Church in Crisis: Primary Sources

The Boston Globe’s Spotlight Investigation (January 2002 ff)

• Huge archive of news articles divided into 9 topics (Predator priests, scandal and coverup, victims, financial cost, law and the laity, the church’s response, the clergy, investigations/lawsuits, and opinion), interactive features (a map of accused priests in Boston, a database), depositions (by Cardinal Law and others). 

Philadelphia Grand Jury Report (September 17, 2003)

• BishopAccountability’s site on the report includes a breakdown and reorganization of its contents along with links to other reports, news articles, and various responses. 
• Archbishop Justin Rigali’s letter to the Archdiocese, September 21, 2005
• Rigali’s remarks at press conference, September 21, 2005

John Jay College of Criminal Justice, “The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950-2002” (the “John Jay Report”), February 2004

• Commissioned by the USCCB in 2002

Deposition of Archbishop Rembert Weakland, Milwaukee (October 24, 2011)

• Weakland’s deposition gives insight into both standard procedures around abuse cases and episcopal mindset/thinking.

Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Sexual Abuse, Australia (2012-2017; final report December 2017)

• Extensive collection of resources including documents, videos, earlier reports and papers, as well as the final report.
• Here’s one news article summarizing a few key points.

Pennsylvania Diocese Victims Report/Report 1 of the 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (July 27, 2018)

• The “Pennsylvania grand jury report” is downloadable from this website, along with a separate PDF that includes official responses by a number of dioceses and invidual priests named in the report. Also included is a 5-minute video of survivor interviews.

“Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis to the People of God” (August 20, 2018)

Zita Ballinger Fletcher, “Abuse Victims Say They Felt Hurt by Ordinary Catholics’ Lack of Compassion,” Catholic News Service (August 20, 2018)