For Immediate Release

Voice of the Faithful Urges Next President of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to Develop Transparent Mechanisms for Accountability

Organization Calls on Bishops for More Financial Transparency and to Include Survivor Input into Comment Period

Newton, MA and Washington, DC – November 15, 2004 – Members of Voice of the Faithful are urging the next president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to develop more standardized, comprehensive systems of accountability to prevent the future abuse of children within Catholic parishes. The U.S. Bishops will be electing their new president at their annual meeting this week. The organization of lay Catholics believes that the next president of the Bishops conference must build upon the increased recognition for justice for survivors, promote processes of accountability, and empower meaningful involvement and shared responsibility for lay men and women in the Catholic Church.

“We are at the beginning of a new presidency within the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which means new opportunities for transparency and accountability within the Catholic Church in the United States,” said James E. Post, president of Voice of the Faithful. “Voice of the Faithful, as well as other lay Catholics, have made it clear that the Catholic Church’s renewal is tied to Episcopal accountability, which must include meaningful lay participation and responsibility. How have the Bishops held themselves accountable? What process have they put in place to make Episcopal accountability a reality? How will the next president support justice for survivors and empower lay Catholics? These are essential questions for the future of the Catholic Church.”

“Two years ago, the Bishops pledged themselves to the principle of ‘Fraternal Correction.’ We are urging the new president of the USCCB to develop a framework for Episcopal Accountability and Fraternal Correction,” said Kristine Ward, vice president of Voice of the Faithful. “That framework must include Vatican input, as well. Pope John Paul II’s comments in September that the U.S. Bishops must have ‘a commitment to creating better structures of participation, consultation, and shared responsibility’ were encouraging to us. We believe that the Bishops and the Vatican can work together to turn the words of ‘Fraternal Correction’ into a reality that is part of the fabric of the Church. Voice of the Faithful stands ready to help the U.S. Bishops, and the Church as a whole, develop this system of accountability.”

The organization is also calling on the next president, and the body of Bishops, to promote greater financial transparency within dioceses across the country and to include survivor input into the review of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

Members of Voice of the Faithful believe that the lack of accountability, and the complete absence of processes of accountability, has become an epidemic within the Catholic Church that has manifested itself not only through the clergy sexual abuse crisis, but also in the recent bankruptcies in Portland, Oregon, Tucson, Arizona, and most recently Spokane, Washington and the massive reconfiguration effort in the archdiocese of Boston. “It is clear that the next president will also be dealing with issues surrounding the financial viability of the Catholic Church, which, considering the Catholic Church’s importance to education, health care, and social services in the U.S., will affect the American public as a whole. We need financial transparency within all dioceses across the country, and we need effective mechanisms for monitoring how money is being spent,” said Suzanne Morse, Communications Manger for the organization. “One way for the Bishops to achieve financial transparency is for them to voluntarily agree to the financial reporting requirements of non-religious non-profits.”

Additionally, the organization recently sent a letter to Bishop Wilton Gregory asking him and the Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse of the USCCB to solicit the survivor community and concerned Catholics for their input into the review of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. According to the letter from Post, “The maintenance of these strong policies and effective mechanisms [in the Charter] is of great importance to all Catholics, especially to families with children. We hope that the review will serve to strengthen the protections invested in it, not weaken them.” Members of Voice of the Faithful believe that the Charter has established some institutions of transparency and accountability within the Catholic Church, and want to see the Charter strengthened.

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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.