At the turn of the millennium, the crisis of sexual abuse changed the

societal landscape, first disclosed in the western and English-speaking

world and found to be problematic everywhere. A growing awareness of its

epic proportions - from the recognition in the 1970s of the prevalence

and lasting harm of incest to the uncovering of sexual abuse by clergy

to the #MeToo movement’s spotlight on abuse in various sectors - has

called attention to the suffering of victims.

Although sexual abuse is not exclusively an internal matter of the

Church, this book limits its scope to the abuse that happened to

children and young people within the context of the Catholic Church. The

Church has to respond to the many questions raised by this terrible

reality; its leaders and all faithful have to put victims first and

proactively engage in safe-guarding minors in the present and the

future.

This is the first publication in the book series of the Centre for Child

Protection (CCP). The CCP, which is part of the Institute of Psychology

of the Pontifical Gregorian University, aims at preventing sexual abuse

of minors and vulnerable people through formation and scientific

research.