Child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has been increasingly recognized as a problem not limited to individual institutions. Recent inquiry commission reports provide substantial information on offense dynamics, but their conclusions have not been synthesized with empirical research to date. The aim of this systematic literature review was to bring together key findings and identify gaps in the evidence base. The three main focus points were (a) types of publications and methodology used, (b) frequency information on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, (c) individual factors in offending, and (d) institutional factors in offending. It was found that reports, legal assessments, and research on child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church provide extensive descriptive and qualitative information for five different countries. This includes individual psychological factors (static risk predictors, multiple trajectories) and institutional factors (opportunity, social dynamics) as well as prevalence rates illustrating a high "dark figure" of child sexual abuse.
Rapid technological changes, which are mainly the result of the progress in computer technology, in the last decades of the twentieth century, have touched every area of life and have enforced numerous innovations. Modern ways of communication and exchange of information, especially the development of social media, have led to a significant and complex transformation of the traditional media. Practically all media companies around the world, in order to maintain their position on the market, have had to make decisive modifications of their ways of working. On one hand they remained available to the users of traditional media, but on the other hand, they look for effective ways of reaching all those who are using only new ways. Similarly, the Vatican media could not remain indifferent to the issues mentioned above. For several years the Vatican has initiated a process of preparation for a general reform of its media institutions. However, these works have accelerated at a great rate during the pontificate of Pope Francis.The reform of the Vatican media is not an easy task. It concerns several independent institutions. Each one of them has their own history and way of announcing the Gospel. The widespread computerization, especially the development of the internet and social media, has also forced the Vatican to reflect on new ways of communicating. Among many questions, the most important were about the effectiveness of evangelization through the media, the ways of spreading the Pope's message around the world to as many faithful as possible, and about the costs of necessary investments that would allow further, dynamic development and effective functioning of the Vatican media.
Une analyse des mentalités spécifiquement catholiques explique pourquoi l’Église ne parvient pas à se réformer pour faire face aux abus. La posture défensive en réaction à la perte de pouvoir de l’Église a renforcé l’affirmation de son infaillibilité et un sentiment de victimisation, aux dépens de l’écoute des critiques et renforçant le devoir de protéger l’institution. La gestion du pouvoir et de la sexualité n’est pas adéquatement prise en compte dans la formation des clercs. Il faut donc non seulement clarifier les procédures canoniques et les structures d’autorité, mais changer les mentalités : reconnaître ouvertement les crimes, susciter la collaboration de tous pour lutter contre le cléricalisme, mettre en place des mesures de protection contre les abus et contre les accusations injustes, et offrir des lieux de guérison.
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