A couple of years ago, sex-abuse survivor advocate Joelle Casteix brought legendary reporter Jason Berry to OC. Berry essentially created the Catholic Church sex-abuse scandal beat, and deserved the biggest possible auditorium. Instead? Only a beauty salon in Newport Beach would take him–no other venue would give Casteix or Berry the time of day.
Flash-forward to last month. Casteix asked me if I could host a panel on the sex-abuse crisis as part of my “Gustavo's Awesome Lecture Series” at the Fullerton Library's main branch to celebrate the release of Michael D'Antonio's Mortal Sins: Sex, Crime, and the Era of Catholic Scandal. Of course! So that's what's happening NEXT THURSDAY.
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D'Antonio's book is an examination of the Catholic Church sex-abuse scandal in the United States, so I expect him to talk about his book and the bigger picture. For the local angle, Casteix will join us given her important role in the local scandal, along with Patrick Wall, the former Benedictine monk who has helped many a survivor bust open the secrets of their abuse. I will moderate, and D'Antonio will also sell copies of his book.
The details: the lecture will happen NEXT THURSDAY at 7 p.m. at the Fullerton Public Library, 353 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, (714) 738-6333, and the lecture is FREE. See you there–and heckuva job, Brownie!
Email: ga*******@oc******.com. Twitter: @gustavoarellano.
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