Clerical Sexual Misconduct, Vol 2: A Foundational Conversation

Editors — Jane F. Adolphe and Robert L. Fastiggi

The abuse, harassment, or devaluation of women, in any form by Catholic priests and bishops, raises concerns about:

  1. whether clerics have a healthy understanding of their own inherent dignity as male persons and spiritual fathers;
  2. whether clerics have a healthy understanding of the inherent dignity of women as female persons and spiritual mothers; and
  3. whether seminary formation is adequately preparing future priests to interact with women in a healthy, mature, and holy manner.

This volume commences a foundational conversation about certain deficiencies in light of God’s plan for men and women, redeemed by His grace. The essays examine the scriptural, theological, anthropological, and psychological dimensions of the Catholic view of men and women and related issues.

Understanding that the Church has norms and practices in place to protect girls and women from clerical sexual abuse, this volume offers an opportunity to deepen the conversation about remaining psychological, spiritual, and theological matters.

Like the first volume, Clerical Sexual Misconduct: An Interdisciplinary Analysis, this second volume, subtitled A Foundational Conversation, is an answer to the call of Pope Francis for assistance from members of the faithful engaged in higher learning to serve the Church through study of the culture of abuse in its midst.

Paperback: $29.95 | Kindle: $9.99


TESTIMONIALS

“What is truly remarkable about this book is the breadth and depth of the analysis of the entire sex abuse crisis from men and women possessed of deep Catholic identity and firmly committed to authentic Catholic renewal.” -Jeffrey Mirus, CatholicCulture.org

This book “belongs on the shelf of every chancery, seminary library and rectory.” It “examines the causes of the crisis, both inside and outside the Catholic Church, such as the role that cultural Marxism has played in undermining the family and sexual morality; the impact of the now-debunked Kinsey reports on human sexuality; and the pernicious theories of Wilhelm Reich that undergirded the sexual revolution of the 1960s…. While comprehensive and packed with scholarly footnotes, Clerical Sexual Misconduct offers an engrossing read, accessible to anyone who cares about cleansing the scourge of clerical sexual abuse from the church and in preventing its resurgence.”-Deborah Gyapong, Catholic News Service

“Over the last decade I have read several books on the subject, often written by disgruntled Catholics or liberals who loathe the Church and who exploit this very real issue to further their own agenda. What I felt was required was an in-depth analysis in order to bring about an authentic Catholic renewal. I believe that this is the book that was needed…. In summary, this is by far the best book on the subject.” -Dr. Pravin Thevathasan, Catholic Medical Quarterly

This book “is valued not only because of its scholarship, but also for the commitment to Catholic orthodoxy of its contributors, who realize that any remedies must be faithful to the liberating truths Jesus has revealed to his Church in particular and to mankind in general…. Clerical Sexual Misconduct serves as a reference work to understand better the key factors that enabled the scandal to develop over time, and also proposes measures to ensure it never happens again.” -Thomas J. Nash, The Catholic World Report

Jane F. Adolphe

Dr. Jane F. Adolphe is called to practice law in the State of New York, USA and Province of Alberta, Canada with degrees in civil law (LL.B/B.C.L)  and canon law (J.C.L/J.C.D). As a Professor of Law at Ave Maria School of Law (AMSL), in Naples, Florida (2001 – present), with an expertise in international human rights law, from 2003 she worked for the Holy See (Pope), Secretariat of State, Section for Relations for States, first as an outside legal advisor for Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, then in 2011, during the final years of Pope Benedict VI’s papacy, as an inside expert on international human rights issues within the United Nations System in Vatican City State, and continued into the papacy of Pope Francis, until her resignation in 2020.

While working for the Holy See, in her capacity as Professor of Law, Adolphe established the International Center on Law, Life, Faith and Family (ICOLF), in 2014, as a forum for Catholic jurists guided by the Holy See’s Charter on the Rights of the Family. It was renamed the International Catholic Jurists Forum (ICJF), in 2021.  Under the auspices of this forum, Adolphe has organized multiple international conferences on topics of relevance for the Holy See, some of which have resulted in the publication of books that she has co-edited: Clerical Sexual Misconduct: An Interdisciplinary Analysis (Cluny: 2020); Equality and Non-discrimination: Catholic Roots, Current Challenges (Pickwick: 2019); The Persecution of Christians in the Middle East: Prevention, Prohibition, Prosecution (Angelico Press: 2018).

Robert L. Fastiggi

Dr. Robert L. Fastiggi, Bishop Kevin M. Britt Chair of Dogmatic Theology and Christology, has been at Sacred Heart Major Seminary since 1999. Prior to coming to Detroit, he taught at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas from 1985-1999. Dr. Fastiggi received an A.B. in Religion (summa cum laude) from Dartmouth College in 1974; a M.A. in Theology from Fordham University in 1976; and a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Fordham in 1987. During his time at Sacred Heart, Dr. Fastiggi has taught courses in Ecclesiology, Christology, Mariology, church history, sacramental theology, and moral theology. He is a member of the Society for Catholic Liturgy, the Mariological Society of America, the International Marian Association, and a member of the Pontifical Marian Academy International (P.A.M.I).

OTHER CATHOLIC ACADEMIC BOOKS

Contemporary Sacred Art: Conversations on Art & Faith

Contemporary Sacred Art: Conversations on Art & Faith

Contemporary Sacred Art: Conversations on Art & Faith by Dr. Michela Beatrice Ferri In translation now from the Italian. Buy it in the original language here: What is the so-called “Contemporary Sacred Art”? In her book, Michela Beatrice Ferri inquires about the...

read more
The Nostalgia for a New Christendom by Mario Ramos-Reyes

The Nostalgia for a New Christendom by Mario Ramos-Reyes

The Nostalgia for a New Christendom by Mario Ramos-Reyes Mario Ramos-Reyes shares the political schizophrenia of mid-20th century Latin America and the healing process that sought to fill the void between Enlightenment liberalism and the Catholic tradition. The cure...

read more
Rigidity: Faithfulness or Heterodoxy by Pedro Gabriel

Rigidity: Faithfulness or Heterodoxy by Pedro Gabriel

Rigidity: Faithfulness or Heterodoxy? by Pedro Gabriel “Why is Pope Francis always criticizing faithful Catholics?” is an oft-repeated question whenever the Holy Father makes one of his usual invectives against religious rigidity. Francis has indeed made such...

read more
Consuming Love by Fr. Gregory Cleveland, OMV

Consuming Love by Fr. Gregory Cleveland, OMV

Consuming Love by Fr. Gregory Cleveland, OMV The Eucharist is the “sacrament of love.” Jesus Christ is the true Bridegroom of our hearts, and it is he whom we receive in holy Communion. Even if you have received our Lord thousands of times in the Eucharist, Consuming...

read more
Heresia Disfarçada de Tradição por Pedro Gabriel

Heresia Disfarçada de Tradição por Pedro Gabriel

Heresia Disfarçada de Tradição por Pedro Gabriel Uma afirmação muito difundida nos círculos católicos atuais é que se pode ignorar os ensinamentos do Papa Francisco ou do Concílio Vaticano II se eles ensinarem algo que parece ir contra a tradição. Será que isso é...

read more
Unpacking Palamism: A Catholic Critique

Unpacking Palamism: A Catholic Critique

Unpacking Palamism: A Catholic Critique by James Likoudis with essays selected and edited by Andrew Likoudis Unpacking Palamism: A Catholic Critique, penned by esteemed scholar Dr. James Likoudis, meticulously scrutinizes the doctrines of Palamism, a theological...

read more
Mary, the New Woman by Diego G. Passadore

Mary, the New Woman by Diego G. Passadore

Mary, the New Woman by Diego G. Passadore Mary, the New Woman is an apologetic exegesis from the Bible, Jewish texts, and other Christian confessions, designed to bring the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception closer to the unbeliever and to promote the dignity of women...

read more
The Lord of the Rings and Catholicism

The Lord of the Rings and Catholicism

The Lord of the Rings and Catholicism: Exploring the Christian Roots of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by Madeleine Dobrowski This book explores the Catholic themes that can be found in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is written for all lovers of Tolkien, Catholic or...

read more
Human Nature: Moral Norm

Human Nature: Moral Norm

Human Nature: Moral Norm by Francis Etheredge There is a 'difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle: it is a difference which is much wider and deeper than is usually thought, one which involves in the...

read more
Heresy Disguised as Tradition

Heresy Disguised as Tradition

Heresy Disguised as Tradition by Pedro Gabriel A widespread assertion in Catholic circles today is that one can disregard the teachings of Pope Francis or the Second Vatican Council if they teach something that seems to go against tradition. Is this the case? In this...

read more
The Social Encyclicals and Saint Thomas Aquinas

The Social Encyclicals and Saint Thomas Aquinas

The Social Encyclicals and Saint Thomas Aquinas by Dr. Donald G. Boland The social encyclicals of the Catholic Church provide an opportunity to treat human behavior from a practical moral philosophical point of view grounded in Aristotle as interpreted by Saint Thomas...

read more
The Necessity of Knowledge for Love and its Application

The Necessity of Knowledge for Love and its Application

The Necessity of Knowledge for Love and Its Application by Fr. Paul Ezinando In this work, Fr. Paul Ezinando not only demonstrates that knowledge is a necessity for love, but he also shows that proper knowledge promotes love. Following the argument of St. Augustine,...

read more
Unfolding a Post-Roe World

Unfolding a Post-Roe World

Unfolding a Post-Roe World by Francis Etheredge Unfolding a Post-Roe World is the second edition of what had formerly been entitled The ABCQ of Conceiving Conception. It explores what is involved in grasping the beginning of each of us – but we need the truth to open...

read more
Los principios del cambio

Los principios del cambio

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...

read more
The Wonder of the Eucharist

The Wonder of the Eucharist

The Wonder of the Eucharist: More Voices from the Twentieth Century by Dennis Billy, C.Ss.R. This book examines some of the major literary voices from the past century who deepened our understanding of the Eucharist by embedding it in their short stories, novels,...

read more
Paradoxes of Faith and Reason

Paradoxes of Faith and Reason

Paradoxes of Faith and Reason by Dr. Shalina Stilley Paradox it is at the very heart of the Gospel message. The Trinity, the Incarnation, the Cross and Resurrection, and the problem of evil are but a few examples of paradoxes of faith and reason. How can God be three...

read more
Rise and Fall of the American Empire

Rise and Fall of the American Empire

A new book from En Route Books and media critically analyzes how the Republic fashioned by the Framers of the Constitution in 1787 has been transformed into a deep Administrative State ruled by non-elected experts.Rise and Fall of the American Empire by Dr. Richard...

read more
Reaching for the Resurrection: A Pastoral Bioethics

Reaching for the Resurrection: A Pastoral Bioethics

Reaching for the Resurrection: A Pastoral Bioethics Loneliness, Aloneness, Euthanasia, Meaning, Anorexia, Brain Death, Conversion, and the Death and Resurrection of Christ   by Francis Etheredge Francis Etheredge returns to the subject of bioethics with essays on...

read more
Principles of Change by Kristina R. Olsen

Principles of Change by Kristina R. Olsen

Principles of Change: Teresa of Avila’s Carmelite Reform and Insights from Change Management Kristina R. Olsen This book draws from organizational change management principles to examine Teresa of Avila’s 16th-century reform of the Carmelite Order. During the last...

read more
Exploring the Belief in the Real Presence

Exploring the Belief in the Real Presence

Exploring the Belief in the Real Presence (Second Edition) by Dr. David J. Keys When an evangelical minister asked him why one would believe that Jesus is present -- body, blood, soul, and divinity -- in communion, Dr. Keys began an intensive study into the ancient...

read more
The Biblical Qur’an: A Christian Investigation

The Biblical Qur’an: A Christian Investigation

The Biblical Qur'an: A Christian Investigation by Michael Healy, Jr. Can Christians interpret the Qur’an Christocentricly, as we have always done with the Old Testament? How would such a reading of the Qur’an modify our understanding of Christian and Muslim history?...

read more
History of Peter

History of Peter

History of Peter by Roger Skrenes Peter is spoken of 195 times in the New Testament, twice as many times as all the other Apostles combined. Today, when Peter is discussed, however, what is most often emphasized is the erratic or sinful side of his personality. Jesus...

read more
Peter and Wendy

Peter and Wendy

Peter and Wendy: Growing Up in Neverland by Dennis Billy, C.Ss.R. This book looks at J. M. Barrie's classic children's story Peter Pan to see what it can tell us about ourselves and our situation today. It discovers in this classic fairy-tale about the boy from...

read more
Weeds Among Wheat

Weeds Among Wheat

Weeds Among Wheat: L'Arche and the Tainted Legacy of Jean Vanier by Dennis Billy, C.Ss.R. This book is about baking the bread of Christian community from the grains of our broken humanity. It is primarily concerned with distinguishing L'Arche's authentic spirituality...

read more
21 Centuries of Church History in 21 Pages by Albert Domm

21 Centuries of Church History in 21 Pages by Albert Domm

21 Centuries of Church History in 21 Pages by Albert Domm Focused on our Catholic faith, Albert Domm's 21 Centuries of Church History in 21 Pages engages the Catholic reader in a concise but rich history of our Church one full century at a time. A narrative flow, this...

read more
Romans by Paul, authored by Richard L. Akins

Romans by Paul, authored by Richard L. Akins

Special congratulations to Rick for his being awarded third place in the 2020 Catholic Book Awards contest for best Catholic novel for Rebirth of Nicodemus.Romans by Paul: The Apostle's Defense of Catholic Doctrine by Richard L. Akins We are often challenged in our...

read more
Wisdom Literature

Wisdom Literature

Wisdom Literature by Fr. Peter Samuel Kucer, MSA The seven books of wisdom include Job, the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Wisdom, and Sirach, all of which teach one thing in a universal and essentially poetic manner: wisdom. Wisdom is  a practical...

read more
Pentateuch by Very Rev. Peter Samuel Kucer, MSA

Pentateuch by Very Rev. Peter Samuel Kucer, MSA

Pentateuch: A Spiritual Interpretation by Fr. Peter Samuel Kucer, MSA This book gives a special emphasis to a spiritual interpretation of the Pentateuch in a manner that springs forth from and is based on the literal interpretation, in particular the actual words used...

read more
Prophetic Literature by Very Rev. Peter Samuel Kucer, MSA

Prophetic Literature by Very Rev. Peter Samuel Kucer, MSA

Prophetic Literature by Fr. Peter Samuel Kucer, MSA This book engages the canonical prophetic literature of the Old Testament, demonstrating how it points to Christ and is fulfilled in Christ. Like Wisdom Literature, prophetic literature teaches perennial moral truths...

read more
Mary and Bioethics: An Exploration

Mary and Bioethics: An Exploration

Mary and Bioethics: An Exploration by Francis Etheredge Whether it is the problem of pain, the messiness of our relationships or the confusion circulating about human identity, it is possible to think that we do not have anything to learn from the Virgin Mary, spouse...

read more