In this book, Michael W. Higgins and Peter Kavanagh - respected for their impeccable research as well as their knowledge of all things Catholic - have produced the definitive critical look at how clerical abuse has wreaked havoc on the credibility of the Catholic Church in Canada.

The authors go well beyond simply chronicling the issue and its players. They also carefully scrutinize how the media have both reported on and influenced the crisis.

Higgins and Kavanagh ask tough questions about what the church has and hasn't done. yet they do so with compassion and deep respect and love for the institution of the Church, seeking always to learn how we can truly serve the mission of Christ on earth.

Dr. Michael Higgins is a renowned Thomas Merton scholar and a regular media commentator on the Roman Catholic Church. He is the author or co-author of numerous books including Heretic Blood: The Spiritual Geography of Thomas Merton, The Jesuit Mystique, and My Father's Business: A Biography of His Eminence G. Emmett Cardinal Carter. Dr. Higgins is a professor of English and Religious Studies and has been President and Vice-Chancellor of St. Jerome's University in Waterloo, Ontario, since 1999.

Michael Higgins' profile page

Peter Kavanagh has worked as a journalist in television, radio and print for over 25 years. At CBC Radio he works with the Sunday Edition and Ideas. He frequently speaks at conferences on the media's role in society. His work appears in The Tablet, The Catholic Register and various secular media outlets.

Peter Kavanagh's profile page