VOTF President Dan Bartley’s Comments 

What we have all just witnessed in Msgr. William Lynn’s formal arraignment is deeply disturbing and historic. Nine years after being assured by the U.S. bishops that they could protect our children from clerical sexual abuse, a key diocesan official in Philadelphia has been criminally charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

Based on revelations both here and elsewhere, it has become abundantly clear that, in fact, the bishops are not capable of protecting our children and policing themselves.

Enough is enough.

If the bishops are apparently incapable or unwilling to fix this disgraceful situation, we the laity have both a right and a responsibility to speak out about how to rectify the continued failures.

Therefore, Voice of the Faithful is proposing concrete steps that we believe are necessary to clean up this mess once and for all. The highlights are as follows:

• Diocesan audits must be conducted by independent individuals with no restrictions on access to individuals or files.

• Victim assistance programs must be staffed by individuals that are committed to the well-being of victims, not the chancery, diocesan law firms or insurance companies.

• All diocesan review boards must be staffed by competent independent individuals.

• The Dallas Charter must be amended to include a specific set of disciplinary actions, including required resignation, for Bishops, priests and laity that disregard or inhibit the implementation of the Dallas Charter.

• Bishops and their lobbyists must stop blocking reforms of the Statutes of Limitations that will give victims an opportunity to prove their case in civil courts.

It is indeed sad and discouraging that we have gotten to the point where every bishop cannot be trusted, on his own, to fulfill his commitment to protect our children and hold himself accountable to his people.

If the bishops refuse to implement these necessary and rather obvious changes, many Catholics may see this as the time to start withholding their time, talent and treasure.