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.”

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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, 39 countries and 210 Parish Voice affiliates throughout the world.