The Fullness of Truth: 

Assessing the American Catholic Church's Portrayal of Psychological Trauma to Its Congregation

A phenomenon experienced for millennia, psychological trauma forces victims to relive a traumatic event and suffer overwhelming symptoms for most of their lives. Trauma affects millions of Americans, and—if left unaddressed—its symptoms will impact victims well into adulthood. As the institution founded by Christ and endowed with the fullness of truth, the Catholic Church has a responsibility to convey accurate information on that which affects its congregation’s lives. Does the face of the Catholic Church in America, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, accurately portray various forms of trauma in its teachings and thus fulfill its objective to uphold the truth? This essay examines the USCCB’s teachings regarding rape, war, domestic violence, and childhood sexual abuse in order to determine the accuracy of the information that the conference promulgates and how it may improve its ministry to assist the victims of trauma.