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Contact: Suzanne Morse 617-680-2131, smorse@votf.org
For Immediate Release
Voice of the Faithful Encouraged by Orange County Settlement
Lay Organization Asks Court to Make Personnel Files Public
December 8, 2004 – Newton, Mass. – Leaders and members of
Voice of the Faithful expressed appreciation for the commitment of survivors
and Bishop Tod D. Brown of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County,
California to reach a settlement of 87 sexual abuse claims. It was announced
earlier that the dioceses and survivors reached a landmark agreement
in excess of $100 million.
“The settlement announced recently is another milestone along
the long, tortured, and expensive path of moral reckoning within the
Catholic Church in the United States,” said James E. Post, president
of Voice of the Faithful. “The victims of abuse who reached agreement
today have performed a great service to all of us, Catholic and non-Catholic
alike. They have persevered, in the best American tradition, in the fight
for justice and for the recognition that such actions that have no place
in the Catholic Church or civilized society.”
Leaders of the lay Catholic movement are particularly encouraged by
the provision within the settlement to allow the court to make public
the personnel files of priests accused of abuse. This was an important
demand of the survivor community and reflects the concerns of many Catholics
about the lack of openness and transparency within the governance of
the Church. The organization is urging the California court system to
open those files to the public in the interest of the public good.
“Bishop Brown should be given credit for agreeing to open the
personnel files,” said Suzanne Morse, Communications Manager for
Voice of the Faithful. “Cardinal Roger Mahony, the Cardinal Archbishop
of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, has refused similar requests despite
the concerns of lay Catholics and survivors in that archdiocese. Bishop
Brown’s decision represents the kind of accountability and transparency
that lay women and men are urging in order to rebuild trust in the Catholic
Church in this country. It is important that the court system allow these
files to become public for the future safety of the public, especially
for children in Catholic parishes.”
Voice of the Faithful leaders in Southern California are hopeful that
this development represents an opportunity for lay Catholics and the
institutional hierarchy to work together to promote the mission of the
Catholic Church. “The survivors embracing Bishop Brown as he left
the courtroom clearly reflected the generous, loving hearts of those
who have suffered most throughout this long ordeal,” said Mary
Jane McGraw, Voice of the Faithful’s regional coordinator for Southern
California. “Although their suffering will not be ended by this
settlement, they at last have the recognition they have been seeking
for so long. Unfortunately, these terrible things did happen and now
our Church has acknowledged that truth. Bishop Brown told reporters that
he woke up the next morning with a ‘feeling of peace.’ We
are hopeful that his fellow Bishops can share that same feeling as they
let go of their fears, devote their energies to loving action and acknowledge
the truth... which alone can set them free. Thank you, Bishop Brown!
In Orange County, the healing can now begin.”
“We are all very happy to see an open settlement that seems to
satisfy most of the survivors,” said Dee Dee Smith, of the Southern
Los Angeles Voice of the Faithful. “The release of the documents
will be most welcome as part of the transparency that is necessary for
the past and for the future. Bishop Brown’s apology was beautiful
in tone and much needed. Combined with the apologetic letter that Bishop
Brown put out last summer, it is the response which we’ve awaited
from our shepherds. We’d like to see Cardinal Mahoney and the Archdiocese
of Los Angeles follow in Bishop Brown’s footsteps. No amount of
money will repair the damage done by the abuse and the general disregard
for the injured in the past. However, this settlement follows the ‘truth
and reconciliation’ path and, I hope, leaves us in a place from
which we can go forward in Orange County.”
“We are especially pleased by Bishop Brown’s decision not
to fight the release of personnel files nor to challenge the constitutionality
of the 2003 law lifting the statute of limitations,” said Marie
Foley of Voice of the Faithful Santa Barbara. “He has wisely chosen
to settle rather than to litigate and has thus hastened the healing process
for victims as well as for all of us. In his press statements, he has
apologized for the immense harm done to victims, and victims have in
turn embraced him in the sprit of reconciliation. We hope that in every
way this settlement serves as a model for other dioceses.”
“As Pope John Paul II recently commented, the Bishops and the
laity have a ‘shared responsibility’ when it comes to the
renewal of the Catholic Church,” said Morse. “This settlement
presents a building block for that shared responsibility – Bishop
Brown has stated that no parishes will close because of the settlement
but it is clear that the Catholic faith communities of Orange County
will have to work together with the diocese to strengthen themselves.
We look forward to being a part of that work.”
//end
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, 39 countries and
210 Parish Voice affiliates throughout the world.
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