PROPOSED PAPER FOR FUNDAMENTAL MORAL THEOLOGY

By Michael Angelo A. Dacalos, MSC

Title:
An Underrated Virtue in an Overwhelming Crisis:
The Moral Case for Forgiveness in Clergy Sexual Abuse:
Thesis statement:
The Gospel forgiveness is a morally called for virtue that has to be made available to the
Priest-Abuser by the Victim-Survivor, in particular, and by the Church, in general. Gospel
forgiveness is that last thing in the Clergy Sexual Abuse Pandoras Box: Hope.
Proposed Outline:
I.) INTRODUCTION
a. Why the need for a moral study on Forgiveness in Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis?
II.) BODY
a. Brief information about the Clergy Sexual Abuse
a.1 The Western Experience
a.2 Some Asian perspectives
b. Christian Teaching on Forgiveness
b.1 Church Documents
b.2 Theological Perspectives
b.2a The Trinitarian Model of Forgiveness
b.2b The Conditions for Forgiveness
c. The Moral Dilemma (Factors making the case complicated)
c.1 Repentance as a pre-requisite for forgiveness?
c.2 Legal and Media languages seem to focus on hate, ostracization, punishment,
and despair towards Priest-Abusers.
c.3 The Churchs Zero-tolerance rule against Priest-Abusers
c.4 The case of Cheap Forgiveness
d. The Concrete Cases of Clergy Sexual Abuse and Forgiveness
d.1 Case #1
d.2 Case #2
e. The Moral Case for Forgiveness in Clergy Sexual Abuse
e.1 Repentance as optional pre-requisite
e.2 Beyond the Legal and Media Blitzkrieg
e.3 The Church as Home for Healing for both Victim-Survivors and PriestAbusers
e. 4 Forgiveness as a process
III) CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

PROPOSED PAPER FOR FUNDAMENTAL MORAL THEOLOGY

By Michael Angelo A. Dacalos, MSC
Proposed Bibliography
Books
Alken, Martha. The Healing Power of Forgiving. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company,
1997.
Arnold, Johann Christoph. Why Forgive? New York: Orbis Books, 2005.
Bosco, Antoinette. Radical Forgiveness. Mumbai: Orbis Books, 2009.
Fleming, Patrick, Sue Lauber-Fleming, and Mark T. Matousek. Broken Trust: Stories of Pain,
Hope, and Healing from Clerical Abuse Survivors and Abusers. New York: Crossroad
Publishing Company, 2007.
Gaines, Janet Howe. Forgiveness in a Wounded World: Jonahs Dilemma. Atlanta: Society of
Biblical Literature, 2003.
Jones, L. Gregory. Embodying Forgiveness: A Theological Analysis. Michigan: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995.
Keenan, James F. The Works of Mercy: The Heart of Catholicism. Maryland: Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2005.
McCullough, Michael E., Kenneth I. Pargament, and Carl E. Thoresen, eds. Forgiveness:
Theory, Research, and Practice. New York: The Guilford Press, 2000.
Plante, Thomas G. Bless Me Father for I Have Sinned: Perspectives on Sexual Abuse Committed
by Roman Catholic Priests. Connecticut: Praeger, 1999.
Rossetti, Stephen J. A Tragic Grace: The Catholic Church and Child Sexual Abuse. Minnesota:
The Liturgical Press, 1996.
Articles