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Fallen Order: A History
 
 

Fallen Order: A History (Hardcover)

by Karen Liebreich (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Atlantic Books; First Edition edition (2 May 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1843540738
  • ISBN-13: 978-1843540731
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.4 x 3.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,069,014 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review
Liebreich's book lifts the lid on the first child sex abuse scandal to hit the Roman Catholic Church - but it is one you will probably never have heard about. The scandal took place on a vast scale in the 17th century and it was hushed up all the way to the Vatican. Even Father Jose de Calasanz, now the patron saint of Catholic schools, was involved in the conspiracy of silence, and Pope Innocent X turned a willing blind eye to what was going on. Liebreich delves into the turbulent history of the Piarist Order, founded by Calasanz to house and educate the poor children of Rome. The Order soon spread throughout Europe, taking in thousands of children. But many of those put in charge of homes and schools were known paedophiles and the Church's answer to complaints was to move the offending priests on to similar homes elsewhere. Liebreich shines light into this murkiest corner of Church history and reveals the full extent of that long-ago scandal. (Kirkus UK)

A sordid tale of pederast priests and blind-eye bishops: a headline fit for today, that is, 350-odd years old. BBC/History Channel researcher and producer Liebreich caught her first glimpse of the Counterreformation-era Order of the Clerics Regular of the Pious Schools, or Piarists, while conducting research in dusty archives in Rome and Florence. Founded by a Spanish priest, Jose de Calasanz, at the turn of the 17th century, the order was devoted to feeding, housing, and educating poor boys who might otherwise be tempted into Protestantism. Over the centuries, its beneficiaries included Victor Hugo and Mozart, and the order enjoyed influence in distant places such as Moravia and Poland. Notes Liebreich, though, the Catholic Encyclopedia "skips blithely from 1612, when the Roman school moved to larger premises, to 1748 when the founder was beatified." What happened in those intervening years? Plenty: while Calasanz, who would come to be regarded as the patron saint of public education, worked diligently to keep his schools running against all manner of intramural politicking in Rome, priests under his charge all over Europe used their proximity to and power over young boys to commit what was then called "the worst vice." As news of the scandals reached Rome, it was ignored, dismissed, and hushed up, while "the concern," writes Liebreich, "was always for the sinner, the priest, never for the victim, however young." Indeed, one of worst offenders was eventually booted upstairs, protected by the pope himself. Finally, however, the scandal could be hidden no longer, and the order was suppressed. Some of the priests entered other orders, but one took the initiative of murdering a little old lady whose confession he had been hearing, loading up her riches, and sailing away: "The crime was not discovered for a few weeks, and the ex-Piarist was never heard from again." Liebreich's account shows not only that priestly abuse is an old problem, but also that cover-ups never work-a pointed moral with obvious, and timely, implications. (Kirkus Reviews)

Karen Armstrong
‘This scholarly yet brilliantly accessible book could not be more timely…relentless in its search for the truth’

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A rivetting story, 15 May 2004
By A Customer
This is a great book - extremely well written, a rivetting tale, giving a wonderful sense of place and time (17th century Italy) - and a fascinating story of intrigue in a Catholic teaching order eventually closed down partly because of a paedophile scandal. The resonances with the response of the Catholic church today are immense (promote, ignore, cover-up). This is much like the Name of the Rose or Longitude - with that good mix of history, personalities, intrigue, plotting and passion.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read, 2 Jun 2004
By Mr. D. C. Dawson-pick - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Fallen Order is a story from another century with an immediate relevance to our 21st century society. A story of paedophilia and cover-up in the Catholic Church, told at break-neck speed with a tremendous fluency of writing. A must read.
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1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A helluva good read, 17 May 2004
By N J Hanbury-Williams (London, UK United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
Fallen Order is a meticulously researched and argued work. Karen Lieberich brings her often odious characters to life, quoting liberally from source material. It is a grim subject and sadly one that remains topical today.
For a piece of scholarship, it is a helluva of good read.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read
Fallen Order is a story from another century of immeidate relevance to our 21st century society. This tale of paedophilia in the Catholic Church, of cover-ups and intrigue, is... Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2004 by Mr. D. C. Dawson-pick

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