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

Sandy Simonson,
VOTF Arizona
June 19, 2003

On May 3, 2003, Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien signed a legal settlement with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office wherein he acknowledged his role in the sexual abuse crisis in the Diocese of Phoenix and agreed to make several structural changes in leadership in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Bishop O'Brien acknowledged as a part of this agreement that he knowingly transferred abusive priests into other parishes where they continued to work with children, and that he did so without notifying those parish communities. Additionally, the agreement requests payments of over $900,000 by the Diocese.

The reaction of Arizona Catholics has been one of shock, outrage, sadness, and shame.

• We are ashamed that priests in our diocese have sexually abused members of their congregations.
• We are furious that these revelations of abuse have taken so many years to be disclosed and dealt with by our Bishop, and that external legal and media forces have been required to bring out the truth.
• We are grateful that we have a County Attorney willing to use his office to pursue the truth of this abuse and the Episcopal malfeasance that enabled it.
• We are relieved to see six more perpetrators of sexual abuse criminally charged.
• We are outraged that for years our donations have been used to pay for legal settlements without our knowledge.
• We are hopeful that this scandal will cause laity to stand up for their rightful place in the Church and demand accountability of a clerical power structure that has abused their trust. We believe deep within our hearts and souls that the Spirit of the Lord is at work I this horrible crisis.

There is much to be learned from the experiences of the Diocese of Phoenix:

• Perhaps the saddest lesson is that while Bishop O'Brien refused to meet with concerned laity, he was willing to negotiate structural leadership change with the county attorney.
• More shocking is that the Vatican will sooner cede power to civil authorities than negotiate change with the Catholic faithful.
• We have learned that a Catholic Bishop would not make significant changes that will make him accountable to the people who support him with prayer and donations.
• We have learned that a Catholic Bishop will continue to assign priests without approval by parish councils or any lay oversight.
• We have learned that a Catholic bishop listens more to his lawyers than to his pastoral training, thereby failing to adequately reach out to victims.
• We have learned that priests react fearfully to requests for support from the faithful who want to work to support abuse victims and good priests.

While we as Catholics can certainly forgive personal failings on the part of our leaders, we cannot continue to acknowledge as leaders those without the vision and management skills necessary to see the Church through its reform as a result of this crisis. We call on the Vatican to accept the resignation of any bishop who has lost his moral authority as a result of his role in the crisis.

We must demand leadership

• who will listen to the faithful more than their lawyers
• who will seek justice before fraternal loyalty
• who will recognize the role of the laity in the governance and guidance of the Church
• and who will speak humbly rather than judgmentally to any member of the diocese asking for accountability.

However, it is not enough as faithful Catholics to demand more of our leadership; we must demand more of ourselves. We must accept that our complacency has allowed the lack of accountability and abuse of power in our leadership. If we love our church, we must hold our leaders accountable and we must be responsible donors of our time, financial resources, and talents. Voice of the Faithful has provided a safe, effective way for Catholics to make their voices heard in this regard.

Sadly, the events in the Diocese of Phoenix were eclipsed this week by a tragic accident, and the arrest of Bishop O'Brien for leaving the scene of a fatal accident. We have a sense of profound sadness as we pray for the family of James Reed, as well as Bishop O'Brien and his family. Out of these devastating events comes a new beginning for the Diocese of Phoenix, with the appointment of Archbishop Michael Sheehan as interim leader of our diocese. We welcome Archbishop Sheehan, and are hopeful that he will engage in meaningful dialogue with the Voice of the Faithful, and lead us in creating a culture of openness, trust, and accountability. We pray that all Catholic leaders be builders of faith and trust, and that they be open, honest, and worthy of the trust they seek to regain.