Thursday, July 9, 2009

Listen to me on Michigan Catholic Radio Sunday night—available online

I had the great pleasure recently of taping an program for Michigan Catholic Radio host Kelly Luttinen's new radio series on the theology of the body. Kelly, who studied moral theology under Dr. Janet Smith at Detroit's Sacred Heart Seminary, is an exceptional interviewer with a sincere and well-informed passion for Church teachings as encapsulated by Pope John Paul II. She gave me the opportunity to speak in depth about my book The Thrill of the Chaste and the meaning of love, intimacy, and chastity. The show will run this Sunday evening, July 12 at 6:30 p.m. EST and repeat on Thursday, July 16, at 11:30 p.m. EST. Listen online at catholicradio.org.

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NOTE: It has come to my attention that Regnum Christi, the Legion of Christ's lay movement, is using my name and image to promote my Michigan Catholic Radio interview on its Web site.

This is the first I have heard of the show's being used to promote Regnum Christi; the possibility of such promotion was not raised when I agreed to the interview. It is understandable that the movement would want to support the efforts of the show's host, who is a member. Nonetheless, I regret that my name is being used in Regnum Christi's self-publicity, particularly in light of the upcoming Apostolic Visitation of the Legion of Christ and the revelations that precipitated it. My appearance on the show should in no way be construed as an endorsement of Regnum Christi.

In recent months, out of respect for those individual members of the LC/RC whom I know and admire, I have been making an effort to refrain from public comment on the Legion or Regnum Christi pending the visitation's outcome. I am breaking my self-imposed silence only to make it clear that I object to any implied institutional endorsement.