PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate release
Voice of the Faithful Protests Bishop’s Failure to Implement the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People
Five years ago in response to news of a clergy abuse scandal that
shocked the nation, the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
issued the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People(Charter)
and pledged to support its implementation. One Bishop, Fabian
Bruskewitz of the Diocese of Lincoln NE, has steadfastly refused to be
subject to the Charter. In an article in his own diocesan newspaper the South Nebraska Register he admitted that he refuses to implement the Charter
that he has failed to mandate diocese-wide background checks for those
working with children and is not implementing “safe
environment” programs. Failure to implement these basic actions
put thousands of children in jeopardy.
“This failure to react responsibly to the greatest crisis the
Church has endured in at least 500 years indicts not only Bishop
Bruskewitz but also the effectiveness of the USCCB,” said Mary
Pat Fox, President of Voice of the Faithful. “The full Conference
passed the Charter
overwhelmingly in 2002.. The Bishops pledged to use ‘fraternal
correction’ for those bishops who did not abide by the Charter
but in five years no Bishop has ‘corrected’ Bishop
Bruskewitz. If the USCCB is to be credible it must take action whenever
their mandate meets willful or negligent collapse.”
“This is not the only area where Bishops have failed in their
responsibility towards correcting fellow Bishops who refuse to abide by
the decisions of the Conference,” continued Fox. “While the
USCCB has encouraged its members to release full financial statements
that are accountable and transparent, painfully few Bishops have heeded
the Conference’s advice. If we are ever going to restore trust
and vibrancy to our Church, we must put an end to the climate of
secrecy and clericalism that continues to thwart a genuinely Christian
response to the needs of the faith community.”
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Press contact
John Moynihan (617) 558-5252
About Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) 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 survivors of clergy sexual abuse, support priests
of integrity, and shape structural change within the Catholic Church in
full accordance and harmony with Church teaching.
John Moynihan
Media Relations
Voice of the Faithful
617 558 5252
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