The public has been riveted by the scandals of clerical sexual abuse in the United States, and church-state challenges have been created by the conflict between the U.S. Catholic Bishops, the Vatican, and civil authorities trying to manage reports of abuse and the prosecution of clerics accused of abusing children. From secret payoffs, cover-ups, and clerical reassignments, to civil investigations demanding transparency and justice, this book shows the confused and inconsistent policies of the Catholic hierarchy and the assertive actions of civil authorities to protect the children. Formicola explores how judicial authorities have trumped Church law; the nature of the Catholic Church-State power shift in America, and the loss of the Catholic Church's credibility in the public arena.