National News

Vatican Revision Falls Far Short
VOTF released a statement criticizing the Vatican’s recent revision of church law. “In light of the crisis facing our Church, these changes are timid, and mean little unless accompanied by action,” said VOTF President Dan Bartley. Beyond the issue of revisions, Voice of the Faithful finds it inconceivable that in the same announcement the Vatican effectively ranked participation in the “attempted” ordination of women as a crime comparable to child rape.
To read the entire statement by VOTF
http://votf.org/vaticanrulesreaction

Check Out VOTF’s New Prophetic Voices web page at http://votf.org/propheticvoices. It is a compilation of statements showing that we have come to a turning point within our church and that others are now taking up the call for transparency and accountability. We encourage you to read them and pass them around. We will continue to post such voices as they arise. If you have read or heard something you think is particularly prophetic, please send it to office@votf.org and we will try to include it.  

Some Progress in SOL Reform
The State of Florida has passed legislation to repeal all previous SOL restrictions. At this point, any child under the age of 16 has a lifetime to bring any action relating to sexual battery in criminal or civil court.

This is not ‘windows legislation’ but is a step forward in the protection of children and may be a first in the nation. It still allows for claims on any existing cases for which SOL has not expired as of July 1, 2010 and any claims going forward.

The Florida Catholic Conference opposed the bill to repeal the present SOL restrictions. In the end however, the vote was unanimous in both the house and senate and was gladly signed by the governor.

Much of this successful reform was due to continual effort over several years of one West Palm Beach lawyer, Michael Dolce; the support of various advocacy groups such as FL Council Against Sexual Violence, VOTF and others but also from strong legislative leadership and the realization that this was the right thing to do.

Members in the News
VOTF’s Pat Gomez was interviewed on Univision; Boston’s Spanish speaking news station. She spoke on the new Vatican rules.
http://www.wunitv.com/187659-Vaticano-Abuso-de-Menores.html
(click on the story “Vatican Abuso de menores”)

News from Ireland
Bryan Maguire, from VOTF Ireland wrote the following letter to the Bishops who are conducting the visitation to Ireland to examine how and why the abuse scandal was so far reaching. Among other things, Bryan asks the Bishops to examine the culture of secrecy that surrounds the priesthood and asks for a more equal relationship between the laity and clerics. He also asks if perhaps the provisions of Canon Law should be changed to more justly reflect the needs of the church and its people.

Continued: http://votf.org/vineyard/July22_2010/ireland.html

A Sad Note from the News: John Hynes
The Boston Globe took note recently when the first chair of the regional Boston Area Council VOTF died suddenly, calling him a “crusader in Catholic laity organization” in their profile
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2010/
07/18/john_hynes_66_crusader_in_catholic_laity_organization/

News from Voices in Action Teams

Bill Casey from our Child Protection/Survivor Support team passes along this note about one small Massachusetts-based survivor support group that is working to help boys in Haiti who reported sexual abuse at the hands of Douglas Perlitz. The Speak Truth to Power group has shipped small care packages and funds to help meet the needs of the abandoned boys. You can learn more by contacting the group at STTOP, P.O. Box 610156, Newton MA 02461. (Latest information reported by the Connecticut Post is here: http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Feds-file-new-charges-against-Perlitz-in-New-York-580464.php )

Site Seeing

Father Tom Doyle discusses the recent statement by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/vaticans-new-norms

The New York Times’ Maureen Dowd discusses the Vatican’s most recent statements on women’s ordination and pedophilia
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/opinion/18dowd.html

The Editors of America Magazine recognize VOTF as a group that “promotes excellence and “best practices” in management throughout the church in the United States, drawing on the expertise of the laity” (scroll down to the section titled “Duty Bound”)
http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?
article_id=12387

The United Nations says the child rights report from the Vatican is 13 years overdue
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/
ALeqM5iVXpIdqtwNCWrNHwSiMtY3LCMNxAD9GVEVMO0

Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg, South Africa, says “Leadership does not have all the answers all the time.

“As Catholics, we need to be trusted enough to make informed decisions about our life, our witness, our expressions of faith, spirituality, prayer, and involvement in the world -- on the basis of a developed conscience. And, as an invitation to an appreciation of conscience and conscientious decisions about life and participation in what is a very human church, I close with the formulation or understanding given by none other than the theologian, Fr. Josef Ratzinger, now pope, when he was a peritus, or expert, at Vatican II:

"Over the pope as expression of the binding claim of ecclesiastical authority, there stands one's own conscience which must be obeyed before all else, even if necessary against the requirement of ecclesiastical authority. This emphasis on the individual, whose conscience confronts him with a supreme and ultimate tribunal, and one which in the last resort is beyond the claim of external social groups, even the official church, also establishes a principle in opposition to increasing totalitarianism".

(Joseph Ratzinger in: Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II, Vol. V., pg. 134 (Ed) H. Vorgrimler, New York, Herder and Herder, 1967).

To read his entire statement

New York VOTF Awards Priest of Integrity

Submitted by Francis Piderit
The New York affiliate of VOTF awarded Father Roy Bourgeois its Msgr. Philip J. Murnion Priest of Integrity Award at a ceremony in New York City on May 16, 2010, in recognition of his courageous stand in support of justice for women in the Catholic Church.

Following is a letter that Father Bourgeois wrote and agreed could be disseminated. In his letter, he discusses his belief about the ordination of women.

Continued: http://votf.org/vineyard/July22_2010/priest.html

Calendar

Come and Listen to“BLESS ME, FATHER, FOR I HAVE SINNED!”PRIESTLY SEXUAL ABUSE IN THE DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT - A DRAMATIC PRESENTATION OF COURT DOCUMENTS

Come and hear FR. TOM DOYLE, O.P., the canon lawyer who alerted the American bishops to the problem of priestly sexual abuse in the 1980s.

Saturday, November 13, 2010 Norwalk Concert Hall, Norwalk City Hall, East Avenue, Norwalk.

Registration. See www.votfbpt.org. Send form and check for $40 to VOTF in the Diocese of Bridgeport, 191-C Main Street, New Canaan, CT 06840
A box lunch will be provided.

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I appreciated the letter from Br. Thomas Draney in your July 9, 2010, issue. Re-creating the house church is a way some of us can remain rooted in our Catholic faith even while disillusioned with the hierarchical exclusive institutional aspect of our church. Intentional Eucharistic Communities are the 21st century's house churches - small, egalitarian, honoring our tradition while respecting the priesthood of the baptized. If anyone is interested, I invite them to visit our web site for more details and a partial list of IECs across the U.S.A.

Sincerely,
Ellen Radday for the Network of IECs
www.intentionaleucharisticcommunities.org/

Note from the Editor:  National Catholic Reporter did an article on intentional Eucharistic communities last year. http://ncronline.org/news/faith-parish/carving-out-spiritual-home

Looking for a Good Book?

Try Tatoos on the Heart (The Power of Boundless Compassion) by Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit priest. (Use the Amazon link on VOTF and VOTF will get a portion of the purchase price) It is the tale of Boyle’s over-20 years of working with gang members in Los Angeles County. It was a Publisher’s Weekly starred review and the Los Angeles Times said it was “Destined to become a classic of both urban reportage and contemporary spirituality.” And please let me know what you think of it ...

Questions, Comments?

Please send them to Siobhan Carroll, Vineyard Editor at Vineyard@votf.org. Unless otherwise indicated, I will assume comments can be published as Letters to the Editor.