Contact: John Moynihan, jmoynihan@votf.org, (617) 558-5252, (617) 680-2131 cell

For Immediate release

Voice of the Faithful Calls for Swift Release of Documents
And Financial Reforms in San Diego Diocese

September 7, 2007 - We are pleased that the Diocese of San Diego has agreed to settle with the victims of clergy sex abuse and end the long drawn out battle which has caused great additional pain to the victims. We can only hope that the release of personnel documents, which are critical to getting at the underlying cause of the abuse crisis and the handling of it, will happen swiftly.

In the case of San Diego, it also is important to recognize the numerous financial irregularities revealed as a result of the Diocese’s attempt to hide behind a bankruptcy filing. Judge Adler, who oversaw the bankruptcy filing, called the diocesan accounting practices “Byzantine.” These irregularities were further confirmed in the report by consultant R. Todd Nielson.

Commenting on these reports, Mary Pat Fox, President of Voice of the Faithful, said “The diocese must install modern accounting practices that are fully accountable and transparent. The Catholic Church can no longer be allowed to operate within a culture of secrecy. Doing so leads to corruption and abuse on many levels. Catholic laity must demand that this deplorable situation be rectified.”

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Press contact

John Moynihan
(617) 558-5252 office
(617) 680-2131 cell

About Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) 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 survivors of clergy sexual abuse, support priests of integrity, and shape structural change within the Catholic Church in full accordance and harmony with Church teaching.