News from National

Pope Benedict this week announced a “profound” reform of the Legion of Christ, an order long favored by Pope John Paul II but whose founder had an equally lengthy record of abusing seminarians and women. The exposure of the sexual and financial improprieties of the Legionaries founder, Marcel Maciel Degollado, is thanks in no small part to the efforts of Jason Berry, VOTF’s 2009 Catherine of Siena award winner, whose tireless efforts going as far back as 1986 uncovered these wrongdoings.

To read the extensive coverage by Berry http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/money-paved-way-maciels-influence-vatican

Many Thanks!!!
Your rapid response to our email request on Monday to pay for mailing the document Consulting the Laity on Candidates for the Episcopacy to every bishop in every diocese in the U.S. allowed us to get the packages in the mail by Wednesday afternoon. Your support covered the costs of making 270 copies of the 14-page document and 270 copies of the letter we sent last month to the pope requesting consideration of our proposal; creating a database with addresses for 268 diocesan and eparchy heads; printing 268 personalized letters to every bishop for whom we have an address; preparing 268 envelopes sized 9x12-inches; and putting $1.22 postage on each of those packages.

Equally invaluable was the substantial labor donated to us by VOTF volunteers Millie Feloney and Helen Dolan, who collated, stuffed, sealed, and labeled all the packages—they ensured that every bishop now knows our proposal for restoring lay input to the process of selecting candidates for bishop.

Update on the Certificate of Accountability
VOTF recently launched a Certificate of Accountability program, asking members to attach a certificate http://votf.org/certificate.pdf to their local church donations. The certificate asks that the church agree that it will report all allegations of abuse to the police, ensure Safe Training for all employees and agree that anyone who knowingly transferred or transfers a priest accused of abuse, resign.

We have had several comments from members about the response from their church, including the following from Tom Wright:

“You may be interested to learn that I attempted to make a donation to the Diocesan Development Drive (DDD) of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. The representative of the bishop and head of the DDD phoned me and said that the bishop would not sign the VOTF Certification of Accountability that I had attached to my (attempted) donation. She said that their objection was to the third item on the certificate. I pointed out that this was precisely the area in which the hierarchy has failed to make any effort to clean up its act. I cited Bernard Law's privileged position in Rome as an example of the continuing "head in the sand" posture with regard to holding bishops accountable.

They have returned my check and I have diverted my donation to VOTF by making an online donation.

I would be interested in knowing whether any other dioceses have refused (or whether any have agreed) to accept the terms of the VOTF Certificate.”

Have you used the Certificate of Accountability in your Church? If so, please let us know if you received a response.

Doing the Right Thing
Bishop Richard F. Stika of Knoxville TN, upon learning of an incident of sexual abuse by a retired priest in his diocese, immediately called the district attorney and the police. The next day, the Bishop called a press conference asking any other victims to come forward. The Bishop’s website has an apology to all the victims of sexual abuse on the front page.

To read the letter from Bishop Stika http://dioknox.org/etcnews/he-dwells-among-us-by-bishop-richard-f-stika-healing-and-justice/

News from Ireland

Ireland’s Bishop Moriarty  of the Kildare and Leighlin Diocese, posted the text of his resignation on his website. A copy was sent to Voice of the Faithful with the request that it be disseminated as widely as possible.

"When I announced before Christmas that I was offering my resignation to the Holy Father, I explained what I hoped it might achieve – 'I hope it honours the truth that the survivors have so bravely uncovered and opens the way to a better future for all concerned.'

"The truth is that the long struggle of survivors to be heard and respected by church authorities has revealed a culture within the Church that many would simply describe as unchristian. People do not recognise the gentle, endless love of the Lord in narrow interpretations of responsibility and a basic lack of compassion and humility. This has been profoundly dispiriting for all who care about the Church. As I stated in my contribution at the recent gathering of Irish Bishops with the Holy Father – 'Let us be clear, our failures have damaged our people’s faith and the strength of our witness.'"

"The truth is also that the Church is ‘at the same time holy and always in need of being purified, always follows the way of penance and renewal’ (Lumen Gentium 8). I believe the spiritual well-being of the People of God demands that this principle of the Church as always in need of reform, which was embraced at the Second Vatican Council, should again come to the forefront of Church life. I believe, as I said at the recent Vatican gathering 'that the goal should be a new fellowship (cf. Acts 4:32-37); a deeper sharing of the mission that transcends the kind of clerical culture that led us here.'"

To read the entire letter go to  www.kandle.ie

Site Seeing

If you’re looking to be reminded of the wonderful things done in the name of the Catholic Church, Nicholas Kristof’s New York Times column is a must read..
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/
opinion/02kristof.html?hp

National Catholic Reporter identifies the abuse crisis as a hierarchy crisis...
http://ncronline.org/blogs/examining-crisis/abuse-crisis-actually-hierarchy-crisis

Practiced Catholics
http://ncronline.org/blogs/bulletins-human-side/practiced-catholics

Father Michael Ryan asks our Church leaders to “turn this dreadful moment into a graced moment.”
http://ncronline.org/blogs/examining-crisis/turn-dreadful-moment-graced-moment

Book Review

Submitted by Gloria Slagle

The Long Dark Winter’s Night: A Reflection of a Priest in Time of Pain and Privilege is a book written from the heart about the clergy abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. Fr. Patrick Bergquist, a parish priest, in Fairbanks, Alaska, uses the long, dark winter in the Arctic as a mystical metaphor for recent unfolding tragedies concerning the darker side of the church.

Through the use of poetry and prose and experiences from his own life, Fr. Bergquist weaves for the reader his own response to this very sad saga which continues to unfold despite a desire by many to want to believe it is over. He offers the hope and the challenge that these very events could be an opportunity for a new beginning if we delve into the pain with our own and do not give into the temptation to "get past it all as quickly as possible.” Fr. Bergquist's  book is written with compassion and insight signaling that what lies at the heart of this matter is the very meaning of priesthood itself. The Long Dark Winter's Night is  a very timely gift from a priest to his church.

Members Speak Out

Suzanne Severson of Twin Cities Voice of the Faithful had the following letter published in the April 22, 2010 edition of The Catholic Spirit, St Paul/ Minneapolis archdiocesan newspaper.

I read with great interest Archbishop Nienstedt's column in last week’s (April 8) Catholic Spirit regarding division in the Catholic Church caused by clerical sexual abuse. Our archbishop concludes his article by stating that Catholics have the responsibility to work and pray to heal these divisions “to our unity as a church" and calls on us to join in a novena for Pope Benedict later this month...to pledge our prayerful solidarity with the Holy Father".  I write to suggest the Faithful also pray especially for victims and their families harmed by clerical sexual abuse, and for healing of our parishes and faith communities scarred by instances of abuse in their midst. The archbishop states emphatically that "...We can perhaps never apologize enough for what has taken place. We must direct ourselves to the healing of the victims".

Every victim I have spoken to since the abuse crisis in Boston surfaced in 2002 has desired primarily a personal and sincere apology from Church leaders acknowledging their injury in order to facilitate healing from this trauma. As mainstream Catholics, our organization stands ready to work together with the
Archdiocese to usher in a new era of forgiveness and understanding. I ask that prayers for all victims of sexual abuse, their families, and their parish communities be included in your novenas for Pope Benedict this month.

Sister Maureen Turlish, a member of Child Protection/Survivor Support team in the Voices in Action program writes about the failure of many church officials in this month’s National Catholic Reporter:
http://ncronline.org/blogs/examining-crisis/church-leaders-are-spinning-their-wheels

John Patrick Grace asks “Should the Pope resign?”
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/opinions/x1894429466/Should-Pope-Benedict-resign-in-light-of-cover-up-reports

Calendar

NJ VOTF invites members to “EMPOWERING WOMEN TO FIND THEIR STORY AND VOICE IN SCRIPTURE,” a talk by Sister Kathleen Macinnis Kichline at 10 A.M. on Saturday, May 15, 2010. The lecture will be held at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 100 Harter Rd, Morristown, NJ. For more information go to  www.votfnj.org or send an e-mail to info@votfnj.org or call 973-539-8732.

The Adult faith Formation Series in Collaboration with Boston College, Department of Theology and North Shore/Seacoast VOTF will offer their final program for this year.

On Sunday, May 23, 2010, Rev. Robert P. Imbelli, Ph. D. of Boston College will speak on “The Catholic Common Ground Initiative and the Challenge of Dialogue” (creating spirituality capable of motivating and sustaining dialogue).  Come join us at the Immaculate Conception Parish Center in Newburyport from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Refreshments and discussion follow the lecture.  Financial contributions are always welcome. For further information call Eleanora Paciulan at 978-462-4882 or Barbara and John Gould at 978-535-2321.

On Sunday, May 16, Voice of the Faithful New York will honor Fr. Roy Bourgeois with the Msgr. Philip J. Murnion Priest of Integrity Award.

The award recognizes Fr. Roy’s call for justice for women in the Catholic Church. Fr. Bourgeois is renowned for his 20-year leadership of School of the Americas Watch.

In 2008, Fr. Bourgeois took up a new struggle: the fight for equal rights for women in the Catholic Church.

Threatened with excommunication, Fr. Bourgeois is been an eloquent witness to equality and justice for all members of the People of God, regardless of gender.

Please join us to welcome Fr. Roy Bourgeois to New York, to honor his courage, and to hear his words.
All are welcome.

For more information, contact Francis Piderit at PideritVOTF@piderit.com, or call 917.916.7575.

Letters to the Editor

These folks are basically stonewalling you. And you are throwing softballs at them. In other words you’re bringing a knife to a gunfight. I feel your approach may work sometime in the next 75-100 years. But if you want to obtain some results/changes in our lifetime you’ve got to get their attention by as President Lyndon Johnson used to say “grab them by the wallet”. If you would encourage American Catholics to stop giving money to anything but their local parish & charities the Vatican would be at the table within 6mos. Another thing that has always bothered me: Why when we contribute the bulk of the churches’ funds are we so underrepresented by the number of U.S. cardinals? As I recall it’s a small number—16?  We must look like real suckers to the folks in the Vatican. No wonder they blatantly ignore us.

Bob
Indiana

Fellow Roman Catholics - I cannot believe that Pope Benedict is sincere in his remorse over the sexual abuse crisis throughout the world so long as he allows Cardinal Bernard Law, the poster child for concealing sexual abuse by his priests while he was Archbishop of Boston, to continue receiving honors as he enjoys his asylum in the Vatican out of the reach of the American process servers.  After he fled from Boston into the arms of the world's oldest patriarchal monarchy and resigned as Archbishop of Boston on December 12, 2002, he was given a prominent role in making the College of Cardinals' arrangements of the consistory that elected Benedict as pope.    He is the Archbishop emeritus of Boston, an influential, member of the corrupt Roman Curia, archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, and titular Cardinal Priest of Santa Susana, the American Catholic church in Rome.  Talk about adding insult to injury! 

If one were sincere in wanting to bring notoriously prominent leaders of this scandal to account, what better place to start than right under the pope's nose with Cardinal Bernard Law?  Stop honoring this unindicted criminal and call him to account for his sins. 
--
J.C. H.
North Bethesda, Maryland

First, I wish to thank all of you for the present state of this publication. Your efforts are "paying off" in terms of information, clarity or understanding of the issues and timeliness.  MUCH NEEDED, I pray and hope it can continue.  Professionalism DOES make a difference!

Several years ago when this terrible subject was first made known, and VOTF was founded as a result, I often said to people I was "comfortable" with my church being in the forefront of exposing this problem.  It is not new, it is universal and it has always been something one did not discuss or even acknowledge.  So, miserable as it feels to everyone -

If our pain and shock, our prayers, money and work serve to bring sexual abuse of minors into the public eye everywhere;  and   
if this then promotes discussion, recognition and finally acceptance of the reality of an unfortunate but sadly universal aspect of human behavior;  and 
if this enables people everywhere to REACT and REPAIR the various social structures and the laws governing them -
then I am content to suffer the shame and disgrace which has been brought on MY/OUR church.

God uses His/Her people as instruments - the Old Testament is full of such examples, more often than not people unhappy in their role, persecuted, reviled, considered insane or dangerous and certainly heretical.  Consider Jesus and Good Friday, why should we expect it to be different for us?

And, leave OUR church?  Starting a new one has been tried and has failed.  Let others take it from us just because some have been, and some continue to be,  stupid, scared, selfish or senseless?  I think NOT!  It's not their church, it's ours and only by being honest and open, and insisting on the same for our "leaders,"  will the Holy Spirit again make us, as a Church, an instrument for good in the world. 

We must at least try which is why VOTF's work and your work on In The Vineyard is so important and helpful.
THANKS.

Sincerely and with love and prayers for you all, 
J.L.

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.