Jenkins, Philip; Review of: Pedophiles and Priests - Anatomy of a Contemporary Crisis; 214 pp.
1. How widespread is pedophilia among priests?
2. Did the Catholic hierarchy cover-up sexual abuse cases among priests?
3. Does the celibacy requirement increase the likelihood a priest will be a sex offender?
4. What is the actual long range effect of sexual abuse of a minor?
Here is a book which goes a long way toward answering the above questions -- and others. Philip Jenkins has written a well documented study of a painful issue. He dispassionately exposes the misinformation and outright distortion on this topic. Using the concept of "social construct" he gives a broader context for understanding the crisis. While hardly a defense of the Catholic Church (the author is not a Catholic), it does challenge much of the conventional wisdom on the subject.