For Catholics who care about the Church of our past and the Church of our future, our voices are needed now.

Voice of the Faithful Notes Glaring Omission in John Jay Study

- Bishops Who Knowingly Transferred Sexually Abusive Priests Must Be Named, Held Accountable -

- Citizens Asked to Sign Petition at www.Voiceofthefaithful.org -

Newton, MA – February 27, 2004 – Leaders of Voice of the Faithful are expressing outrage regarding the notable absence of bishop accountability from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice study. Grieving Catholics and Voice of the Faithful members are saddened by the staggering numbers of abused children and young adults, perpetrators and dollars revealed in today’s report. The self-reported compilation provides minimum numbers on the nature and scope of this tragedy in the United States during the last 50 years but it stops far short of providing critical information needed to ensure that this heartbreaking tragedy never happens again in the Catholic Church. It fails to answer crucial questions - exactly who is responsible for covering up information pertaining to sexual offenders? Are guilty parties still in pastoral environments or positions of authority? Why has only one bishop resigned because of the cover up of the sexual abuse scandal?

“This report reveals a massive tragedy that speaks to the past, present, and future of the Catholic Church. The cancerous effects of a clerical culture are clear, and now we must shape the reforms to ensure such actions never occur again,” said James E. Post, president of Voice of the Faithful. “The glaring omission in this report is that there is no accounting of the number of bishops who knowingly transferred sexually abusive priests. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has failed to ask for an accounting of the role of bishops in this crisis. This omission is unacceptable and stalls abuse survivors, the hierarchy and the laity in their attempts to protect children and create a better, safer and healthier church environment.” Voice of the Faithful is calling on lay Catholics to demand that these bishops are identified and are held responsible for their role in this crisis. Voice of the Faithful asks concerned citizens to sign petitions calling for bishop accountability, which will be available at www.voiceofthefaithful.org. They can also send the petition link to other friends and family members who want to ensure that leaders who allowed this crisis to grow and fester for 50 years are held accountable. These petitions will call on the Pope to meet with survivors and to hold bishops responsible; on the bishops to disclose details of their oversight role in the transfer of abusive clergy; and on the bishops to cooperate with civil authorities to investigate both clergy sexual abuse crimes and incidents of negligence or cover-up by those responsible for overseeing perpetrators.

“It is intolerable that we learn today that thousands of minors have been abused, thousands of priests accused and yet only one person, Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston, has been forced to resign his hierarchical position over this scandal,” said Steve Krueger, executive director of Voice of the Faithful. “The numbers are a staggering indictment of an institution that has failed. The laity can no longer cede responsibility for the future of the Catholic Church to the institutional Church. The lessons learned from the clergy sexual abuse era are that the laity must find ways to be meaningfully engaged with the administrative affairs of the Church and that the truth that has been kept from Catholics for decades must see the light of day.”

Voice of the Faithful member and mother of three, Suzy Nauman, said, “I have always embraced being Catholic and the tenets of my faith. But I cannot embrace this place the Church’s hierarchical leadership has taken us to. Their overt and covert actions allowed this crisis to continue and are the reason we are facing these staggering, atrocious numbers today. I know they must be held responsible for their actions if I ever expect my children to embrace their Catholicism.”

Voice of the Faithful representatives and members are available for interviews to discuss the study. For more information, please contact Suzanne Morse at 617/558-5252 (office) or at 617/680-2131 (cell) or visit our website at www.voiceofthefaithful.org.

About Voice of the Faithful: Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) is a worldwide movement of concerned mainstream Catholics formed in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis. The group's mission is to provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the Faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church. Its goals are to support victim/survivors of abuse, support priests of integrity, and shape structural change within the Catholic Church in full accordance and harmony with Church teaching. VOTF’s supporting membership exceeds 30,000 registered persons from more than 41 U.S. states, 37 countries and 188 Parish Voice affiliates throughout the world.