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Financial Accountability

The Catholic Church is a church in need of financial accountability. Hundreds of parishes and schools are closing, dioceses are declaring bankruptcy, and lay contributors still do not know how their money is being spent. Faithful, contributing Catholics want to see an accounting of church finances, but many parishes and diocese have never released comprehensive financials.

Our Goals: At the Diocesan Level

Our goals are to increase lay participation in the decision and oversight process of diocesan finances, providing transparency and accountability to the full membership. Specifically, by the end of the first fiscal year, the diocese fully complies with their own pre-established USCCB (United States Catholic Conference of Bishops) guidelines for diocesan financial operations, which include the following:

  1. Qualified parishioners serve on the diocesan finance council in the capacities specified in current USCCB guidelines
  2. The diocese releases to the laity all financial documents necessary to ensure financial transparency in a complete, honest, accurate and timely way:
    • Budget (required)
    • balance sheets (required)
    • operating statements (required)
    • Independent CPA Audited Financials (recommended)
  3. The diocese effectively implements these policies, working openly with the laity, VOTF members and others to eliminate omissions and potential abuses.

Our Goals: At the Individual Parish Level

  1. Qualified, lay-selected parishioners serve on the parish finance council
  2. The parish releases all financial documents necessary to ensure financial transparency in a complete, honest, accurate and timely way
    - The following documents are presented in a clear, comprehensive and understandable manner:
    • budget (at the beginning of every fiscal year, in open session with parishioners)
    • statements of Sunday collections and expenses (weekly, in parish bulletins)
  3. End-of-year financial reports are shared with the laity after the close of every fiscal year
    • including all assets and liabilities
    • presented in a clear, comprehensive and understandable way in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for nonprofit organizations
    • regularly (although not necessarily annually) audited by an independent auditor
  4. 4) The parish effectively implements these policies, working openly with the laity, VOTF members and others to eliminate omissions and potential abuses.
Act now
  • Connect with VOTF members in your state to join with others in your area working on these goals.
  • Learn more about what the American Catholic Church’s own bishops recommend should be instituted to improve financial accountability with in the Church at http://www.usccb.org/finance/. Forward this information to others ou know and encourage them to join you in beginning action in your parish or diocese.
  • Click here to see VOTF's Financial Accountability Ad in National Catholic Reporter. Forward this ad to any publications that will run it at no cost.
  • Learn more about what other lay organizations have to say about the need for greater financial accountability in the Catholic Church.
  • Donate to support our work.

We are pleased to announce the creation of an advisory group that will prove to be vital resources to the National Campaign for Accountability. The Financial Accountability Advisors (FAA) consists of financial experts from across the country, who have recently dedicated themselves to the following:

  1. To provide resources and “on-call” support that will bolster affiliates’ campaign efforts
  2. To share campaign successes and lessons learned with other involved affiliates
  3. To make suggestions for how to revise the campaign plans as new information presents itself

If you need help or advice with regard to a financial accountability campaign, please contact a Campaign leader in your state here.

Why A Campaign for Financial Accountability?
*** We must seek reforms that make it impossible for priests, bishops, or laity to use Church money without disclosure and transparency. The sources and uses of money should be disclosed by an institution that operates as a public trust. Tax exempt organizations are chartered to do good work in society. Sunlight is basic to a transparent and accountable church.***

The need for Financial Accountability is great. This is not only a secular issue, although it commands attention in the secular world. This issue affects our spiritual life and the lives of millions of Catholics.

We invite you –each of you— to make a personal commitment to the message St. Francis heard, ”Francis, rebuild my Church.” This is what this Campaign for Accountability is all about.

Those who donate hard-earned dollars to Church campaigns need our help.

Christ needs our help.

What We Know
Dioceses in the United States have spent more than $1 billion to settle cases of clergy sexual abuse, and that this total will continue to rise as pending cases are litigated or settled. Experts estimate the total will exceed $3 billion by 2010.

Hundreds of parishes have been closed and dioceses have gone into bankruptcy, while hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent by the Catholic Church on legal fees, public relations, and legislative lobbying to defeat proposals that would require greater accountability.

The Catholic Church cannot be reformed — will not be reformed — without the insistence of millions of Catholics that our church become a Church of Accountability.

1/11/07 - A recent study by professors at Villanova University has revealed that 85% of the Catholic dioceses in the United States have detected one or more cases of embezzlement over the last 5 years that resulted in the loss of millions of dollars. To read the entire study click here.

More Facts

“Christ has no body now but yours - no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which He looks compassion on this world….” – St. Teresa of Avila

 
 
 
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