Father Edward Cleary, O.P. Memorial Lecture

The Father Edward Cleary, O.P. Memorial Lecture was established in 2013 and occurs annually at Providence College. The lecture honors the memory of Rev. Edward L. Cleary, O.P., who was a professor of Political Science at Providence College for eighteen years and the director of the Latin American Studies program for twelve years. A Dominican Friar and Latin American scholar, he studied the Catholic Church, religion, politics, and human rights throughout his career and wrote or co-authored fourteen books. When he passed away in November of 2011, his colleagues at the college wished to memorialize the large impact he had on the students, faculty and community. The lecture series serves as an ongoing tribute to Father Cleary, and was started with the organization of Dr. Jeffrey Pugh and Rev. David Orique, O.P. The lectures are based on the broad themes that were important to Father Cleary, namely human rights, religion, and politics.

The first Cleary Lecture was part of the 2013 Symposium on Peacebuilding and Justice and featured Ricardo Lagos, who was the president of Chile from 2000 to 2006, speaking about "Human Rights, Transitional Justice, and Democratization in Chile." Information on subsequent Cleary Lectures can be found via the links below.