Contact: Suzanne Morse 617-680-2131, smorse@votf.org

For Immediate Release

Voice of the Faithful Criticizes Bishops’ Decision to Not Immediately Authorize Second Round of Audits

Newton, Massachusetts - April 7, 2004 – Members and representatives of Voice of the Faithful expressed disappointment and surprise in the announcement today that the leadership of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has rejected the recommendation by the National Review Board (NRB), a panel of prominent Catholic lay men and women, to immediately authorize a second round of independent audits of sex abuse procedures in dioceses across the United States.

“The work of the National Review Board and Office of Child and Youth Protection (OCYP) is a step toward earning the public respect that American Catholic bishops have lost over the past two years. To undermine that progress by cutting the legs out from under the NRB is foolish and self-defeating. Credible follow up steps are required, not ‘shooting the messenger,’” said James E. Post, president of Voice of the Faithful.

“When the NRB report was released in February, Bishop Wilton Gregory characterized the era of clergy sexual abuse as ‘history.’ Since the release of the John Jay study and the National Review Board reports, lay Catholics, for instance, have seen revelations that a bishop has been accused of molestations, survivors continue to come forward with credible allegations, and priests with credible allegations against them continue to serve in ministry. Clearly, this is not history,” said Post. “This is reality.”

“If the bishops fail to implement the audits as an ongoing process into the foreseeable future, they have failed in their role as pastoral leaders,” said Steve Krueger, executive director of Voice of the Faithful. “Voice of the Faithful is calling for public accountability from the bishops in the United States. In order for the foundational work established by the NRB and the OCYP to have a meaningful impact, the recommendations issued by them need to be implemented with lay involvement. If these recommendations are not implemented, the institutional church will have taken a step back that will put children in danger and further erode the trust of lay Catholics around the country. It once again demonstrates the need for lay men and women to defuse the culture of secrecy and authoritarianism that permeate the Church.”

In 2002, the Bishops passed the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. That charter authorized the establishment of an Office for Child and Youth Protection to provide a vehicle of accountability and assistance to dioceses. The OCYP is charged to assist individual dioceses in the implementation of “safe environment” programs, to assist provinces and regions in the development of appropriate mechanisms to audit adherence to policies, and to produce an annual public report on the progress made in implementing the standards in this Charter

In January, Voice of the Faithful assessed the audits as a first step to restoring the confidence of lay Catholics but expressed concern that the audits were self-reports by the Bishops. Leaders of Voice of the Faithful also identified a culture of secrecy and authoritarianism that allowed this scandal to occur for decades.

Voice of the Faithful acknowledged the set of recommendations the OCYP issued to help close important gaps. Among them was a recommendation for long-term implementation of the audits. As was stated in the OCYP’s report, “Failing to create a long-term plan for accountability and response to the crisis of sexual abuse of children and youth would undermine the substantial efforts that have been made thus far. A short-term solution would be perceived as insensitive to the lifelong pain suffered by victims and as showing an unwillingness to recognize that cases of such abuse remain unreported or could occur in the future.”

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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 50 U.S. states, 38 countries and 197 Parish Voice affiliates throughout the world.