism is the belief in apostolic succession, which holds that the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles have been granted spiritual authority passed down through the ages from Jesus Christ. This chain of […]

Read a Nov. 11, 2011, online column at The Washington Post, about the sex abuse coverup at Pennsylvania State.

Read an April 5, 2013, article published by Reuters about Pope Francis’ first statement on clergy sex abuse. He urged the church to “act decisively” when dealing with accusations of sexual misconduct.

Read a June 18, 2013, article published by The New York Times about the release of documents that trace the beginnings of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy back to 1932.

Read a July 2, 2013, article published by The Christian Science Monitor about the clergy abuse scandal in Milwaukee. Newly released documents reveal plans to pay abusive priests to leave the church. The Milwaukee archdiocese is currently enmeshed in bankruptcy court after facing accusation of fraud from victims of sexual abuse.

Karen A. McClintock is a psychotherapist and United Methodist minister who wrote Sexual Shame: An Urgent Call to Healing. She is an expert on issues of sexual abuse of children by clergy and is a consultant to schools and churches on issues of sexuality. McClintock is an adjunct faculty member in the psychology department at Southern […]

A.W. Richard Sipe is a former priest who is also a psychotherapist and leading researcher on issues relating to clergy and sexuality. He is a widely cited commentator and the author or co-author of several books on the topic, including Sex, Priests and Secret Codes: The Catholic Church’s 2,000-Year Paper Trail of Sexual Abuse. He lives in […]

Joseph Chinnici is a Franciscan friar and professor of history at the Franciscan School of Theology, which is affiliated with the University of San Diego. He is the author of When Values Collide: The Catholic Church, Sexual Abuse and the Challenges of Leadership.