Voice of the Faithful
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
St. Louis, MO

Steven A. Krueger,
Executive Director
June 19, 2003

It is fitting that we are here in St. Louis, gateway to the West, the frontier of America, to bear witness to the bishops' conference. We stand at a gateway today in the life of the American Catholic Church - a gateway that calls all Catholics to the frontier of new possibilities and opportunities in the face of the continuing clergy sexual abuse crisis. We know we are called to move beyond the structural and cultural flaws that created this scandal and allowed it to continue. We know that we are called to move beyond our comfort zone as Catholics, to hold ourselves, our bishops and the Vatican accountable. We know we are called to be present to, and seek justice and healing for, the victims and survivors of clergy sexual abuse. The Catholic Church stands at the gateway. But where is it going?

Twelve months ago we found ourselves in the midst of a burgeoning clergy sexual abuse crisis with new and unimaginable revelations that assaulted our most fundamental human sensibilities. The bishops came together in Dallas and gave us the Charter - their pastoral response to the scandal and the broken lives many of them were accountable for. In the midst of what we can now call the "revelation phase" of this crisis, the bishops and gave us their words.

Today as more and varied revelations continue to assault us, we find ourselves on the threshold of a new phase - the "accountability phase." We have come to St. Louis to bear witness to and to be part of this process. Voice of the Faithful has committed ourselves to two things regarding our bishops. First we will engage them in dialogue at every opportunity we can create or they present to us. Second, we will hold them accountable, and call on Catholics to hold them accountable for whatever contributing role they played in exposing children to sexually abusive priests and to whatever commitments or statements they make regarding their future actions in addressing the clergy sexual abuse crisis.

Accountability is essential to the very survival of the Catholic Church. It is the bridge by which trust can be restored. It demonstrates genuine commitment by the Church - the laity, parish clergy, bishops and the Vatican - requiring us to go beyond our comfort zone, something we are called to do as Christians and find difficult to do as Catholics. It is the balm will that will prepare for healing the wounds of the victims of these sins - and those in the Church whose faith has been shattered. As we look into the frontier of accountability today, the first landmark we see on the horizon is truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth - so help us God. Without truth and all facts and information that create its texture to tell the story, there can be no accountability. Without accountability, the mission of the Catholic Church will continue to be gravely hurt for current and many future generations.

So that we're all on the same page, let's understand the means of accountability available to the Church. In an ideal world, the first means would be the conscience of those bishops who have contributed to the destruction of the lives and hearts of children. Can you imagine if every bishop who was complicit in covering-up clergy sexual abuse offered their resignation to the Holy See and these were accepted. What a profound and cleansing effect it would have in the lives of survivors, the life of the Church and the lives of all people who look to the Church for moral leadership. Well, this hasn't happened, not yet anyway - so we must be mindful of the means of accountability within the Church and external to it.

There are three asserted means of accountability provided to the Church - laity, clergy and bishops - by the bishops and one emerging mean that is a way of holding bishops accountable that has developed in the wake of this crisis.

First, of course, is the fact that bishops are accountable to the Holy See. Second, last June the bishops formed the National Review Board to report on the compliance of dioceses with the Dallas Charter and to investigate the scope and causes of clergy sexual abuse. Third, in November - when the bishops instituted the Revised Norms - they pledged themselves to fraternal accountability to comply with the pastoral intent of the Dallas Charter after they had been changed by Rome. The last means is the radical notion for many lay Catholics that we, the laity, must necessarily hold our bishops accountable to provide moral and pastoral leadership to the Church - hold them accountable directly and in the court of public opinion.

What do we know about these? We know that the accountability of bishops to Rome did not prevent the clergy sexual abuse crisis. Put another way, it was under the watch of this system that the scandal occurred. With respect to bishops holding bishops accountable - or fraternal accountability - there have been no indications that this pledge has been taken seriously. This leaves the National Review Board - a group of laity appointed by the bishops - and the laity in each diocese of this country to create the climate of accountability that survivors and the Church need.

VOTF supports the work of the National Review Board and the Office of Child and Youth Protection headed by Kathleen McChesney. We believe that they must be given the opportunity to succeed and that they need the support of all Catholics and public officials to do so. The success of their work is essential to restore the damaged credibility of the bishops, the hope of the laity, and the future of the Catholic Church. However, the success of their work is dependent on the cooperation of the bishops. VOTF calls on bishops to provide their unambiguous support to the National Review Board and the Office of Child and Youth Protection - the people they appointed to evaluate their past actions and monitor their future ones.

Finally, the laity must break free of the bonds of apathy and a culture where our role was to pray, pay and obey. To do so will take most Catholics out of their comfort zone. The laity needs to recognize and accept their baptismal responsibilities and to let their voices be heard. It is our right. It is our responsibility. Voice of the Faithful is a safe way for Catholics to let their voice be heard to build a stronger, more effective and healing Church. We call on Catholics to accept their rights and responsibilities, to enter the inevitable frontier of changes that have already taken place in the Church, and to see themselves as part of the solution to the challenges and problems confronting our Church faces. It is what our faith calls us to do.

Last but not least on the landscape of the new frontier is the role of civic authorities. If not for the rulings of Judge Sweeney in Boston, MA the horrific revelations that exposed this crisis might never have been known. In other locations, Suffolk County, NY, and New Hampshire, the reports of the district attorneys provided stories that continued to challenge our comprehension of how these horrific deeds could have been part of the Church in which we placed our faith. VOTF urges civic authorities to use their investigative and grand jury powers to subpoena records, take depositions, and file criminal cases against abusers and those who have been accessories to their crimes. Where significant evidence exists, but criminal cases cannot be filed for procedural reasons, we urge officials to prepare a public report to describe the facts, events, and actions of Church officials.

Last year the bishops gave us their words and their good intentions. As we entered the week of this conference it was disturbing to learn that almost one-third of those bishops surveyed had not responded to the NRB questionnaire to assess their diocese. Today we wait to hear on the progress that has been made in the past twelve months. There are some bishops who are genuinely making every effort they can to restore the trust and create an environment of accountability in their diocese. Ultimately, however, each bishop and the entire USCCB will be judged on their actions, not their words. They need to realize the Church has already changed not because of the laity, but because of their action, or to put it more accurately, lack of action. They need to find the courage to overcome their fears, restore trust in the Church through accountability and justice, and learn to trust the laity for the first time. And the laity needs to make sure they understand we are at a gateway of new frontier of accountability in the Church - a frontier that must be settled before the next phase of true healing can begin.