The Clergy Sex Abuse Crisis and the Legal Responses

Download or read book The Clergy Sex Abuse Crisis and the Legal Responses written by James T. O'Reilly and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2014 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Legal disputes over worldwide, including the U.S., sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests, and over efforts by Roman Catholic bishops to conceal clerical misconduct, have produced many headlines and public discussion. However, the precise legal issues involved remain a mystery to most observers. In this study, James O'Reilly and Margaret Chalmers examine the role of canon law in these cases and the interplay between the global church-based law and the laws of individual jurisdictions where criminal actions and lawsuits are brought.