Evening star., 1947-07-21
His New York Lenten sermon on

His New York Lenten sermon on
"Psychoanalysis and Confession, .
which New York psychiatrist cited
in resigning from Catholic positions
has been gravely distorted in the
past few months, the Rt. Rev. Fulton
j. Sheen, professor of philosophy at
Catholic University. said last night
In his statement addressed spe-
cifically to New York newspapers
which he said had misquoted his
serman, Msgr. Sheen did not men,
ton by name DR.. Frank j. Curran
Who resigned May q as chief psy-
chiatrlst at st. Vincent's Hospital
New York.
DR.. Curran, Catholic, said in q
letter to Francis Cardinal Spellman
and other church officials that he
was resigning because Catholic lead
ers in New York had failed to clarity
or repudiate the reported attack by
Msgr. Sheen on psychoanalysis.
Was Aimed at Freudianism.
Msgr. Sheen declared that in his
March 8 sermon at st. Patrick s
Cathedral he did not make any
criticism of psychiatry or psyche
analytic methods in general, and
that in the past two months he had
sent several people to DR.. Bernard
L. Pacella, who he believed to be the
outstanding psychiatrist in New
York.
Msgr. Sheen pointed out that in
the opening statement of his SER
mon he said his criticism was aimed
at "a particular type of psyche
analysis called Freudianism which
is based upon four assumptions
materialism, hedonism, infantilisn
and eroticism, and this only to the
extent that it denies sin and would
supplant confession"
He said he was "a spokesman Of
! the Catholic church when I say
that any positive denial of sin or
the part of Freudian psychoanalysis
renders that science inadequate fol
the handling of the problems which
affect the whole man.
Concern of Patients Cited.
In his letter of resignation. DR.
Curran said Catholic patients all
over the country had become dis
turbed at what they considered to
be the official attitude of the church
toward psychiatry and psyche
analysis, and felt they no longer
could take such treatment because
to do so would be committing a sin.
Commenting in New York, the
Rev. Walter P. Kellenberg, secretary
to Cardinal Spellman. said:
1--WE know of DR.. Curran's resig-
nation and we know that it was ac-
cepted by st. Vincent's Hospital.
DR.. Curran's services will not be re-
quired in any institution in the
archdiocese of New York. However
he will not be refused admittance
as patient to any institution of
the archdiocese if he so desires"
1t was reported that DR.. Curran
had accepted a position as associate
professor of child psychiatry at the
University of Virginia Medical
School at Charlottesville.
Msgr. Sheen's Letter.
Msgr. Sheen's statement follows
in part:
For the past several months
there has been grave distortion
of a sermon delivered by me at
st. Patrick's Cathedral during
Lent on the subject "Psychoanaly-
sis and Confession
In order to clear the issue, three
questions will here be answered: !:
"a What was actually said; (2)
how was it reported? 80 why was
there no correction of distorted
report?
"a The first paragraph Of the
sermon stated: Il am not going
to speak on psychiatry, which is
perfectly valid science, dealing
with definite types of mental dis
eases; I am not speaking of psy-
choanalysis in general, which in
its methods has rediscovered on
its fringes the doctrine or original
sin; am speaking only of a
particular type of psychoanalysis
called Freudianism which is based
upon four assumptions, material
ism, hedonism, infantilism and
eroticism,' and this, only to the
extent that it denies sin and would
supplant confession"
(2) What was reported: The re-
port in one of the New York papers
had no sentence which was correctly
quoted, and several which were dis
tortions. One other newspaper had
no reporter at the cathedral. 1t re-
ceived its information by telephone