Fr. Berg sat down with Sean Salai, S.J., special contributor for America Magazine to discuss his recently published book, Hurting in the Church: A Way Forward for Wounded Catholics.
Sean: Why did you write this book, and who is it for?
Fr. Berg: As I share in chapter one, quite honestly, the book began as a kind of therapy—for myself. I had gone through a very traumatic experience in the church as a Catholic priest and it turned my life upside down in many ways. And it also really challenged my faith in Christ and the church. I mean, as readers will discover, I’ve really been in the crucible. So, I began writing. It was a means of working through what had happened.
And it brought me to realize that there are a lot of Catholics out there who have had painful experiences in the church.
For Catholics who have had any kind of painful experience in the church, I offer some guidance toward healing. And for the church as a whole, in the wake of the year of mercy, I offer this book as an examination of conscience of sorts: an invitation to reflect on those areas where we are sorely lacking in charity in our faith communities, an invitation to an essential conversion of heart and to a renewal of the life of charity in our local churches.
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