Mortal Sins: Sex, Crime, and the Era of Catholic Scandal

Written by Michael D'Antonio

Narrated by Paul Boehmer

An explosive, sweeping account of the scandal that has sent the Catholic Church into a tailspin-and the brave few who fought for justice

In the mid-1980s a dynamic young monsignor assigned to the Vatican's embassy in Washington set out to investigate the problem of sexually abusive priests. He found a scandal in the making, confirmed by secret files revealing complaints that had been hidden from police and covered up by the Church hierarchy. He also understood that the United States judicial system was eager to punish offenders and those who aided them. He presented all of this to the American bishops, warning that the Church could be devastated by negative publicity and bankrupted by its legal liability. They ignored him.

Meanwhile, a young lawyer listened to a new client describe an abusive sexual history with a priest that began when he was ten years old. His parents' complaints were downplayed by Church officials who offered them money to go away. The lawyer saw a claim that any defendant would want to settle. Then he began to suspect he was onto something bigger, involving thousands of priests who had abused countless children while the Church had done almost nothing about it. The lawsuit he filed would touch off a legal war of historic and global proportions.

Part history, part journalism, and part true-crime thriller, Michael D'Antonio's Mortal Sins brings to mind landmark books such as All the President's Men, And the Band Played On, and The Informant, as it reveals a long and ferocious battle for the soul of the largest and oldest organization in the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Dec 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9781977337917

Michael D'Antonio

Michael D’Antonio is the author of many acclaimed books, including Atomic Harvest, Fall from Grace, Tin Cup Dreams, Mosquito, and The State Boys Rebellion. His work has also appeared in Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times Magazine, Discover, and many other publications. Among his many awards is the Pulitzer Prize, which he shared with a team of reporters for New York Newsday.

Reviews for Mortal Sins

[newsieq · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although I’ve read stories about pedophile priests, but I’ve never read a book that provides an overview of the problem as it evolved. Mortal Sins does just that. It’s not a cataloguing of all the victims and perpetrators – that would be an impossible task – but it offers the stories of a few of the people who were key players, for good and ill.The church hierarchy certainly comes out looking bad, but there were a few priests who blew the whistle and tried to get the bishops and cardinals to do the right thing – mostly to no avail. And lawyers, many of them devote Catholics, often come out looking like saints. And lots of the victims remain campaigners to protect children in the future. So, at least there are a few people in Mortal Sins who truly can be called heroes. I was surprised how surprisingly honest some of the pedophile priests were – much of the damning information comes from their depositions. Since many of them committed crimes for which the statute of limitations had run out, the victims were forced to go to the civil courts for redress – and the dioceses were the ones with the deep pockets, not the priests. That way the victims had to prove that the higher ups knew or should have known what the priests under them were up to. And much of the evidence was there in black and white, in files subpoenaed for the trials. Many of the victims’ stories are real heart-breakers. Often already troubled children were selected and groomed by the priests. If they ever had a chance for a happy life, their abuse made that nearly impossible. And the children were as young as age four. That the pedophile priests were let loose on unsuspecting parishes is just plain unconscionable. If there is a hell, the bishops who covered up should burn there for all eternity. Although the organization of Mortal Sins could have been better (if there was a logic to the way the story was rolled out, it wasn’t apparent to me), it was a story that needed to be put down on paper. It was a compelling read.

[Martin Bortnick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sad, but necessary testament to horrific apathy by church leaders to crimes committed by priests!