Le prêtre et le sexe : Les révélations des procès de l'Inquisition

Alessandro Stella

The Inquisition in colonial Mexico, between 1540 and 1810, filed nearly two thousand lawsuits against clergy accused of sexual offenses. Stella's study, which is based on rich documentation produced by the ecclesiastical courts, is a major contribution to the history of sexuality, which generally relies only on literature. How did the Church condemn sexual offenses (pedophilia, rape, harassment) committed by clergy? What was the profile of deviant priests and their victims? In this book, the author questions the position of the Church in regard of love, sexuality, pedophilia and confession.