La Cattiva Condotta Sessuale del Clero: Un’Analisi Interdisciplinare

A cura di Jane F. Adolphe e Ronald J. Rychlak
Traduzione italiana di Marco Toti

GIORNALI

“50 Homosexual Italian Priests Come Out.” (2022, December 20.) FSSPX News. Clicca qui. Per Domani, clicca qui.

RECENSIONI

Clicca qui per le recensioni.

APPROVAZIONI

“Ciò che è veramente notevole in questo libro è l’ampiezza e la profondità dell’analisi dell’intera crisi degli abusi sessuali da parte di uomini e donne in possesso di una profonda identità cattolica e fermamente impegnati nell’autentico rinnovamento cattolico”. –Jeffrey Mirus, CatholicCulture.org

Questo libro “appartiene allo scaffale di ogni cancelleria, biblioteca del seminario e canonica”. Esso “esamina le cause della crisi, sia all’interno che all’esterno della Chiesa cattolica, come il ruolo che il marxismo culturale ha svolto nell’indebolire la famiglia e la moralità sessuale; l’impatto degli ormai smascherati rapporti Kinsey sulla sessualità umana; teorie di Wilhelm Reich che hanno sostenuto la rivoluzione sessuale degli anni ’60… Pur essendo completo e ricco di note accademiche, La Cattiva Condotta Sessuale del Clero offre una lettura avvincente, accessibile a chiunque abbia a cuore di ripulire il flagèllo degli abusi sessuali da parte del clero e di prevenirne la recrudescenza” – Deborah Gyapong, Catholic News Service

“Nell’ultimo decennio ho letto diversi libri sull’soggetto, spesso scritti da cattolici scontenti o liberali che detestano la Chiesa e che sfruttano questo problema molto reale per portare avanti la propria agenda. Quello che sentivo era necessario era un’analisi approfondita in per realizzare un autentico rinnovamento cattolico. Credo che questo sia il libro che ci voleva… In sintesi, questo è di gran lunga il miglior libro sull’soggetto». – Dr. Pravin Thevathasan,Catholic Medical Quarterly

Questo libro “è apprezzato non solo per la sua erudizione, ma anche per l’impegno per l’ortodossia cattolica dei suoi collaboratori, i quali comprendono che qualsiasi rimedio deve essere fedele alle verità liberatrici che Gesù ha rivelato alla sua Chiesa in particolare e all’umanità in generale. … La Cattiva Condotta Sessuale del Clero funge da opera di riferimento per comprendere meglio i fattori chiave che hanno permesso allo scandalo di svilupparsi nel tempo e propone anche misure per garantire che non accada mai più..” – Thomas J. Nash, The Catholic World Report

Jane F. Adolphe

Jane F. Adolphe laureata in diritto civile (LLB/BCL) e diritto canonico (JCL/JCD), è professoressa di diritto presso l’Ave Maria School of Law, a Naples, in Florida, con esperienza in diritto internazionale dei diritti umani. Dal 2003 al 2011 lei ha lavorato presso la Sezione per i Rapporti con gli Stati della Segreteria di Stato in Vaticano come consulente legale esterno dei Papi Giovanni Paolo II e Benedetto XVI. Poi nel 2011, durante gli ultimi anni del pontificato di Papa Benedetto XVI, lei ha prestato servizio come esperta interna lavorando nello Stato della Città del Vaticano, e ha continuato in questa posizione nel pontificato di Papa Francesco, fino alle sue dimissioni nel 2020. La prof.ssa Adolphe ha co-curato diversi libri: The Persecution and Genocide of Christians in the Middle East: Prevention, Prohibition, and Prosecution; ; Equality and Non-Discrimination: Catholic Roots, Current Challenges;  e St. Paul, the Natural Law, and Contemporary Legal Theory.

Ronald J. Rychlak

Ronald J. Rychlak è un illustre professore di diritto presso l’Università del Mississippi negli Stati Uniti e anche consigliere giuridico della delegazione della Santa Sede presso le Nazioni Unite. Ha conseguito la laurea in giurisprudenza presso la Vanderbilt University ed è autore di numerosi libri tra cui Hitler, the War, and the Pope.

Marco Toti

Nato a Roma nel 1976, è dottore di ricerca ed abilitato professore associato di “Storia delle Religioni”. Ha pubblicato vari lavori concernenti argomenti di mistica e religioni comparate, con particolare attenzione al metodo di orazione esicasta, oltre che alcune questioni inerenti alla storia intellettuale, al “lessico dell’ascesi” in epoca tardo-antica, alla metapolitica, agli anni ’60 in prospettiva storico-culturale (Concilio Vaticano II, “tradizionalismo”, “nuovi movimenti religiosi”); tra i suoi lavori più significativi si ricordano “La preghiera e l’immagine. L’esicasmo tardo-bizantino (XIII-XIV secolo)”, Milano 2012 (Jaca Book), e “’Un atomo di fuoco’. Forme e dinamiche culturali di Occidente: storia delle religioni, tradizione, ermeneutica”, Rimini 2019 (Il Cerchio). Ha tenuto conferenze in occasione di numerosi Congressi nazionali e internazionali; ha inoltre vissuto e effettuato ricerche in Francia, USA, Marocco, Grecia e nel Sudest asiatico. Attualmente insegna materie umanistiche presso alcuni istituti superiori. http://independent.academia.edu/MarcoToti

OTHER CATHOLIC ACADEMIC BOOKS

Unfolding a Post-Roe World

by Francis Etheredge

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Revisiting the Publisher’s Blurb

A Biography and New Foreword by Kiki Latimer: Biography; the New Forward: On the Reality of the Human Person: One in Body and Soul; On the Dignity of Women; To Choose Life; On the Reasonable Recognition of the Person; On the Coercive Choice; On the Objective Beginning of Personhood; On the Good of the Family

Excerpt from an interview with Elizabeth Kirk on Promoting Adoption in America

Part I: Refocussing the Heart of this Book

What is in a Title? Unfolding A Post-Roe World: Conception: An Unfolding Content; Rights Are Integral to Human Existence;
The help We Need to Understand What Is not so “Familiar; Conception: An Unfolding Content; Conception Expresses Both Uniqueness and Relationship; Questions; Is My Body Mine?; This Book; Five Parts

Part II: The Teaching of Experience: Law; Analogies; and Gardening: Comprising Chapters One and Two; Five examples of the image as a counterargument

Chapter One: An Imaginative use of Gardening and Plant Life: Part I: The Science of Plant Reproduction; Part II: Teaching through the Everyday Experience of Growing Vegetables: Tomato Seeds, Plants and Conception; The Early, Hidden Development of Both Tomato Plant and Embryonic Child; Conception and Growing Potatoes; The Integrity of Human Being; Plant Loss and Human Sorrow

Chapter Two: A Unitary Beginning of One or Many: Two Views: Immediate or Delayed Animation; The Possibility of a Single Answer to When Did I begin? Embryology: What is One Organism? Reverting to What is Original; A Difference of Words: Embryo and Child?

Part III: Literary Truths and the Literal Truth: Comprising Chapters Three and Four

Chapter Three: Passing Through the Past to the Present: From the “literal” use of an Image to the Truth of Embryology; Stage One: Taking the Comparison with a Plant to be Literally True; Stage Two: Movement, Sensation and the Rearing of Young; Stage Three: Rational Ensoulment; A Concluding Reflection: Towards Understanding Human Ensoulment; The Greatest Natural Transformation: The Unfolding of Conception

Chapter Four: Scripture and Theology: Word and Dogma: The Word of God and Dogma; A Variety of Witnesses to Human Conception – Beginning with Eve; Job; David; the Martyred Mother of Her Seven Martyred Sons; Mary: The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception and Human Conception

Part IV: What is Certain and What is Uncertain about Conception: Comprising Chapters Five, Six and Seven; Conversion to Reality

Chapter Five: The Teaching of the Church and the Problem of Uncertainty: Prologue: A Modern Moment; Introduction: Who is My Neighbour; The Problem of Uncertainty in both Church Teaching and the 14th Amendment

Chapter Six: On the Interpretation of Texts: Particularly “Amendment 14”: Amendment 14; Mr. Justice Rehnquist, Dissenting; On the Question of the Rightful Protection of Women; and The Principle of Determining an Appropriate Level of Legal Action

Chapter Seven: An Answer to the Uncertainty of What or Who Exists at Conception: What is the Experience of Women in Pregnancy?; The Witness of Each One of Us; A Discussion on the Teachings of the Catholic Church and the “Opinion of the Court”; A Clarification as Regards the Teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas; The Contribution of Revelation and Dogma; A Variety of Bioethical Declarations; Gravitating to a Consensus

Part V: Unfolding a Post-Roe World: Comprising Chapters Eight, Nine and Ten; Distinguishing Actual and Potential Human Life

Chapter Eight: Roe v Wade: The Ongoing Arguments of Benefit to us All: Justice Beyond a Change of Justices (i); Viability is for Life (ii); Choice, Burdens, and their Alleviation (iii); Bodily Integrity, Liberty, Equality and the Constitution (iv); Brain Death and Abortion (v); Abortion and the Advancement of Women (vi); True Justice is Irreversible (vii)

Chapter Nine: A New Beginning: The Opinion of the American Supreme Court; A Book by John Strege: Hannah: The First Child Adopted as a Frozen Embryo; ITEST Webinars Entitled “A Post-Roe World” (I) and “Bioethics and Law: Understanding the Nexus: Truth and Meaning in Constitutional Jurisprudence” (II) and The ongoing challenge: Is There a Right to Life in the American Constitution?; A Possible Comparison between the Legislative Variations of American States and a Precept of the European Court; Coercion: Personal and Social; An Ectopic Pregnancy: Fear, Truth and Opportunity; Pope Francis on Justice, the Bond of Fraternity and Peace

Chapter 10: A Conclusion in Three Parts: Part I: Lest we Forget Mother, Child and Father; Part II: The Wider Implications for a Post-Roe World: Three Loci: To Know our Identity; a Move Towards the Further Denial of Being Human; and Change; and Part III: The Disruptive Power of the Word of God: The Human Unpredictability of an Answer to Prayer: The Will of God

A Very Distinguished Testimony: Saint Teresa of Calcutta; Where To Get Help? “Seek and you will find” (Mt 7: 7): Help with Pregnancy or Post-Abortion Counselling; Dr. Pat Castle: ‘78% of post-abortion mothers said if they had encountered ONE supportive person or encouraging message, they would have chosen life.’ And, therefore, he founded “Life Runners”: they wear ‘“REMEMBER The Unborn” jerseys as a public witness in over 3,300 cities’.; A Testimony from a Man to Men: An Unexpected Joy: An Unprecedented Pain; Joy and Pain Express “Relationship”; “Indelible”; and the “Rise of Articles on St. Joseph and Fatherhood

Further Reading: A Variety of Prior Work on Conception and Specific Documents of the Catholic Church in English

REVIEWS OF THE SECOND EDITION

Mary Grenchus, in The Grenchus Foundation (January 16, 2023). To read on the Grenchus Foundation website, click here.

James Sale, in Goodreads.com (January 11, 2023). To read on Goodreads, click here.

Christine Sunderland, in ChristineSunderland.com (November 13, 2022). To read on Christine’s website, click here. To read on Goodreads, click here. To download as a PDF, click here.

REVIEWS OF THE FIRST EDITION

Christine Sunderland, in ChristineSunderland.com (May 15, 2022). To read, click here. To download as a PDF, click here.

Eileen Quinn Knight, in Profiles in Catholicism. (March 26, 2022). To read, click here.

TESTIMONIALS FOR THE SECOND EDITION

“A masterful work of philosophical and theological reasoning. A truly indispensable and invaluable guide for navigating one’s way through the contentious and ongoing abortion debate.” – Professor Richard Spinello, Boston College and Saint John’s Seminary, Boston

“In a post-Roe world, decisive answers to difficult questions and clear vision amidst deliberate ambiguity are required more than ever when it concerns Human life. That is exactly what Francis Etheredge offers here, not only to the United States but to the World.” – Fr Sean Gough is a Diocesan Priest of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, England. He has faced criminal charges for praying peacefully outside of an abortion centre.

“The advocates of the sexual revolution promised a breakthrough for the freedom, the happiness and human development of persons, especially women. But has this revolution really been the path to ‘an earthly paradise’? At a time when many fierce voices continue to deny the most basic right – the right to life – to the voiceless human beings in the womb, Francis Etheredge’s arguments have a compelling self-evidence because he allows human conception to show its beauty and preciousness. While admitting and understanding that “some people have difficulty in recognizing a real beginning”, the author invites us to go back to our own beginning, “to go to the roots of the basic questions of human existence and human rights” by appealing primarily to our human experience. No better route to take! He shows the readers that amidst the rich variety of life on earth, human life is cause for special wonder and that its sacredness is something that can be and is sensed by everyone who appreciates the wonder of human life. The child in the womb is not a ‘potential’ life, but a human life with potential. The baby’s life in the womb is an astonishing process of growth and development. As science makes clear, it is at fertilization that a new, unique, and genetically complete human being comes into existence. To help us understand human conception and why it makes perfect sense to defend it and adequately protect it, Francis Etheredge adopts a multifaceted approach and draws together insights from the fields of biology, gardening, medicine, literature, sociology, politics, law, ethics, philosophy, and theology. There is something for everyone to read, discover and ponder! If those who read this book allow it to challenge them and to form and/or deepen their understanding and appreciation of human conception, a great good will be accomplished.” – Monica Rapeanu STL, Co-founder and co-organizer of the Theology of the Body International Symposia

“I wholeheartedly recommend this book Unfolding a Post-Roe World. The topics of this book range from philosophy, bioethics, theology, which all make for an engaging read. Francis does a tremendous work portraying the aspect ‘that gratitude for childbearing has diminished in a culture that often condemns a mother for introducing another carbon footprint into the world.’ His exploration of ‘abortion and the advancement of women’ made for an inspiring read. Francis highlights the importance of breaking down the idea of ‘potential life.’ Utilizing the word of God, Francis demonstrates that the sacredness of all human life is the ultimate hope for society. This deep book provides a premise on the importance of not compromising when it comes to choosing life. Unfolding a Post-Roe World is an interesting work and a profoundly rewarding read.” – Catherine Mockler at SPUC and on Instagram

“Unfolding a Post-Roe World is one of the most comprehensive books on the greatest human rights issue of our time: the unborn child.  Etheredge beautifully interweaves the pro-life position with arguments from science, theology, philosophy, and so much more. At the final judgment, our generation will be accountable for the unborn children who died on our watch, making this book even more timely.” —Patrick O’Hearn, author of Parents of the Saints: The Hidden Heroes Behind Our Favorite Saints 

“The subject of abortion has once again come to the forefront with the passing of the Dobbs decision by the supreme court.  We all have a beginning, but when that beginning occurs is a matter of debate in the public sphere.  In his book, Unfolding A Post-Roe World, Francis Etheredge answers this vital question from several disciplines.  Using theology, philosophy, law, and many others he answers this question and defends life from the point of conception.  This amazing book is a must have for anybody that is serious about defending life.” —William Hemsworth, M.Div. (click here for his personal website), Columnist at Patheos, and Host of The Bible Catholic Show

“It is true that in our end is our beginning. But our understanding of our beginnings will shape the ends any society pursues. Francis Etheredge’s Unfolding a Post-Roe World uses a variety of intellectual tools from biology, law, literature, philosophy, and theology to help readers see what preborn life is and why defending it is essential for a post-Dobbs society.” —David P. Deavel, Associate Professor of Theology, University of St. Thomas (Houston, Texas), and Senior Contributor, The Imaginative Conservative

“Francis Etheredge’s book Unfolding a Post-Roe World follows on the judgment of the American Supreme Court in the Dobbs case, April 2022, which concluded that there is no constitutional right to abortion in the United States. The book is, therefore, written from what is now a post-Roe perspective, where there is no federal jurisdiction over abortion but where each individual state will promote its own legislation.  This is a major legal and political matter discussed in the book, which also considers ramifications for other jurisdictions. The author goes further, telling his readers that the broader purpose of the book derives from his conviction that: ‘… there needs to be a law that embodies the multiple rights of the nascent human person: the right to the life embodied in the dynamism of every human embryo; the right to completing human development; to the completion of what began unfolding from conception; and the right of ensuring the human integrity of each human being, so that nobody’s human identity is compromised by being ‘mixed’ with animal ingredients’ (Pp. 21-22). This is a matter for international law, therefore a matter of concern for every jurisdiction.” —Moira McQueen, LLB, MDiv, PhD, DSL (Hon.), Executive Director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute, University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto

“I find this book feels far more complete than the first version, particularly due to the comments on Dobbs v Jackson. I think this book makes excellent material for educating Catholics, but also to persuade other Christians of our views. The book is educational and convincing, but also moving. It proposes the case of Natural Law with charity and compassion for all. I hadn’t heard about the reimplantation of ectopic pregnancies before. I have found that a lot of talk around abortion differs from other areas of medicine in that people have little belief in the improvement of the science of fertility. For example, I have noticed that many of the people I have talked to about abortion tend to think the risk of maternal death is much higher than it really is. They don’t know that ‘viability’ or rather survivability of an unborn child is quickly becoming earlier and earlier. They also don’t share a vision or hope that medicine could improve with new techniques or technologies that would mean both mother and child could survive in almost all cases. Thank you for the updated version – I thought the new foreword, along with the new afterword were particularly powerful pieces.” —Michal Paszkiewicz, BSc Theoretical Physics, PgDip Science and Religion at Mobile Technical Lead at Navico Group

“This book, with the new foreword by Kiki Latimer, presents a suitable commentary on the issue of abortion. The poetic-theological “seasoning” of it brings an appropriate touch to the philosophical sensibility of Etheredge’s position, which operates with respect to the legal and social data of a pre- and post-Roe world. Etheredge’s overall approach is, I think, helpful because, on one hand, it squelches a popular tendency to reject any attempt at rational discourse about abortion while, on the other hand, employing basic principles of bioethics—and, to a lesser, though still informative, extent, metaphysics—so to present the dynamism of the issue at hand in a winsome manner. I anticipate that this book will serve as a positive guide, one which will lead its reader along a path of deep reflection concerning the genesis of human life—scientifically, philosophically, and theologically—and therein elicit a fundamental ethical question that should face each of us in our present epoch: What, exactly, are the metaphysical, moral, and theological implications of discontinuing, destroying, and discounting human life at its most vulnerable? My prayer for this book is that it will prompt the reader to reflect deeply on the question of human origins, and do so along the same lines as that “true metaphysician,” St. Bonaventure, did: that human life belongs supremely to the originating principle of the Father, and to the receiving principle of the Son, and to the terminating end of the Holy Spirit, ‘the Lord, the Giver of Life.'” —Lance H. Gracy, M.A., Teaching Fellow, University of North Texas, Department of Philosophy and Religion

“What Francis Etheredge has done here with “Unfolding a Post-Roe World” is tremendous. His work of cutting through the legal jargon and red tape of the American Constitution surrounding the recent Dobbs v. Jackson case is extraordinary. With patience and undebatable precision, Etheredge combs through various questions regarding life, existence, conception and the arguments against basic human rights: the rights of the unborn child. “Unfolding a Post- Roe World” reads clearly with strength and undeniable truth as the leading voice of defence for the defenceless. This book is without a doubt a clear outline for how we as a world can navigate these ethically complex times we find ourselves a part of.” —Annemarie Thimons, Director of Communications, MyCatholicWill.com

“In this short work, Francis Etheredge applies evidence and argument from different disciplines to the question of human personhood. His reasoning is thorough, patient, and infused with love. He establishes the personhood of the child in the womb from the moment of the joining of sperm and egg and lays out a convincing case for the 14th Amendment’s protection of all human life.” —Christine Kasun Moruza, Superior Court Judge (Ret.), Alameda County, CA, USA

“This is a truly astonishing book – in its range, depth, subtlety of learning, knowledge, philosophy and theology; not to mention jurisprudence, sociology and other stuff too! So in one sense it is complex and difficult to read, but in another it is very straightforward: it argues ‘that the more we depart from the simple principle, do good and avoid harm, the more there is a proliferation of moral crises and dilemmas’. These crises and dilemmas are a direct result of the American Wade v Roe ruling in 1973 and its approach to abortion, which the book argues fails to recognise what is being aborted: ‘Everyone agrees that something dies in an abortion; but does someone die?’ Thus, we get a cornucopia of research and ideas which are truly mind-boggling. Etheredge is a Catholic and I am not, so there are aspects of the Catholic parts of his argument that I do not fully accept, although I agree with most of the thrust of what he is saying; but importantly, he makes this great concession: ‘As atheist Nathan Hentoff recognized years ago, abortion is not a religious issue but one that can be understood as wrong by the light of natural reason alone.’ This, then, is not just a moral issue to be decided by an authority; it is also an ethical matter on which all right thinking people can think, and furthermore consider the evidence – biological, sociological, familial and so on – and therefore reach a much more informed conclusion. Indeed, the issue is much wider than abortion, for as Etheredge notes: ‘Bishop John Keenan suggests, there is a very real danger that free speech is under threat as it becomes socially unacceptable to protest, peacefully, to pray and counsel outside an abortion facility or to otherwise raise the contrary point of view in the pursuit of truth.’ This is certainly happening in the UK and it is a worrying and fascistic tendency. I cannot therefore recommend this book highly enough – given its level of detail and research, I am surprised that Etheredge is not a Professor at some prestigious university. Not an easy read, but I recommend you read it!” —James Sale, a reader from the UK on Amazon.co.uk

“For those looking to understand the history and rational arguments concerning Roe V Wade, this book has a lot to offer. Coming from both scientific and religious perspectives, it offers a comprehensive look at the entire spectrum of defining life from conception to death, what conception really looks like, and how this conversation influences—or should influence—our legal system. Lots of points to highlight and consider as we move into our future, hopefully with our humanity intact.” —Ann Frailey, a reader from the US on Amazon.com

“Unfolding a Post-Roe World manages to shed new light on life after the Dobbs decision. He reminds us that to understand the post-Roe world, we need to draw on the best insights from science, history, law, philosophy, and theology. We need rigorous thinking to defend the dignity of the unborn and compassionate hearts to address the plight of women in unexpected pregnancies. Etheredge’s thoughtful book equips readers with arguments and models of charity that should inspire them to promote a culture of life.” —Fr. Michael Baggot, LC, of the Regina Apostolorum

TESTIMONIALS FOR THE FIRST EDITION

“With the likely overturning of Roe v. Wade, cogent arguments are needed to help people understand the moral evil of abortion as the issue returns to the democratic process. Francis Etheredge has made a significant contribution to this debate with the publication of The ABCQ of Conceiving Conception. In it, he makes a persuasive case for the personhood of the unborn child by unpacking the meaning of conception. Using images from botany, zoology, philosophy, and theology, Etheredge accompanies readers on a journey to the discovery of conception as the necessary beginning of human life, with all its attendant rights.” – Thomas D. Williams, PhD. Author of Who Is My Neighbor? Personalism and the Foundation of Human Rights

“The moment of conception can be described as a mystery and miracle. Even from a secular perspective, the beginning of human life carries immense wonder. Notwithstanding our modern medico-scientific understanding of human embryology, the use of analogy remains a valuable means for grasping the marvel of conception. Borrowing illustration from gardening and plant growth, Francis Etheredge in The ABCQ of Conception offers an accessible introduction to this wondrous moment. By seeing human conception for what it is – the beginning of a human person’s life – Etheredge shows that each human being is a unique gift invested with dignity. As conception initiates an innate developmental process that seamlessly leads to a mature human individual, Etheredge compellingly argues that impeding this process for non- therapeutic reasons amounts to a transgression against the natural right to develop, entailing the need to protect human life from the moment of conception.” – Eric Manuel Torres, BHlthSci, MOrthoptics (LaTrobe), MNSc (Melb), GradDipTheol, MTS (CTC/UDiv), GradCertEdu [Specialist Inclusive] (Deakin), CertIIIBAdmin (S.Russo), AOBR, MOA, RN, Assoc. Member CMAV. Catholic moral theologian and bioethicist.

“The commonest argument put forward to justify abortion is that the unborn child belongs to the mother. It is therefore her body, her choice. This book beautifully dismantles such a view: ‘our bodies express each one of us’ from conception till natural death. Our very biological make-up says so: once pregnant, the mother’s immune system has to let it accept the presence of a different human being growing inside of her. The book demonstrates admirably and by means of analogy that the unborn child is no more part of the woman’s body than a plant is a part of the soil it is growing in. Of course, the plant needs the soil and the unborn child needs his or her mother. The book seeks to stimulate the founding of an internationally binding charter which envisions the natural integrity of every human being from conception till natural death. It is my firm belief that this work has given us a rational foundation to propose this.” – Dr. Pravin Thevathasan, MB.BS, MRPsych, MSc (Medical Ethics) Consultant Psychiatrist and Editor, Catholic Medical Quarterly

“In his verse, the French Catholic poet Charles Peguy loved to celebrate beginnings and origins. The first beginning for all of us, the starting-point of the great adventure of our human life, is conception in our mothers’ wombs. Francis Etheredge deserves our gratitude for helping us understand and appreciate its beauty.” – Fr. John Saward, author of several books, including Redeemer in the Womb

“What Francis Etheredge elucidates so clearly within the pages of The ABCQ of Conception is that every human life is sacred, that human life possesses a dignity beyond that of plants and animals. Why? Because from the beginning — from the very moment of our conception — we are formed in our mother’s womb in the image and likeness of God. Every human life would not be life at all without the direct intervention of God, who infuses a rational soul into a body, uniting spirit and matter. Etheredge leads the reader toward a heartfelt gratitude to God for the gift of life and the recognition that every human life is something to be marveled at and reverenced, not trivialized and exploited. He illuminates well the responsibility of every Christian and person of good-will to seek out the just and legal means necessary to protect innocent human lives from their inception. This work is much needed and timely in its arrival.” – Rev. Kenneth M. Dos Santos, MIC, Provincial Secretary, BVM, Mother of Mercy Province; author of Hagia Sophia: The Wisdom of God as Offered to the Modern World

“In his book The ABCQ of Conception, Francis Etheredge takes advantage of our natural experience of living things—such as the potato and its life cycle—to help us bridge the modern ‘gap’ in understanding when life begins in the human person. Regarding our conception, Etheredge states, ‘there is a common agreement that ‘something’ comes to exist at conception. The question is, then, what comes to exist at conception?’ —A basic question, yet so profound. I laughed out loud because it struck me with its simple logic and undeniable philosophical truth. Another of his questions begs an equally unmistakable answer: “What is so disappointing about a miscarriage? Surely it has nothing to do with the abstract claim of losing a blob of cells…” The ABCQ of Conception aids us in acknowledging the beginning of human life—so vitally important for those in the womb; conceived by invitro; in frozen embryo form; experimented upon; and whose DNA is mixed with animal DNA creating chimeras. All persons have a God-given right to their natural human development and their distinct familial history and experience of siblings, grandparents, and other natural relations. Etheredge sums up his book, poignantly, in one clear statement: “…if the truth establishes our common human identity then it establishes, at the same time, our ethical responsibility for each other.” This responsibility, therefore, creates necessity for global acceptance of the beginning of human life for proper respect, protection, care, and posterity of humanity and the natural family unit.” – Kimberly Bruce, MA Theology, author of The Gender Link to the Human Soul and Look at the SON: The Fruit of Medjugorje

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mr. Francis Etheredge is married with eight children, plus three in heaven.

Francis is currently a freelance writer and speaker and his “Posts” on LinkedIn can be viewed here. Poetry; short articles; autobiographical blog; excerpts from books; and “Philosophize: A Ten Minute Write.”

For a list of all of Francis’ books published by En Route Books and Media, click here.

See Francis’ other books, too, entitled Scripture: A Unique Word, From Truth and truth: Volume I-Faithful Reason, From Truth and truth: Volume II: Faith and Reason in Dialogue, From Truth and truth: Volume III: Faith is Married Reason.

He has earned a BA Div (Hons), MA in Catholic Theology, PGC in Biblical Studies, PGC in Higher Education, and an MA in Marriage and Family (Distinction).

Enjoy these additional articles by Francis Etheredge:

• Witness “begets” Witnesses
• Love is a Liturgical Act
• The Holy Family, Celibacy, and Marriage: A Reflection on the “Passage” from the Jewish Rite of Marriage to the Sacrament of Marriage
• “Do-it-Yourself” or Vocation: Coincidence or Providence

OTHER CATHOLIC ACADEMIC BOOKS

Los principios del cambio: La reforma carmelita de Teresa de Ávila y las ideas de la gestión del cambio

Kristina R. Olsen

Este libro se basa en los principios de gestión del cambio organizacional para examinar la reforma de la Orden Carmelita de Teresa de Ávila en el siglo XVI. Durante los últimos veinte años de su vida, Teresa abordó los problemas que vio en los monasterios carmelitas de su época, incluida la administración ineficaz, el hacinamiento y la laxitud en las prácticas espirituales. Al volver al propósito original y la Regla escrita de los fundadores carmelitas, Teresa lanzó una reforma de la Orden Carmelita utilizando principios similares a los que se aplican en la gestión del cambio y la adopción de tecnología de la información (TI) de la actualidad. Este libro examina su reforma a la luz de la teoría y la práctica de la gestión del cambio, con el fin de arrojar luz sobre lo que hizo que su reforma fuera exitosa y cómo se podría aplicar su enfoque a la gestión del cambio en las organizaciones espirituales y seculares de hoy.

Paperback $14.95 | Kindle $9.99

Testimonios

“Para contrarrestar la idea de que los santos y los místicos son ajenos a la vida cotidiana, la Dra. Kristina Olsen, en Principles of Change: Teresa of Avila’s Carmelite Reform and Insights from Change Management muestra a Teresa de Ávila muy implicada en el tratamiento de los problemas relacionales y la resistencia a la reforma en las comunidades carmelitas que fundó. La espiritualidad es una disciplina interdisciplinaria, pero Olsen lleva los estudios de espiritualidad en una nueva dirección al recurrir al campo de la administración de empresas. Lo que surge es una apreciación mucho más rica del talento de Teresa de Ávila, ya que Olsen destaca el talento de la mística para la gestión y la reforma de las organizaciones. La resonancia entre los esfuerzos contemporáneos para motivar a la gente a adoptar las nuevas tecnologías y el enfoque de Teresa para invitar a sus monjas a la reforma es sorprendente. Esta obra innovadora es una importante contribución a los estudios teresianos”. – Raymond Studzinski, O.S.B., Ph.D., Director, Programa de Doctorado en Espiritualidad, Escuela de Teología y Estudios Religiosos, Universidad Católica de América

“Este es un libro sorprendentemente oportuno que nos enseña cómo el conocimiento y la religión han convivido durante siglos. El libro describe convincentemente cómo Teresa utilizó lo que podríamos llamar ‘principios de cambio organizativo’ para realizar cambios importantes en los monasterios carmelitas. Teresa abordó problemas no muy diferentes a los nuestros hoy en día: gestión incompetente, moral laxa, falta de dirección clara. La Dra. Olsen muestra cómo las estrategias que empleó Teresa pueden utilizarse, y se utilizan, para animar a los trabajadores a adoptar y aceptar las nuevas tecnologías. Eso incluye fomentar una actitud favorable tanto a la tecnología como al cambio, viendo los beneficios de adoptar la nueva tecnología. La autora se basa en los estudios sobre el “comportamiento planificado”, la gestión de la resistencia, la innovación y la “aceptación”. La Dra. Olsen conoce su temática. Durante varios años, ha enseñado la espiritualidad carmelita y otras materias en el Colegio y Seminario de los Santos Apóstoles en Cromwell, CT. Sus estudios de Doctorado en Administración de Empresas culminaron con su disertación sobre “El papel de la actitud en la aceptación y adopción de la tecnología de la información”. Principles of Change muestra que el liderazgo, el conocimiento y la espiritualidad pueden ser compatibles. De hecho, pueden ser justo lo que la sociedad necesita hoy en día”. – James P. Gelatt, Ph.D., Profesor, Doctor en Administración de Empresas, Universidad de MD Global Campus

Sobre la Autora

OTHER ACADEMIC BOOKS

Rational Responses to Skepticism: A Catholic Philosopher Defends Intellectual Foundations for Traditional Belief

by Dennis Bonnette, Ph.D.

Following an avalanche of spirited criticism from skeptics, agnostics, and atheists, who have provided forceful intellectual attacks against Thomistic philosophy and Catholic apologetics – including objections posed by naturalism and contemporary analytic philosophy, Dr. Bonnette has assembled a collection of his most salient articles containing a reasoned defense of the Catholic faith. These articles are organized within this book into sections that (1) demonstrate the weaknesses of today’s philosophy of naturalism, (2) defend epistemological certitudes and metaphysical universal principles, (3) study man — the unique spiritually-souled animal, (4) prove God’s existence, (5) examine God’s nature, (6) solve the problem of evil, (7) defend natural law ethics, and finally, (8) rationally examine various revealed realities — from Adam and Eve to modern-day miracles. A must-read for Catholics who want reasoned responses to common criticisms of classical theism and their faith.

Paperback: $26.95 | Kindle: $9.99

SOME SAMPLES OF SKEPTICAL QUESTIONS THIS BOOK ADDRESSES:

1. Who needs philosophy when natural science explains everything?
2. Why follow a Christian philosophy based on a refuted ancient physics?
3. Does not biological evolution eliminate ancient belief in “universal forms?”
4. Since apes can learn sign language, what is so special about humans?
5. Does not Newton’s principle of inertia eliminate the need for a First Mover?
6. Who needs a “God,” when the Cosmos simply has its own reality and laws?
7. If God is all good, why does he allow and even cause evil in the world?
8. Is not the God of classical theism simply a pile of incoherent properties?
9. How can an eternally-unchanging God create a constantly changing world?
10. How can the triune God of Christians avoid amounting to polytheism?
11. How can the Adam and Eve myth comport with hominid evolution’s fact?
12. How can the Virgin Mary really answer all those Catholic prayers to her?
13. How can Christian belief comport with possible rational space aliens?

TESTIMONIALS

“Well-trained in Thomistic epistemology and metaphysics, Bonnette is able to apply calm and rational responses to those who raise questions about the existence of God, the freedom of the will, the essential difference between humans and animals, and the possibility of miracles.” – Dr. Robert Fastiggi, Professor of Dogmatic Theology, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, MI

“Dr. Dennis Bonnette’s work has had a very large impact — everything he writes gets noticed — no doubt due to his unwavering commitment to orthodoxy. Rational Responses to Skepticism is a true contribution to Catholic thought.” – Matthew Levering, James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

OTHER CATHOLIC ACADEMIC BOOKS

After Justice: Catholic Challenges to Progressive Culture, Politics, Economics and Education

by Thomas A. Michaud, Ph.D.

In recent decades in the United States, various derivative forms of Progressivism have emerged that manifest its lack of philosophical cohesion and authoritarian proclivity, such as:

1) Postmodernism, which was actually anti-Modernism with its rejections of Rationalism, Scientific Positivism and any traditional-based metaphysics and ethics;

2) Authoritarian Politically Correct and Cancel Culture standards of moral righteousness; and,

3) Woke mentality that employs social and mainstream media to transform the “people” into a conformist, hive-minded ruling mob.

This book demonstrates in an Augustinian manner how contemporary Progressivism, to its own detriment, has become a political ideology and can no longer be considered a political philosophy.

Paperback: $19.95 | Kindle: $9.99

REVIEW

Hancock, Curtis. (2023, Feb. 1). “The Catholic Challenge to Progressivism.” The Postil Magazine. To read the review, click here.

TESTIMONIALS

“What kind of Catholics are needed in modern politics? Considering Thomas Michaud’s book After Justice: Catholic Challenges to Contemporary Culture, Politics, Education and Economics, one can argue that modern politics especially needs Catholics of intelligence and virtue. For only an intelligent Catholic will recognize the fact that the contemporary political forum is under the spell of Progressivism, giving preference to opinion over truth, positive law over natural law, and ideology over philosophy. In turn, only a virtuous Catholic will be able to oppose the power of Progressive nominalism, conventionalism, and manipulation in the most ethical and effective way. With Michaud’s book comes the hope that the intelligence and virtue that make up Catholic ethos will also make it possible to protect current and future culture, politics, education, and economics against the disastrous consequences of Progressivism.” – Fr. Paweł Tarasiewicz, Ph.D. – Adler–Aquinas Institute, Colorado Springs, Colo., USA

“Thomas A. Michaud’s After Justice is a collection of the author’s articles focused on issues fundamental to understanding Western culture, including philosophy, religion, politics, democracy, leadership, education, rhetoric, and economics. Michaud explains these issues, pointing to their threats occurring in contemporary reality, as well as showing the deep context of philosophical transformations taking place in these areas of culture. He explains in a very perceptive way the causes of the phenomena discussed, which include nihilism, relativism, progressivism, atheism, liberalism, individualism, collectivism, and totalitarianism. The problems explored here are fundamental and eminently practical issues, both for humanity itself and for our culture.  The path we take in explaining them, however, is extremely important. It must be an authentic philosophical cognition, which is built on the search for knowledge of the ultimate truth about the meaning of human life, as well as reality as a whole. This cognition, which is essentially at the service of the truth and respect for the human good, offers the chance to reveal and overcome the evils of various errors and ideologies. Such is the very rich philosophical perspective that this book presents to us.” – Dr. Habil. Imelda Chłodna-Błach, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin

“Tom Michaud is a genuinely unforgettable character. He has a certain American quality in strength of character and voice, and yet these qualities are complemented by a graceful and dexterous imagination, a razor-sharp intellect, and an irrepressible sense of humor. These talents combine to make him an arresting storyteller, with a talent for perceiving in ordinary events grounds for extraordinary narrations. Dr. Michaud is also an accomplished academic of international renown. He is a philosopher’s philosopher because he loves the truth, fortified by the conviction that reason and realism are necessary conditions to find the truth. As a lover of reason, he also explores truth in Christian teachings, recognizing, as did Aquinas, that reason is faith’s best friend. This book is both an intellectual treasure and a remedy for our deformed times, especially for those who hope for the triumph of justice.” – Professor Dr. Hab. Piotr Jaroszyinski, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Thomas A. Michaud, Retired, Dean, School of Professional Studies and Professor of Philosophy, West Liberty University (WLU) earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from Marquette University and his B.A. (Honors) from Fairfield University (CT). He has taught at Wheeling Jesuit University, Marquette University, Mount St. Mary’s University (MD), Siena University (NY), and Rockhurst University (Kansas City, MO). His international experience includes a Smith Fellowship for the Husserl Archives at the University of Louvain (Leuven), Belgium, a Senior Fulbright Lectureship for the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the inaugural lecturer for the Rev. Jacek Woroniecki Memorial English Language Lectures in Philosophy, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland.

Emphasizing his “common sense” approach, he has held seminars in leadership and ethics for many government and civic groups, professional associations, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions (including Duke Univ.’s Fuqua School of Business MBA program). In addition, Tom has designed and delivered extensive leadership ethics education programs for Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel Corp., Columbia Gas Transmission Corp., Columbia Gulf Transmission Company, Columbia Natural Resources Corp., Cabela’s Distribution Center and Dermox Corp.

He is the recipient of a WV Humanities Council Research Fellowship, former Director of the WV Business and Professional Ethics Project, a Kettering Foundation Contract Scholar, and a past-President of the Gabriel Marcel Society. He is also past-Vice President of the WV Humanities Council, and a former member of the Executive Council of the American Catholic Philosophical Association.

Besides writing a business ethics and leadership column (1996 to 2007) for The State Journal (WV’s leading business newspaper), he also has regularly written editorials for Nasz Djiennik (a Polish Catholic newspaper). His course text, The Virtues of Business Ethics, is published by Copley Custom Publishing Group, Third Edition, 2010.  His numerous papers, articles and reviews include publications in Philosophy Today, Renascence, The Review of Metaphysics, The Philosophy Research Archives, The lnter-American Review of Bibliography, Studia Gilsoniana, Man in Culture, The Kettering Review, Higher Education Exchange, Studia Philosophiae Christianae, Business Ethics Magazine and Ethics West Virginia. The anthology he edited and introduced, Gabriel Marcel and the Postmodern World, appeared as a special double volume of the Journal of the American Society of Philosophy in the French Language. He was also the Guest Editor for and a contributor to the Gabriel Marcel special issue of The American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly.

Dr. Michaud regularly designed courses for, taught in, developed and implemented various types of non-traditional, accelerated adult degree completion programs.  These include both undergraduate and graduate (Master of Science in Organizational Leadership, MBA, Executive MBA, Master of Professional Studies- MPS) programs. As Dean, Michaud essentially started the WLU School of Professional Studies (SPS), initiating its programs (Bachelor of Leadership and Administration, Professional Studies course concentrations, Master of Professional Studies in Organizational Leadership and Justice Leadership) and contributing to the management of the WLU Highlands Center.

OTHER CATHOLIC ACADEMIC BOOKS

Political Science and Saint Thomas Aquinas

by Dr. Donald G Boland

OTHER TITLES BY DONALD G. BOLAND

1. Logic, Science, and St. Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
2. Natural Philosophy, Modern Science and Saint Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
3. Science, Psychology and Saint Thomas Aquinas by Donald G. Boland | En Route Books and Media
4. Ethics Today and Saint Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
5. Natural Law – Australian Style | En Route Books and Media
6. Political Science and Saint Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
7. Economic Science and St. Thomas Aquinas: On Justice in the Distribution and Exchange of Wealth | En Route Books and Media
8. The Social Encyclicals and Saint Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
9. Metaphysics, Truth and St. Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
10. Metaphysics/Ontology and St. Thomas Aquinas (Twenty Readings in Wisdom Forsaken) | En Route Books and Media
11. Thomas of the Creator | En Route Books and Media
12. The Thomist Tradition: Avoiding Scylla and Charybdis | En Route Books and Media

TESTIMONIALS

“The restoration of Aristotle’s Ethics and Politics as the necessary basis of political science is the principal objective of Political Science and St Thomas Aquinas. With this book Dr Boland has provided an excellent exposition of two works of St Thomas Aquinas: his Commentary on the Politics of Aristotle and his work on Kingship. Dr Boland has very skillfully traced the golden thread provided by St Thomas and contrasted it against the theories underpinning modern political science where authentic metaphysics has given way to an all-embracing mathematical quantification of nature, and human psychology has (in the words of Chesterton) degenerated from the study of anthropos to the study of anthropoids. Political Science and St Thomas Aquinas is a most thought-provoking book. To me it serves admirably at the level of human reason and philosophical reflection the papal motto of St Pius X: “to restore all things in Christ.” – Frank Calneggia, author of Assertions and Refutations: An Assessment of Dr Tracey Rowland’s Natural Law: From Neo-Thomism to Nuptial Mysticism  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

OTHER ACADEMIC BOOKS