VOTF Statement Regarding
the Cardinal's Special Commission
for the Protection of Children Report

Voice of the Faithful views the Cardinal's Special Commission for the Protection of Children Report as a long overdue response to the egregious clergy sexual abuse problem. These new reforms are a clear indication that the Archdiocese of Boston acknowledges additional work must done in order to protect children and adolescents.

Survivors, laity and grassroots organizations should view this report, as well as the appointments of Deacon Anthony Rizzuto and Barbara Thorp to the Office of Child Advocacy and the Office for Healing, respectively, as tangible results of these groups' unwavering dedication and steadfast determination over the last ten months. Without continued pressure from survivors and laity, the Archdiocese of Boston might not have been forthcoming with its child protection and sexual abuse education programs.

We pray that Cardinal Law and the Bishops of the Archdiocese of Boston will work with survivors and the laity to fully implement these new programs in order to protect future generations of innocent children and adolescents from clergy sexual abuse.

Voice of the Faithful is a Newton, Mass.-based worldwide organization of mainstream lay Catholics who support the teachings of the Church and who 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, to support priests of integrity, and to shape structural change within the Catholic Church in harmony and accordance with the teachings of Vatican II. VOTF's supporting membership exceeds 25,000 registered individuals from more than 40 U.S. states and 21 countries. # # #

Contact: Mike Emerton
Press Secretary
Voice of the Faithful
Newton, MA
617-680-2131