Voice of the Faithful
at
U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

November 20, 2005 - Voice of the Faithful was present as over 200 bishops gathered in Washington, DC last week for the semi-annual meeting of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). VOTF conducted a press conference just prior to the start of the conference in which we decried the unusual decision of the bishops to limit public discussion to just a day and a half of the four day session. VOTF also listed for the press several important items which did not appear on the bishops’ public agenda. (To read the complete press release, click here.)

During the course of the bishop’s meeting it was announced that the Causes and Context study was awarded to John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York. Although this is a step in the right direction, the study remains only partially funded. VOTF intends to follow up with USCCB staff to determine why the overall funding has been reduced from $4 million to $3 million and if this has resulted in a change of scope. We have other concerns around the commencement of the study: Is it dependent on full funding being in place?; and what are the contingency plans if the necessary funds are not raised? VOTF will also ask for the expected time of the study’s completion and when the study will be made available to the public.

VOTF leaders held an impromptu meeting with Teresa Kettlecamp, USCCB’s newly appointed Executive Director of Child and Youth Protection. We each proposed ways in which we might work together to protect children and to encourage more survivors to come forward. We agreed to a follow-up meeting in the near future to discuss these issues in more detail.

During our time in Washington, DC for the bishops’ meeting and in Arlington, VA for the VOTF National Representative Council meeting, VOTF officials met with the leaders of SNAP, Fr. Tom Doyle, and representatives of other Catholic reform groups. We also met with EWTN News Director Raymond Arroyo and various other members of the national Catholic and secular press. We discussed opportunities for future coverage of VOTF activities and/or possible collaboration on issues consistent with VOTF’s goals and mission.

VOTF leaders also attended SNAP’s two press conferences in Washington, DC, as well as a related press conference in Rhode Island, and spoke with the families of victims and survivors.

Among the statements that the bishops passed was “Co-workers in the Vineyard of the Lord: A Resource for Guiding the Development of Lay Ecclesial Ministry.” The most contentious point in this debate concerned the more than 30,000 lay employees currently employed on the staffs of parishes across the country – should they be graced with the name “ministers”? Some bishops expressed concern that there could be “a blurring of the lines, that the laity could somehow replace the ordained in the work of the church,” said Bishop Gerald Kikanas of Tucson, one of the statement’s authors. Bishop Kikanas assured his fellow bishops that lay ministers can never replace priests, because “only the ordained can celebrate Eucharist, hear confessions and anoint the sick.”

The number of lay people serving as parish administrators, pastoral associates, youth ministers, directors of liturgy, directors of religious education and similar jobs has doubled since 1990. Two thirds of all Catholic parishes now employ at least one salaried lay person in a ministerial role according to USCCB statistics.

The bishops also passed the statement “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death,” a new statement on the death penalty; they also reported on the hierarchies special task force on hurricane response.

For the full text of the bishops’ statements and reports visit the USCCB web site.

Prior to the USCCB meeting the Greater Washington Area and Baltimore Area affiliates sponsored a showing of "Twist of Fate" at the Arlington (Virginia) Public Library. A panel discussion with VOTF national leaders and SNAP national leaders followed. The affiliates 2005 Award for Courage was given to Tony Comes, the Toledo firefighter who is the subject of this Academy Award-nominated documentary. Tony is a survivor from Toledo, Ohio and active in the current statute of limitations campaign in Ohio. David Clohessey of SNAP accepted the award on Tony’s behalf.

After the close of the public sessions of the bishops’ meetings, VOTF National Secretary Gaile Pohlhaus and Dr. William D’Antonio were interviewed by Maureen Fiedler for the syndicated radio program “Interfaith Voices.” This program airs on public radio stations around the country. The interview dealt with the recently published survey of VOTF membership that D’Antonio conducted with Catholic University colleague Rev. Anthony Pogorelc.

//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 survivors of abuse, support priests of integrity, and shape structural change within the Catholic Church in full accordance and harmony with Church teaching.