I first came across Cathy Melesky Dante’s work a few months ago when Awake shared her article, “Power Literacy in Abuse Prevention Education: Lessons from the Field in the Catholic Safeguarding Response.”
The article was excellent. It hit on things that I had only felt or intuited as not right, but then it was able to articulate why they actually are harmful. She offered an analysis of abuse in the Church using the framework of intimate partner violence and power dynamics (including how sexualized/gendered theology can perpetuate those structures of power imbalance). She talked about structures of virtue and vice and how they can relate to abuse of power in the Church. The article put words to so many ideas that I’ve just started to grasp over the past year or so.
As soon as I read the article I knew I wanted to have Cathy on the podcast, and I’m so grateful that she agreed. I hope you enjoy our conversation!
This episode is available on your favorite podcast app or here on Youtube.
This week, Paul spoke with Cathy Melesky Dante, a social worker and scholar who recently published an article titled, “Power Literacy in Abuse Prevention Education: Lessons from the Field in the Catholic Safeguarding Response.” This conversation is about how power dynamics, gender roles, structures of sin, and undermining the consciences of children play a role in perpetuating clerical abuse in the Church.
Cathy Melesky Dante is a PhD candidate at Marquette University writing a lay ethic toward solidarity with those sexually abused by Catholic leaders. A recent keynote speaker at the annual conference for the Guam Coalition against Sexual Assault and Family Violence (2023), she also is a spiritual director and former social worker. Her work can be found in Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction.
LINKS
Power Literacy in Abuse Prevention Education: Lessons from the Field in the Catholic Safeguarding Response:
https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/92065-power-literacy-in-abuse-prevention-education-lessons-from-the-field-in-the-catholic-safeguarding-response
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Paul Faheylives in Michigan with his wife and five kids. He is a limited licensed professional counselor, retreat leader, and catechist. He is a co-founder of Where Peter Is, founder and co-host of the Pope Francis Generation podcast, and the host of the Third Space podcast. He seeks to provide pastoral counseling for Catholics who have been spiritually abused, counseling for Catholic ministers, and counseling education so that ministers are more equipped to help others in their ministry.
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