Keep the Faith, Change the Church.

Press Releases

Voice of the Faithful National Statement -- Bishops Release 2011 Child Protection Audit; Continued Vigilance Necessary

NEWTON, Mass., May 3, 2012 – With no fanfare and practically no media coverage, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released its 2011 child protection audit last month. Promoters of secrecy and cover-up of clergy sexual abuse in the Church might be rejoicing at this lack of attention, but Voice of the Faithful® sees it as an incitement to continued vigilance.
 

National Statement -- Church Reform Movement Voice of the Faithful Disappointed at Elevation of Lori to Archbishop of Baltimore

NEWTON, Mass., Mar. 20, 2012 – Catholic Church reform movement Voice of the Faithful, which supports survivors of clergy sexual abuse, is disappointed at the elevation of Bridgeport, Conn., Bishop William Lori to archbishop of Baltimore, which the Vatican announced today.
 
Although Bishop Lori in many ways has acted to shore up child-protection policies and institute reforms in those policies, on the question of transparency he has fallen short.
 

VOTF National Statement -- Voice of the Faithful Sees Church Legal Pressure Crippling SNAP Effort to Protect the Vulnerable

NEWTON, Mass., Mar. 13, 2012 – Church reform movement Voice of the Faithful stood with SNAP (Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests) during a press conference in Washington, D.C., today, as SNAP continues its efforts against forceful disclosure of confidential information about sexual abuse victims.

VOTF National Statement -- Voice of the Faithful Agrees Conspiracy Memo in Priests' Case "Shocking"

NEWTON, Mass., Feb. 28, 2012 – A newly discovered memo proves Philadelphia archdiocesan officials engaged in a conspiracy to cover up clergy sexual abuse in 1994. The memo also proves the Catholic Church reform group Voice of the Faithful’s long-held contention that Church hierarchy have covered up clergy sexual abuse to protect the Church’s reputation and assets at the expense of child victims of clergy sexual abuse.

Voice of the Faithful National Statement -- Catholic Church Reform Movement Voice of the Faithful Cautions Hierarchy

World's Catholic Church leaders meet at Rome Symposium on Clergy Sexual Abuse Feb. 6

NEWTON, Mass., Jan. 24, 2012 -- The Roman Catholic Church has yet to develop an effective worldwide response to clergy child sexual abuse, even though widespread abuse was evident by the mid-1990s, exploded into crisis in the United States in 2002 and in the past few years has proven to be epidemic around the world. Church leaders worldwide will attend a symposium in Rome Feb. 6 to discuss such a response.

National Statement -- After 10 Years of Clergy Sexual Abuse Headlines Voice of the Faithful Sees No Certainty Children Are Safe

NEWTON, Mass., Jan. 5, 2012 – More than 130 people had come forward to tell their stories of childhood sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priest Fr. John Geoghan, reported The Boston Globe on Jan. 6, 2002. Over the next decade, around the world and as recently as last month in The Netherlands, came revelations that thousands of Catholic priests had abused tens of thousands of children in the last half of the 20th Century.

Emily & Rosemary Fund for Women in the Catholic Church Awards $5,000 to Former Michigan Teacher

NEWTON, Mass., Dec. 21, 2011 – A Michigan teacher fired from her position at a Catholic elementary school has been awarded $5,000 in the fourth round of grants from the Voice of the Faithful’s Emily & Rosemary Fund for Women in the Church. These grants support women who have lost employment in the Catholic Church because of injustice or discrimination.

News Release -- Irish Audits Show Clergy Sex Abuse Won't Stop Without Accountability, Independent Review

NEWTON, Mass., Dec. 1, 2011 – For 36 years, leaders of six Roman Catholic dioceses in Ireland not only mishandled clergy sexual abuse and were not held accountable for abetting abuse, but also failed to establish reviews totally independent of Church influence, according to Voice of the Faithful’s reading of reports by Ireland’s National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church released Nov. 30.

VOTF National Statement -- Nothing Has Changed at Vatican as Cardinal Law Leaves Basilica Post

NEWTON, Mass., Nov. 21, 2011 – Nothing in the Vatican’s response to clergy sexual abuse has changed with the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law from his post as archpriest of St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, according to Voice of the Faithful, the worldwide Catholic Church reform movement.

VOTF National Statement -- The Catholic Church, Penn State and Rampant Child Sexual Abuse

NEWTON, Mass., Nov. 17, 2011 -- The recent grand jury account of child sexual abuse at Pennsylvania State University are as sickening as grand jury accounts of similar abuse by Catholic clergy in Philadelphia, Ireland, Boston and elsewhere, and the fact that the crimes were covered up is just as criminal, according to the worldwide Catholic Church reform movement Voice of the Faithful. But the reactions of leaders in these institutions were drastically different.

News Release -- Church Reform Group Identifies Serious Flaw in Bishops' Clerical Abuse Report

NEWTON, Mass., Nov. 3, 2011 – A serious flaw exists in the John Jay College report on the causes and context of the Catholic Church’s worldwide sexual abuse scandal, according to the worldwide Church reform group Voice of the Faithful. The report was made public earlier this year, and the VOTF board of trustees recently reached this conclusion after an internal committee studied the report for several months.

Voice of the Faithful National Statement -- Finally Accountability for a Bishop

NEWTON, Mass., Oct. 14, 2011 – Bishop Robert Finn and the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese were indicted today by a Jackson County, Missouri, grand jury for failing to report child abuse, the first time a Catholic bishop has been indicted on such a charge since clergy sexual abuse of children was first made widely known in the United States.

Voice of the Faithful National Statement -- Reform Movement Says Voices Heard with Rigali Resignation

NEWTON, Mass., July 20, 2011 -- Cardinal Justin Rigali’s resignation as archbishop of Philadelphia shows clearly that the Vatican is beginning to hear faithful Catholic voices, according to reform group Voice of the Faithful.

Pope Benedict XVI accepted Rigali’s resignation letter yesterday, July 19, submitted as required last year when he turned 75, several months before he was expected to step down. His successor, Denver archbishop Charles Chaput, was announced during an archdiocesan press conference, also July 19.

News Release - More Catholic Clergy Sex Crimes & Cover-ups Detailed in Ireland Cloyne Report

NEWTON, Mass., July 13, 2011 – Clearly Catholic bishops still do not understand how their actions put children at risk, said Dan Bartley, president of the worldwide Catholic Church reform group Voice of the Faithful, as Ireland’s government today released the Cloyne Report on Catholic clergy sexual abuse.

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