Clerical Sexual Misconduct: A Foundational Conversation

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.