The Catholic Project was launched March 26 during the third installation of the Healing the Breach of Trust conference series at The Catholic University of America.
The Catholic Project is an initiative of The Catholic University of America dedicated to renewal and healing in the Church, through faithful collaboration between the laity and clergy, as co-responsible partners in the mission of the Church.
According to its website, The Catholic Project seeks to "address the most challenging issues of our time" and promote the role of the laity in the Church.
The work of The Catholic Project will include conferences such as the Healing the Breach of Trust series, as well as educational resources, academic research, and certificate and degree programs. "Everything we do will serve one or more of our three primary objectives: Prevention, Remediation, and Understanding," says the website.
"Genuine renewal in the Church requires that we be willing to take a hard look at some uncomfortable truths,” said Stephen White, Executive Director of the project. “The Catholic Project is dedicated to playing a leading role in addressing--faithfully and unflinchingly--the crisis we now face as a Church. Today's conference was a great example of this."
The daylong conference Tuesday addressed the root causes of the current sexual abuse crisis. Two panels explored the specific roles of clericalism and sexuality. Those sessions were complemented by a panel of experts in organizational behavior. A panel of Catholic journalists discussed the broad range of narratives surrounding the crisis.
Healing the Breach of Trust is a four-part conference series to address the proper role of laity in the Church, the factors that led to the sex abuse crisis, and how the laity and the clergy can work together toward renewal.
The last conference will be held April 25 featuring Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit.
MEDIA: To schedule an interview contact Karna Lozoya at lozoya@cua.edu, (303) 968-5404.