Robert Araujo, SJ, bets to differ with Fr. Jenkins:

My sadness and regret are based on the fact that I read all of the Monologues four years ago—those in the 1998 original edition and those in the 2001 revised edition—and I cannot accept the justifications that Father Jenkins has presented in support of his decision. To ensure that my recollection of them was accurate, I reread them today before writing this posting. In spite of the claims concerning free inquiry, free speech, academic freedom, fostering engagement with other perspectives, the enhancement of knowledge within the Catholic intellectual tradition, respectful intellectual exchange, and the promotion of a fruitful dialogue between Gospel and culture (all of which I support within reason), the Monologues serve none of these noble goals that might otherwise merit serious consideration. The one substantive justification that I have heard elsewhere is that performances of the Monologues elevate consciousness about violence against women and girls. After reading and rereading all the Monologues, that justification is found lacking. It is a myth and quickly evaporates. It escapes me how the performances of the Monologues on a Catholic campus can nurture the atmosphere in which the Church does its thinking. If a person were to see or hear a performance or read the text, he or she should conclude that there is nothing to think about in the series of sensational, coarse, and vulgar assaults that overwhelm the senses and the intellect in a harsh and brutal fashion.