Kenneth Jost

About the author: Kenneth Jost, a staff writer for the CQ Researcher, contributes to the American Bar Association Journal and is adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center.

Media coverage linking Catholic priests to reports of pedophilia set off an international debate over the causes and consequences of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. For example, while some Catholics blame the church hierarchy for failing to protect their children from sexual abuse, others believe the church acted in good faith when dealing with reports of sexual abuse by priests. Church representatives, victims' organizations, former priests, child abuse scholars, and other authorities hold different positions on several questions, including whether priests accused of child sexual abuse should be prosecuted or treated, whether the discipline of celibacy contributes to...