Psychoanalysis and Catholicism: From Freud to Francis

In Psychoanalysis and Catholicism: From Freud to Francis, Adam J. Schneider explores the censored history of psychoanalysis by the Catholic Church, reopening dialogue on key overlapping concepts to address contemporary needs. This book is organized into three parts. First, Schneider explores the historical relationship between psychoanalysis and the Church through key figures such as Sigmund Freud and Pope Pius XII. He then brings into conversation significant theological doctrines and psychoanalytic concepts including censorship/repression, original sin/unconscious desire, and the power of speech as examples of the fruitfulness of this dialogue. Finally, he applies theory and theology to contemporary issues like priestly and psychoanalytic formation and synodality within Lacan’s four discourses. Schneider centers Pope Francis, whose papacy was a pastoral practice which reflected psychoanalytic ethics, as an orienting influence throughout the text. Psychoanalysis and Catholicism will be of interest to readers seeking to understand how psychoanalysis and Catholicism edify one another, and how to apply these insights to clinical settings, seminary formation, and parish life.