Survivor Support

*** Read the Vatican’s report on investigation of Theodore McCarrick ***

Voice of the Faithful recognizes and respects the life-long struggle of childhood victims/survivors of sexual abuse by members of the clergy and religious in our church community. To help protect children and advance healing and justice for victims/survivors, we support actions at the national, regional and local levels to:

Reform the statutes of limitations that govern redress for victims of childhood sexual abuse, and support legislation for mandatory reporting of child abuse.

Educate ourselves and others as to the grievous impact of sexual abuse, and promote a better understanding of the epidemic of child sexual abuse in our society.

Support and collaborate with other organizations to expand child abuse prevention education and awareness programs in both Catholic environments and the broader communities.

Support survivors in their journey of healing by providing opportunities for survivors to share their stories, ideas and insights about the trauma of childhood sexual abuse.

Advocacy Guide: Reform of Statutes of Limitations (on child sexual abuse)

Vatican Report on Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick

Clergy Sex Abuse Bibliography (assembled by Fr. Tom Doyle): an extensive listing of books, articles, documentaries and movies related to sex abuse from the perspectives of theology, philosophy, canon law, civil law, psychology, and more. You also may be interested in “Forty Theses Against Clergy Sexual Abuse.”

VOTF Response to John Jay Study: A collection of responses and reports on the study, conducted at request of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, released in 2011

Academic and Government Reports on Clergy Sex Abuse in Catholic Church: a collection of PDFs from reports conducted by institutions and agencies