Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church

The Findings of the Investigation That Inspired the Major Motion Picture Spotlight

By: The Investigative Staff of the Boston Globe

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service

The story behind this groundbreaking audiobook - one of the most significant works of investigative journalism since Woodward and Bernstein's reporting on Watergate - has been brought brilliantly to life on the screen in the major new movie Spotlight.

Here are the devastating revelations that triggered a crisis within the Catholic Church. Here is the truth about the scores of abusive priests who preyed upon innocent children and the cabal of senior church officials who covered up their crimes. Here is the trail of "hush money" that the Catholic Church secretly paid to buy victims' silence - deeds that left millions of the faithful in the US and around the world shocked, angry, and confused. Here as well is a vivid account of the ongoing struggle as Catholics confront their church and call for sweeping change.

©2002 The Investigative Staff of the Boston Globe (P)2015 Hachette Audio

Remarkable!

This is not only told through great narration but the story will shock you. With victims stories being told and getting the full picture of the cover up will have you wanting shaking your head. It’s amazing!

All good but...learn the proper pronunciations

I just wish that narrators would speak with people from the area to make sure they are pronouncing the names of people and places correctly. I definitely don't want to hear this narrator say 'Methuen,' 'Haverhill' or 'Bulger' ever again.

Fascinating story, marred by mispronunciations

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend it with a caveat if my friend were from the Boston area. A number of proper nouns were mispronounced, mispronunciations that wouldn't have happened if the production team had asked someone from the Boston area how to pronounce Haverhill (HAY-vrill, not Have-er-hill), Methuen (M'-THOO-en, not METH-uen), Framingham (Framing-Ham, not Framingum) and Bulger (Buljer). The last one, in particular, jarred because it was repeated so frequently. (It's a man's last name.)

What did you like best about this story?

The wealth of detail and how it was organized.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Paul Boehmer?

Maybe.

Was Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church worth the listening time?

Absolutely.

Amazing

I enjoyed the book, because I never knew that anyone went to jail over these horrible crimes.
I hope the church can recover and make itself a shining light as it should be.
The revelation of the scope of these crimes not only robbed the children, but also robbed the country of its innocence. The church is made up of people. when they commit horrible crimes they should go to jail.

Bless me Father for I have sinned...

We were taught to respect clergy as being next to Godliness. We bowed. We genuflected. We tithed as children, to give our pennies to the religious, to gain heavenly happiness. They are nothing more than the 20th century Santa Claus.

very scary

this book is well written but scary. be advised. these are some sick sick sickos. goddamn! lots.of victims made by a corrupt system..

It’ll piss you off!

The depths that this scandal goes if beyond comprehension. It needs to be told and it was interesting.

Horrible narration but still worth the read.

A hard story well-hard

The book fills in the details left out in the movie. It can be hard to listen to the tales of abuse but I think it is necessary to make sure changes happen in the church and to hold the church accountable.

Excellent but scary story

This is not an easy story to listen to. I'm from Boston and it's a story I was familiar with. the outrage I felt then is still the same now. it was good to hear a bit more detail not just what we all heard on the news. The story underscore deliberate hiding of the perpetrators and frankly the dismissive attitude of the church towards the victims. The worst part is that could've been avoided.

Devastating Portrayal of Catholic Negligence

Would you consider the audio edition of Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church to be better than the print version?

As I have never read the print version, I am unable to sufficiently answer.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

It was pure reportage. Though a mixture of reporting on the subject and a background on the process behind the reporting, a la All The President's Men, may have offered a different perspective on the story, the fundamental documentation of the sins of the Catholic Church regarding sexual abuse by priests, specifically Cardinal Law of Boston, was jaw dropping and disheartening.

Any additional comments?

This was a real page turner but, without introducing the reporters into the story as many journalistic tomes do, the narrative was too provincial. This happened nationwide, for that matter, throughout most of the Cold War era termed "First World," but it only briefly touched on stories outside the archdiocese of Boston.