Contact: John Moynihan, jmoynihan@votf.org, (617) 558-5252, (617) 680-2131 cell

For Immediate release

Voice of the Faithful Urges Bishops
Not to Elect Cardinal George

November 12, 2007 - Today U.S. Bishops will elect their next President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. If history is an indicator Cardinal Francis George of Chicago will ascend to the President's role today. Voice of the Faithful urges U.S. Bishops to break with tradition and vote with their conscience and elect a President who has a proven track record on the issue of clergy sex abuse.

"The U.S. bishops cannot elect a known enabler of clergy sex abuse as President of the USCCB if they are ever to regain the trust of American Catholics,” said Mary Pat Fox, President of Voice of the Faithful. “On August 1, 2007, Voice of the Faithful launched a letter writing campaign sending letters to each of the bishops in the United States imploring that they reconsider the election of Cardinal George of Chicago as the next President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). We sent Cardinal George a copy of the letter and a separate letter explaining why we felt so strongly about this."

VOTF felt compelled to take this action because Cardinal George has exhibited a fundamental lack of understanding of the impact clergy sex abuse has on children, the seriousness of each accusation, and the need for swift action. As one of the authors of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Cardinal George should have been especially sensitive to such needs. We are dismayed that he did not remove Fr. Daniel McCormack immediately when credible accusations were made but instead waited months before removing him from ministry. This delay in 2007, after all the Church has learned in the past five years, is simply unacceptable.

"The Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis is without a doubt the most important scandal to ever hit the Catholic Church in America and some would say the world," said Fox. "At this juncture when trust in the hierarchy is broken it is imperative that the U.S. Bishops show Catholics that they do understand the importance of firmly and consistently implementing the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and holding their own bishops accountable. It would be the opposite of accountability to elect Cardinal George considering his mishandling of the Fr. Daniel McCormack case in Chicago. Electing him President of the USCCB would be rewarding him for this behavior. We urge the Bishops not to do this."

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Press contact

John Moynihan (617) 558-5252, (617) 680 2131 ©

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.