Author: -

Abstract: »This contribution offers an explanation of the emergence of the issue of clerical pedophilia in France since the 1990s. The analysis is based on a sociological theorization of the notion of scandal: it is defined as the product of society’s mobilization against attitudes aimed at deconstructing its moral order. This theorization is followed by a periodization. Until the 1980s, French society was locked in silence. Buoyed by a “culture of honor”, whose essential characteristic was to give respect for institutions and reputations a fundamental place in the social system, it prevented the problem from coming to light, despite a certain evolution in its criminal law since the 19th century. The scandal began to emerge during the 1990s and 2000s. A whole collective mobilization, led by victims’ associations, feminist groups, lay associations, theologians and political players alike, then took place, leading to the publicization and then the judicialization of sexual violence against children in the Catholic Church. This new situation can be analyzed as the result of a cultural mutation: it arises with the advent of a “society of dignity” based on the prevalence of the rights of the subject over the rights of tradition.« (Source: Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion)

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