Ruth Institute Report Offers Proper Perspective on Clerical Sex Abuse
For more information, contact: Elizabeth Johnson. Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, president of the Ruth Institute, said most coverage of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report on Clerical Sex Abuse overlooks significant facts. The Institute’s publication, “Questions and Answers on The Clerical Sex Abuse Scandal” puts the recent findings by a Pennsylvania grand jury on clerical sex abuse in proper perspective. Dr. Morse stated, “The Ruth Institute has utmost sympathy for the victims of clerical predation, and revulsion at those who covered up the crimes. We encourage anyone who has been abused to come forward.” At the same time, she noted that the Ruth Institute report discloses important facts sometimes overlooked or ignored by the media: Some news stories give the impression that “sexual orientation” played no role in past or current clergy abuse scandals. However, two studies by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice (commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) in 2004 and 2011 found that over 80% of those abused were victims of male-on-male predation by priests against under-age (pre-teen and teenaged) boys. This pattern of male-on-male predation continues in recent revelation of abuse of seminarians and is also illustrated in many of the cases in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury’s report. There has been an active homosexual subculture in the Catholic Church, which operates in seminaries and dioceses. In a 2002 survey of almost 2,000 Catholic priests by the Los Angles Times, 44% of respondents confirmed the existence of this subculture. This subculture has contributed to the patterns of abuse in the Church. These findings actually affirm official Catholic teaching. Contrary to the claims of the Sexual Revolution, sexual self-mastery is possible, and necessary for a good life. Fr. Paul Sullins, Ph.D., the author of “Questions and Answers on the Clerical Sex Abuse Scandal,” is a retired Professor of Sociology at the Catholic University of America, and currently Senior Research Associate at the Ruth Institute. D
Q and A on Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal
Fr. Paul Sullins, Ph.D. answers questions on the clergy sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church.
Ruth Institute to Host First Annual Awards Dinner in Louisiana
Ruth Institute to Host First Annual Awards Dinner in Louisiana on June 15, featuring Why I Don’t Call Myself Gay author Daniel Mattson May 31, 2018, Lake Charles, Louisiana—The First Annual Ruth Institute Awards Dinner in Lake Charles, LA, will feature keynote speaker, Daniel Mattson. Mattson’s book, Why I Don’t Call Myself Gay: How I Reclaimed My Sexual Reality and Found Peace, has met with worldwide acclaim, being slated for reprinting in four foreign languages less than a year after its original U.S. release date. “Am I gay?” This is a question many people ask themselves when they experience same sex attraction. Having been there, Mattson can respond with authority that feelings of same sex attraction are not the same as being gay. “Your identity, above all else, is you are a beloved son of God, loved by God the Father. All that you have longed for, and especially what you’re looking for in the gay community, is really seeking out the love of the Father,” Mattson said during an interview with the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) while in Rome last week to promote the Italian version of his book. Mattson will share his full testimony at The Brick House restaurant in Lake Charles June 15. Mr. Mattson will also receive the Public Witness of the Year Award at the First Annual Ruth Institute Awards Dinner. The evening will also include an award for Activism to Caryl Ayala of Austin, Texas, for her work as a Ruth Institute Book Club Leader. Last, but certainly not least, Dr. Mark Regnerus of the University of Texas will receive an award for Scholarship for his book, Cheap Sex: The Transformation of Men, Marriage, and Monogamy. The event will also feature fine dining, exhibits, and music. Ticket information can be found at http://www.ruthinstitute.org/events/awards-dinner. To interview Daniel Mattson or Ruth Institute president Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, please send an email to info@ruthinstitute.org.
Ruth Institute Announces the Rev. Dr. Paul Sullins as Senior Research Associate
Leading researcher on same sex parenting to join the Ruth Institute April 17, 2018, Lake Charles, Louisiana—The Ruth Institute announces that Dr. Paul Sullins will serve as a Senior Research Associate. Recently retired from the sociology department at Catholic University of America, Dr. Sullins is a leader in research on same-sex parenting and its implications for child development. Announcing the appointment, Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, Founder and President of the Ruth Institute said, “We at the Ruth Institute are greatly concerned that ‘alternative family forms,’ such as divorce and unmarried parenthood, have been harmful to children. Dr. Sullins cares deeply about the impact of same sex parenting on children, examining topics such as ADHD, depression, and emotional problems. He is a good fit for us.” Dr. Morse continued, “Treating same-sex couples as the legal equivalent of opposite-sex couples means increasing numbers of children will be raised in same-sex couple households. More information will be coming available about their experiences. We believe it is crucial to continue examining this evidence in a systematic way.” Dr. Sullins explained, “The research in this area is really just beginning. Most of the studies which claim to show “no differences” between parenting by same sex couples and married heterosexual couples have used small, unrepresentative data sets. I have been examining large statistically representative datasets—principally the Centers for Disease Control’s National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), with 1.9 million cases; and the University of North Carolina’s National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health), with 20,000 cases. I have repeatedly documented substantially higher rates of problems among children with same-sex parents, and that the best context for child well-being is with his or her own mother and father.” Formerly Episcopalian, Dr. Sullins is a married Catholic priest. He earned a Ph.D. in sociology at Catholic University in 1997 and taught there from 1998 until
Ruth Institute launches ‘Go to Confession’ Campaign
February 15, 2018 // Lake Charles, LA During this season of Lent, The Ruth Institute has launched an online and billboard campaign in Lake Charles, Louisiana, encouraging people of all faiths to make things right with God. “The ‘Go to Confession’ campaign is a way to remind people that God is merciful, and we can go to Him with our sins at any time and find forgiveness. What better time than during Lent?” Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, founder and president of the Ruth Institute, said. Some of the images are humorous. “Sin makes you stupid,” featuring St. Thomas Aquinas (who loosely said that), and “Party’s over. Go to confession,” with an image of Mardi Gras debris. And new this year, an image of a stunned priest in the confessional with the caption, “You won’t really shock him: Go to confession!” But the humor has a serious point. Dr. Morse said, “Families don’t just break down. Marriages don’t just fall apart. Somebody sins. The ultimate solution to family breakdown is repentance.” Some of the more serious messages are, “Jesus is waiting for you,” and “Your family is depending on you. Go to Confession.” “We’re all sinners, but we all have the opportunity to clean the slate and start fresh,” Morse said. “There is no downside to confession.” “Confession is a means to find healing within our lives for the mistakes we’ve made,” Morse added. “Guilty consciences make it harder for us to move forward and to resolve the issues caused by our sins, or the bitterness we’ve held onto from the sins of others.” Find the Ruth Institute’s ‘Go to Confession’ images on the website here, here, here, here, and here. The Ruth Institute is a global non-profit organization equipping people to defend the family at home and in the public square. Reply to this email if you’d like to interview Dr. Morse about this unique and beneficial ‘Go to Confession’ campaign.
"Gentlemen: Don’t Donate Your Sperm!" Ruth Institute President Urges.
“Gentlemen: Don’t Donate Your Sperm!” Ruth Institute President Urges. “Donating sperm may sound like a humanitarian gesture. But it could come back to haunt you.” –Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse Lake Charles, Louisiana, February 12, 2018 Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse urged men not to donate their sperm. “A recent New York case shows what can go wrong. A little girl is in foster care. Her father wants to get her out of foster care and take care of her. But the courts are forbidding him to even take a paternity test.” The backstory: The man gave his sperm to two women in a same sex union. They were family friends and wanted to have a child together. The adults drew up an informal agreement, where he waived any claims to paternity, custody or visitation, and the women waived any claim to child support. But, as a newspaper blandly put it, “troubles arose, and they disagreed on his access to the child.” The “trouble that arose” was that the women were neglecting the child so badly that she was taken into foster care. The man asked the court to be allowed to take a paternity test to prove he is the father. He wants to take care of his daughter. Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, Founder and President of the Ruth Institute, said, “Men have a natural desire to protect and provide for their children. I cannot image how helpless this man must feel.” Dr. Morse continued: “This father evidently absorbed the Grand Gay Narrative that assures us that biology is overrated: any two people who love each other and the child are just as good as any others. If the Grand Gay Narrative is true, a man might logically conclude that agreeing in advance to stand down from active fatherhood was a fine thing to do, costless to himself and his child, and beneficial to these two women. The problem is that the Grand Gay Narrative is false. Biology does matter: both parents and children care about their biological connections.” Dr. Morse noted: “Sperm donation is going to be legal for the foreseeable future. The Ruth Institute urges men to get the full story. M
The Cost of Being Labeled a Hate Group
The Ruth Institute’s primary focus is family breakdown, and its impact on children. If this makes us a "hate group," so be it. The Ruth Institute learned at 2 PM Thursday that Vanco, our on-line donation processing service, was cancelling our service immediately. Their letter stated: Vanco has elected to discontinue our processing relationship with The Ruth Institute. The organization has been flagged by Card Brands as being affiliated with a product/service that promotes hate, violence, harassment and/or abuse. Merchants that display such attributes are against Vanco and Wells Fargo processing policies.” We immediately went to the donation page on our website and found it had already been shut down. Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D., Founder and President of the Ruth Institute made these statements in response: The Ruth Institute’s primary focus is family breakdown, and its impact on children: understanding it, healing it, ending it. If this makes us a "hate group," so be it. Vanco, Card Brands, and Wells Fargo are private businesses. The Ruth Institute respects their right to conduct their businesses as they see fit. We just wish wedding photographers, bakers, and florists received the same respect. No one from Vanco, Card Brands or Wells Fargo ever contacted the Ruth Institute to inquire about how we “promote hate, violence, harassment and/or abuse.” The Ruth Institute is listed on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Hate Map,” which was recently in the news. We have been on this “Hate Map” since 2013. To the best of our knowledge, no one has ever been inspired to riot or shoot anyone by our activities. We have compiled the items which some groups have found objectionable on a page called “Where’s the Hate?” Anyone interested can review that material and judge for themselves whether the Ruth Institute belongs on a list with the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis. The Vanco company markets itself to religious organizations. Many churches use their services for processing donations. We surmise that Vanco d
On Being Included in the SPLC “Hate” Map
The SPLC cuts off debate by including groups they disagree with on their “Hate Map” and shows intellectual laziness.
The Ruth Institute congratulates Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland for his clear teaching on marriage and morality
(February 27, 2017, San Marcos, CA) The Ruth Institute sent a letter of commendation and 24 white roses to Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, congratulating and thanking him for his defense of Catholic teaching on marriage. In his Pastoral Letter, “A True and Living Icon,” Archbishop Sample stated, “The indissolubility of marriage is a precious and essential teaching of the Church, revealed by Jesus and cherished in our unbroken Tradition… The marriage bond is indissoluble because the Gospel covenant is indissoluble, for the sacrament signifies Christ’s permanent union with his Church.” The Ruth Institute is a global non-profit organization dedicated to finding Christ-like solutions to the problems of family breakdown. Founded by world renowned author, speaker and academic, Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, the Ruth Institute has accumulated decades of research to support individuals and families harmed by divorce, the hook-up culture, and other forms of family breakdown. Dr. Morse stated, “We are particularly encouraged that Archbishop Sample addressed three possible misuses of Amoris Laetitia. Misuse One: Conscience Legitimizes Actions Contravening Divine Commandments. Misuse Two: Under Certain Conditions Divine Prohibitions Admit of Exceptions. And Misuse Three: Human Frailty Exempts from Divine Command. Time has shown the Archbishop’s foresight in this area, as many people, including people who ought to know better, are making these very mistakes.” Jennifer Johnson, Director of the Ruth Institute’s Children of Divorce project stated, “We are so grateful for Archbishop Sample’s clear teaching on the indissolubility of marriage. We hear from people who have been harmed by family breakdown, literally every day. Straying from Jesus’s teaching on the permanence of marriage has devastated millions of children and deserted spouses. We want the Archbishop to know these wounded souls deeply appreciate his words.” Dr. Morse is available for interviews about the Roses from Ruth Initiative, the Archbishop’s statem
Catholics Nationwide Reject claims of “Catholics for Choice”
Global Non-Profit Honors Catholic Prelates for Rebutting “Catholics for Choice” Roses from Ruth, October 2016 Recipients Responders to the “Catholics for Choice” newspaper ads Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, on behalf of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas and Bishop Steven Lopez of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter on behalf of the Texas Catholic Conference Archbishop John Myer of Newark, New Jersey Bishop Michael Olson of Ft. Worth, TX Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas This morning, the Ruth Institute sent a letter of commendation and 12 white roses to the above-named American cardinals, archbishops and bishops, thanking them for their defense of Catholic teaching. The badly misnamed “Catholics for Choice” sponsored paid newspaper advertisements, “Abortion in Good Faith,” across the country. These Catholic churchmen set the record straight. Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, President of the Ruth Institute, stated, “’Catholics for Choice’ is seriously out of touch with the views of Catholics across the country. In this election year of so much confusion and rancor, the followers of the Ruth Institute and other pro-life, pro-family groups are encouraged by the unified response of these Catholic churchmen.” The Ruth Institute is a global non-profit organization dedicated to finding Christ-like solutions to the problems of family breakdown. Founded by world renowned author, speaker and academic Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, the Ruth Institute has accumulated decades of research to support individuals and families harmed by divorce, the hook-up culture and other forms of family breakdown. Ruth Institute, an interfaith organization, dreams of the day when every child will be welcomed into a loving home with a married mother and father. Dr. Morse stated, “We are encouraged that these bishops stated clearly, each in his own way, that abortion is the taking of an innocent life a
The Ruth Institute congratulates and thanks Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo of Richmond, Virginia for upholding Catholic teaching on marriage
The Ruth Institute recently sent a letter of commendation and 24 white roses to Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo of Richmond, Virginia congratulating and thanking him for his defense of Catholic teaching. Tim Kaine, Democratic candidate for Vice President, has said that the church will change its teaching on marriage. Bishop DiLorenzo, Kaine’s local bishop, disagrees. The Bishop’s office posted the following: “Despite recent statements from the campaign trail, the Catholic Church’s 2000-year- old teaching to the truth about what constitutes marriage remains unchanged and resolute.” The statement continues by pointing out a foundational belief shared by the Ruth Institute: “Redefining marriage furthers no one’s rights, least of all those of children, who should not purposely be deprived of the right to be nurtured and loved by a mother and a father.” The Ruth Institute is a global non-profit organization dedicated to finding Christ-like solutions to the problems of family breakdown. Founded by world renowned author, speaker and academic, Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, the Ruth Institute has accumulated decades of research to support individuals and families harmed by divorce, the hook-up culture and other forms of family breakdown. Dr. Morse stated, “We are particularly encouraged that Bishop DiLorenzo defended the rights of children to be nurtured and loved by their mothers and fathers.” Dr. Morse continued, “The Ruth Institute dreams of the day when every child will be welcomed into a loving home with a married mother and father. We believe every child has the right to a relationship with both natural parents, unless some unavoidable tragedy prevents it. We believe every adult without exception has the right to know his or her cultural heritage and genetic identity. Bishop DiLorenzo has restated the ancient teachings of Christianity and of Jesus Christ Himself. These teachings protect the interests of children, as well as the interests of men and women in lifelong married love.” As a sign of support for Bishop DiLor
DOJ Transgender Guidelines Disconcerting
The guidelines the DOJ recommends for protecting the Civil Rights of transgender students are tremendously disconcerting.
