In 2002, a dark cloud arrived on our shared horizon with the first publication, by the Boston Globe, of the stories of hierarchical cover-up of clergy abuse within the Roman Catholic Church's Boston Archdiocese. The Globe, which won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage, set into motion a mind-boggling series of revelations: The next reports involved the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, and eventually the dioceses of a long list of cities (see Appendix A to Chapter 6).

For the Catholic hierarchy, though, the issue has remained solely an issue of “us against them.” Their focus has led them to fight reform that would benefit all survivors of child sex abuse, most of whom have had nothing to do with the Church.

The Experiences of the Roman Catholic Church Have Educated the Public on the Pervasiveness of Child Sex Abuse and the Failures of the Legal System

The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination in the United States, with 64 million members, or 22 percent of the U.S. population. Other than the federal government, it is difficult to imagine an institution in the United States that can match its presence, reach, or influence. By comparison, the largest U.S. corporation, measured by number of employees, is Wal-Mart Stores with 1.8 million. Even when compared at the international level, the church is huge. The Holy See is an independent sovereign, with 1.1 billion believers, constituting about one-sixth of the world's population.