Catholic Abuse Victim Calls Cardinal’s Book ‘Filth’

By The Ruth Institute Published on January 24, 2024

Christine Niles interviews Faith Hakesley on her show “Forward Boldly.”

Catholics all over the world are demanding the resignation of Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the Vatican’s doctrine chief, for a 1998 book he authored, Mystical Passion, describing union with God using explicit, some say blasphemous, sexual terminology.

Niles writes:

Its most controversial passage involves the “mystical encounter” of a 16-year-old girl, confiding to Fernández when he was a priest. In this experience, the girl meets Jesus, then proceeds to sensually touch Him all over His body before they exchange a prolonged kiss on the lips, as the Blessed Mother looks on approvingly.

According to one priest, “That isn’t mystical. That’s demonic.”

Faith Hakesley joins this episode of “Forward Boldly” to weigh in with her own perspective as a survivor of priestly sex abuse.

How Marriage Was Redefined in the United States

Amy Contrada has been the Director of Research for the pro-family activist group, MassResistance, since 2004. She is the author of the books, Corrupt Bargains: How Gay Marriage Began in Massachusetts; Mitt Romney’s Deception; The Health Hazards of Homosexuality; and Passing the Trash: Covering Up Educators’ Sex Crimes.

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When Amy was raising her children in Massachusetts, she realized they were at “ground zero for some of the really crazy graphic sex education.” The MA Dept. of Education and the health department were gung-ho for gay rights. That’s how homosexual student clubs and GSAs started.

Her crusade against this led her to Mass Resistance. She was there from the beginning, seeing the gay lobby push their campaign for marriage, even illegally blocking votes that would have stopped them.

Learn the counter moves she and her colleagues implemented to slow this train down by watching the full interview on Locals. You can watch the first part of the interview on YouTube, Bitchute, or Odysee.

A Clerical Abuse Survivor’s Response to Cardinal Fernández’s Book, The Mystical Passion

Faith Hakesley at Advice from a Survivor.

Pope Francis elevated Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández to prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) last year. Fernández drafted the controversial Fiducia Supplicans, a doctrinal declaration released with the pope’s approval on December 18, 2023.

A resurfaced scandalous book, The Mystical Passion, written by Fernández in 1998, has recently brought him more attention.

I read some of The Mystical Passion and found it nauseating. It’s sexually graphic, blasphemous, and completely inappropriate on so many levels. It would likely be especially triggering for any survivor of sexual abuse. It certainly was for me. I only got through a few portions before I felt physically ill and had to stop.

Even more concerning than this book’s graphic descriptions is that it was inspired by a 16-year-old girl’s “spiritual” but sensual encounter with Jesus, as relayed to Fernández. This encounter is included in the book.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting Fernández abused anyone; however, that a Catholic priest would speak/write so graphically is despicable. Also, what I read suggests both grooming and spiritual abuse.

Some of the lines stood out to me because my rapist said almost identical things while he was grooming and abusing me. As has happened in many cases of clerical abuse, my rapist often combined abuse with spirituality. He would try to make the awful things he was doing seem beautiful and godly.

Keep reading.

 

The Ruth Institute is a global non-profit organization, leading an international interfaith coalition to defend the family and build a civilization of love. The Ruth Institute’s Founder and President, Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, is the author of The Sexual State: How Elite Ideologies Are Destroying Lives and Love and Economics: It Takes a Family to Raise a Village. Subscribe to our newsletter and YouTube channel to get all our latest news.

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