NEWS PROVIDED BY
Journalist Dexter Duggan 
Oct. 18, 2022

PHOENIX, Oct. 18, 2022 /Christian Newswire/ -- A historian who defamed a practicing Catholic writer with repeated falsehoods should be held to account by a professional organization that expects its members "to observe the highest scholarly and professional requirements of their disciplines," the writer said.
 
Missouri historian James Hitchcock, Ph.D., a former seminary and university professor, is listed as an advisory board member of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists (SCSS), whose annual conference is scheduled October 28-29 at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.
 
In late 2021 Arizona Catholic journalist Dexter Duggan finally entered a confidential legal settlement against a defamatory book that attacked him by Hitchcock. However, after more than five years, Hitchcock still hasn't acknowledged making any error in Abortion, Religious Freedom, and Catholic Politics (Taylor & Francis, London), distributed around the world.
 
The SCSS's website says: "Through a collegiality of Catholic scholars, professors, researchers, practitioners, and writers, the SCSS brings credible scholarship to political, social, and economic questions."
 
The book falsely attributes statements by other clearly identified people directly to Duggan, concocts claims and misrepresents facts. Among serious, baseless errors, it claims that Duggan considered "fanatically pro-abortion" U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater to be "worthy of unqualified support" -- which would be a serious sin.

Since May 2017, after Duggan learned of the book and began writing certified letters to Hitchcock, Hitchcock replied only once, four sentences in a June 2019 letter, falsely insisting again that Duggan can't be "an orthodox Catholic." In this brief note, Hitchcock got both Duggan's name and the date of the letter wrong.
 
Hitchcock never has admitted, explained or defended any of his errors that Duggan called to his attention.

Duggan asks today: "Must one conclude that this is not the behavior of a conscientious Catholic scholar, refusing for years even to communicate about or explain serious errors that were found to be defamatory? How can he continue in good standing with SCSS ideals?" Duggan's most recent certified letter to Hitchcock about his defamatory book, dated May 27, 2022, remains unanswered.
 
Back in 2018 Hitchcock told his longtime acquaintance Christopher Manion, Ph.D., that he intended to respond to criticisms of his errors, "but I have been very busy for several months." However, he never replied.

Hitchcock's falsehoods and errors occurred as he supposedly cited Duggan's articles in The Wanderer, the nation's oldest weekly national Catholic newspaper.

Duggan would be happy to provide a list of Hitchcock's falsehoods.

SOURCE Journalist Dexter Duggan

CONTACT: Dexter C. Duggan, 602-553-8482, dexterwriter@hotmail.com