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THE CATHOLIC PROJECT

Responding to the Needs of the Church in a Time of Crisis

The Catholic Church is in crisis. Its inability to address clergy sexual abuse has caused a crisis of faith,
a breach of trust. The Catholic University of America has an opportunity, and a responsibility,
to help restore what has been broken. That is the work of The Catholic Project.

Watch Video


THE CATHOLIC PROJECT

Responding to the Needs of the Church in a Time of Crisis

The Catholic Church is in crisis. Its inability to address clergy sexual abuse has caused a crisis of faith,
a breach of trust. The Catholic University of America has an opportunity, and a responsibility, to help restore what has been broken. That is the work of The Catholic Project.

Watch Video

What We Do

The Catholic Project serves the Church as part of The Catholic University of America, so our work reflects the particular mission of our university, which is “to discover and impart the truth through excellence in teaching and research, all in service to the Church, the nation and the world.”

The Catholic Project seeks renewal and healing in the Church through education and formation, by deepening understanding through research, and through events, conferences, and media initiatives, which promote collaboration and genuine dialogue.

Our Work

News & Commentary

Unpacking news and information

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VAC Interview
VAC Interview: Heather Banis, Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Do you have a family? Where did you go to school? I am the Victims Assistance Ministry Coordinator for the Archdiocese of… Read More
Stephen's Column
Amy Barrett and the Intolerable
Stephen White reflects on the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court and the consternation that it has caused in some circles. “If being Catholic isn’t… Read More
Stephen's Column
On the Feast of the Little Flower
Stephen White reflects on his time in the St. Patrick Evangelisation School in London. “St. Thérèse of Lisieux, on whose feast I first arrived in London all those Octobers ago,… Read More
VAC Interview
VAC Interview: Erin Neil, Diocese of Bridgeport
Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Do you have a family? Where did you go to school? I grew up in Fairfield CT and I currently live in… Read More
Stephen's Column
Waiting for the "Spring"
Stephen White reflects on the fact that The Boston Globe‘s first Spotlight report (on clergy abuse) ran exactly one year after Pope John Paul II announced a Jubilee year, a… Read More
Podcast
Crisis Episode 1: 2018 Show Notes
2018 A whirlwind summer: What happened? Revelations about Cardinal McCarrick, the Pennsylvania grand jury report, accusations from a Vatican diplomat, and the perceived tensions between the Holy See and the… Read More
Podcast
Crisis Episode 2: How Did We Get Here? Show Notes
Pope Paul VI and Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald, s.P. Sexual abuse by clergy of the Catholic Church is not a new problem. “How Did We Get Here?” looks at the early… Read More
Podcast
Crisis Episode 3: What Caused the Crisis? Show Notes
How did the Catholic Church become a place where abusers could hide? Were men who were prone to abuse drawn to the priesthood? Crisis considers theories about the root causes… Read More

Collaboration Between Clergy & Laity

Over 50 years ago, Vatican II articulated the role of the laity in the Catholic Church in a document entitled Lumen Gentium. All members of the Church, not just the clergy, “contribute toward the renewal and building up of the Church.” Lumen Gentium says pastors should “willingly employ” the “prudent advice” of the lay faithful, and “confidently assign duties to them” in service to the Church. With the help of the laity, “pastors can more clearly and more incisively come to decisions regarding both spiritual and temporal matters.“

The Catholic University of America is uniquely situated to be a place where laity and clergy can come together in a spirit of mutual respect and charity to address the most challenging issues of our times. We believe, in the words of Lumen Gentium, that by drawing on the contributions of all its members, “the entire Church . . . may more effectively fulfill its mission for the life of the world.”

Our Mission

A new state of affairs today both in the Church and in social, economic, political and cultural life, calls with a particular urgency for the action of the lay faithful.
—  St. John Paul II,   Christifideles Laici, 3

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Introducing Our New Podcast Series

Crisis: Clergy Abuse in the Catholic Church

New episodes every Wednesday starting September 9, 2020.

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