The Sexual Abuse Scandal in the Boston Archdiocese

We discuss the clergy sex abuse scandal in the Boston Archdiocese and its impact on the Catholic Church’s influence in the city with Matthew Carroll, Professor of the Practice of Journalism and one of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists on the Boston Globe’s Spotlight that broke the story.

Readings:

Globe Spotlight Team (Matt Carroll, Sacha Pfeiffer, Michael Rezendes), “Church allowed abuse of priest for years,” Boston Globe (January 6, 2002).

Globe Spotlight Team (Matt Carroll, Sacha Pfeiffer, Michael Rezendes), “Geoghan preferred preying on poorer children,” Boston Globe (January 7, 2002).

Globe Spotlight Team (Matt Carroll, Sacha Pfeiffer, Michael Rezendes); Stephen Kurkjia; written by Walter Robinson, “Scores of priests involved in sex abuse cases,” Boston Globe (January 31, 2002).

Thomas Farragher, “Church cloaked in culture of silence,” Boston Globe (February 24, 2002).

Kevin Cullen, “Scandal erodes traditional deference to church,” Boston Globe (May 12, 2002).

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: See the movie Spotlight!

Mug battle question: In the movie Spotlight, where were the scenes in the police station and inside the Boston Globe’s offices filmed?

Answer: Toronto. Congratulations to Chrissy Benson for winning it in a showdown!

Further reading: Read more of the hundreds of articles to come out of the Boston Globe’s reporting on the widespread problems with clergy sexual abuse and the Archdiocese’s response, links to many of which are in the articles above. The Globe has preserved its original Spotlight website devoted to the investigation “Abuse in the Catholic Church,” where you can find resources, special reports, and, perhaps most importantly, crucial documents and depositions.