Jewel Lee Herder, Ph.D., who holds a doctorate in historical theology specializing in church and society with a minor in scriptural theology and a Master of Sacred Theology in church history, has completed her new book “Sexual Violence and the Violence of Silence: Clergy Sexual Abuse in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia”: a gripping and potent dissection of the history of sexual abuse allegations in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Published by Page Publishing, Jewel Lee Herder, Ph.D.’s powerful work takes a candid look at the clergy sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia from a historical and cultural perspective. The author reveals the five veils of silence—the actions or inactions of the church hierarchy, congregation, law enforcement, media, and general public—that shrouded the cases of clergy sexual violence and exposed the internal maneuverings by administrative officials to silence all those involved or who knew about the abuses. This violence of silence had a profound effect on the victims by adding to their pain and suffering and interfering with their ability to heal and obtain justice.