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 | Dear
Friends, If you are like us, you are tired of talking
about the need to change our Church. After all, we have all been talking for years. It's time to take action, which is exactly
what VOTF's Voices in Action campaign is doing. Take our Local Action team, one of five Voices in Action teams, as a case in point. Our team is working with parish leaders who
want to energize their laity and prepare for the future. We are building programs to help parishes transform finances and
launch Safe Environment committees. We are also crafting the tools VOTF affiliates need to get the word out and bring new
members in. And we are not alone. Other Voices
in Action teams are gearing up across the country. In the months to come, all VOTF members will be getting updates on
the obstacles we face, the progress we make, and the work still to be done. This campaign is a historic breakthrough for VOTF. Launched at our national convention last October, Voices in Action is a practical, multi-year pathway for transforming the Catholic Church we love. Through Voices in Action,
we are modeling the Church we want to see, the Church we want to be. Best of all, there is something in the campaign for everyone! Concerned about your parish? Complete this assessment so we can send you support. Wonder how to form a Safe Environment committee? Click here to get started. Want to make your affiliate stronger? Assess yourself here, and we will be in touch. We invite you
to take action any way you want, and every way you can. The
initial response to our work has been tremendously encouraging. But we all know talk is cheap. Action counts, but action also
costs. Help Voices in Action succeed by making your donation to Voice of the Faithful today. If it weren't for VOTF, where would we be?
Keep the faith, change the
Church, and thanks for your support, Francis Piderit
(pideritVOTF@piderit.com)
and Brad Pritts (bpritts@pritts.com)
for the Voices in Action Local Action Team |
| | ©Voice of the Faithful
2009. All Rights Reserved |
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 | Voice of the Faithful's Newsletter | February 5, 2010 |
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 | The Irish government, after month upon month of delays, finally released the Dublin Report
on sex abuse of children by clergy in Ireland and the cover-up of that abuse by the bishops, the police, and the state authorities.
They released it on Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Highlights
of the report, which is receiving worldwide media attention, include: -
At least 102 priests (some reports say more than 170) involved and four archbishops -
As early as 1987, bishops in Dublin bought insurance to protect the
diocese against future claims of abuse.
The leader
of our VOTF affiliate in Ireland, Sean O'Conaill, has been helping us track the twists and turns and revelations in these
cases (a previous report appeared on child sex abuse in Irish Church-run institutions by priests, nuns, and lay people).
He is reporting now on the details in the Dublin Report. Here
is an overview of the report. At the bottom is a link to a web page we have set aside for posting Sean's extracts from the report as he works his way through it. You also can download
the full report from this site:
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PB09000504. Media reports that summarize
the report include:
Media discussing how the report itself was developed suggest the Vatican refused to help
with the government investigation:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8382999.stm
Calls for resignations have already begun in Ireland:
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/ireland/eymhgbaucwsn/
Reuters provides a partial list of sex abuse scandals
in the Catholic Church globally since 2002:
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE5AP2IP20091126 The Los Angeles Times provides a good summary for U.S.
audiences:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-ireland-abuse27-2009nov27,0,1653487.story It is times like these that we most realize how critical
it is for us to maintain our voice, a voice of the faithful, and provide true lay input into Church matters, so that our
children and grandchildren no longer fall prey to abusers in a setting where they instead should be most cherished.
And in a continued spirit of Thanksgiving, I thank Sean for his diligence
and the huge amounts of time he has devoted to seeing that justice will prevail in Ireland. Peace,
Donna B. Doucette
Executive Director, Voice of the Faithful | |
|
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 | In
the Vineyard :: November 12, 2009 :: Volume 8, Issue 20 |
| National
NewsLong Island Conference – A Great Success!!
More
than 500 Voice of the Faithful members from across the country gathered at the Hilton Hotel on Long Island for the 2009 National
Conference on October 30 and 31. The successful event featured inspiring talks Saturday from Sr. Joan Chittister and Fr. Tom
Reese, each of whom encouraged VOTF to continue seeking reform. Equally important, we were encouraged to lead the way we wish
to follow, and to begin transformation by first changing ourselves. Also on Saturday, Voice of the Faithful presented
National Priest of Integrity Awards to Fr. Joseph Fowler and Fr. Donald Cozzens, and the St. Catherine of Siena Distinguished Lay Person award to author and journalist Jason Berry. VOTF also honored founder and former VOTF President Jim Post with a special award. Friday
night's program included insightful presentations by the Voices in Action campaign teams and moving
testimony from a survivor, Dick Regan. Mr. Regan shared part of his story, and that of his siblings, who were abused.
He was preceded by reports from a devoted group of vigilers in Long Island who have been standing in front of the cathedral
for years as a reminder of the harm done to victims and the failure of the Church to hold accountable all those who abused
who enabled abusers. Coming soon: VOTF is working with the vendor
who taped the conference to prepare DVDs of the various presentations. Keep an eye on the VOTF web site for more information,
text excerpts, and video clips as they become available—and to review the reports already posted there.
Your Help Needed for Study
At the VOTF Conference, Margaret L. Smith of John
Jay College described the current status of the Causes and Context Study commissioned by the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops. She urged VOTF attendees to help researchers examine the question of whether the information we now possess about
sexual abuse of youths in the Church has prompted reflections about the past—what events did you perhaps observe or
hear about in the past and can your reflections on those help them understand how to ask questions about such events? The
researchers are trying to understand how so many people somehow did not perceive such actions and relationships as abusive
when they occurred. To share your ideas, please email causes-context@jjay.cuny.edu.
Nominations for National Officer Positions
It is time for
the election of Voice of the Faithful's national officers for 2010-11. We invite you to take part in the governance of VOTF
by nominating qualified candidates for the positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. All nominations
must be completed online and received by midnight EST on December 7, 2009—a firm deadline. Nominations will be acknowledged
by email within 2 business days. Please contact Bob Ott if an acknowledgement is not received in that time. For more details on eligibility and requirements
Priests of Integrity Awards
The Priest of Integrity Award
is the highest form of public recognition Voice of the Faithful gives to priests. Reverend Thomas Doyle was the first recipient,
in 2002. Since then only six other priests have been so honored at the National level. This year, 2009, two other remarkable
priests were given the Priest of Integrity Award: Reverend Donald Cozzens of Cleveland, Ohio, and Reverend Joseph Fowler of
Louisville, Kentucky.
The following profiles describe two priests who “walk the walk” side-by-side
with Voice of the Faithful members and with all others who strongly support those who are abused, who support (and challenge)
priests and bishops, and who work tirelessly to change our church. However, we think you will see that both of these priests
approach their ministry in very different and unique ways, based on their own personal gifts and experiences.
Continued
http://votf.org/vineyard/Nov12_2009/integrity.html
Opinion PieceDo You Know Where Your Money
Is Going?
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia recently announced that it is closing two of its high schools,
only months after announcing a five year, $200 million fundraising campaign. At the time that campaign commenced, Auxiliary
Bishop Joseph McFadden was quoted as saying, “Right now, we're making ends meet.” To me, that comment, juxtaposed
with the high school closings, sounds inconsistent with a $50,000 contribution by the Archdiocese to the effort sponsored
by the Diocese of Portland, Maine, to nullify marriage for same-sex couples in that state. But Philadelphia was hardly
alone. Records required to be filed under the government ethics and election practices laws of the state of Maine reveal that
as of October 20th, Catholic archdioceses and dioceses throughout the United States had contributed over $200,000 to the Ballot
Question Committee (“BQC”) organized by the Diocese of Portland to overturn a statute passed by the Maine legislature
and signed by its governor, a Catholic, authorizing same sex partners to marry. On last November 3, the initiative was approved.
Those same records indicate that the Diocese reported that more than $250,000 raised by the BQC was categorized as “General
Treasury Transfers”, which seems to indicate that those funds came directly from the Diocese of Portland. Continued
http://votf.org/vineyard/Nov12_2009/opinion.html
A Theologian Looks at How Portland Spent Its Money
We asked a Catholic theologian, Dr. Anthony T. Padovano, about the Portland diocese's fundraising for activity that
addresses civil legislation, and the channeling of funds from one diocese to another for that purpose. While noting that the
Catholic Church, like any church in America, has a right to address civil laws related to its doctrines and its moral teachings,
Dr. Padovano suggested that Catholics should consider these aspects: There a number of issues which need to be
taken into account: When people donate money to the Church, do they want that money to be used in legal
battles over sex abuse disclosure or settlement or over legal resistance to homosexual marriage? The Church
hierarchy has the right to define moral teaching on contraception, homosexual marriage or divorce; that teaching should
be consultative with the sensus fidelium and lay experience at large; Church administrators must be attentive
to respecting the consciences of all those in a pluralistic society and not coercing their compliance by legal means
in areas where people of good will differ; moral persuasion and theological argument are always better in these
instances, less counter- productive and more in line with the Gospel; if the Church's position is correct, it will prevail.
Dr.
Anthony T. Padovano, Catholic Theologian
Update on Bridgeport Decision After more than seven years of
litigation, including two adverse decisions by the Connecticut Supreme Court, the effort by the Diocese of Bridgeport to keep
secret more than 12,000 pages of documents pertaining to the abuse of children by priests of the Diocese has been effectively
ended by the United States Supreme Court. In a ruling issued last week, the Court denied the petition for certiorari
filed by the Diocese, meaning that the Court will not hear the appeal of the Diocese. On Tuesday, a Superior Court judge
ordered the Catholic Church to turn over documents related to sex abuse allegations involving priests by Dec. 1. Following
is a link to the article in the Hartford Courant.
courant.com/community/waterbury/hc-web-church-1111nov11,0,2031841.story
Christmas Shopping Already?Thinking of starting on your Christmas shopping?
Want to do it online? If so, please consider going to VOTF's website and following the link to Amazon.com. A small percentage
of each sale will go to support VOTF (although you will not pay any higher price). Last year, VOTF raised close to $800 dollars
during the Christmas season in this way. Painless!
Site SeeingA judge denies a request from McCormack, a convicted former priest to seal records in commitment battle.
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/11/
ex-priest-mccormack-fails-to-seal-records-in-commitment-battle.html
VOTF's Priest of Integrity, Father Fowler, speaks out against a convicted sex offender
being ordained as a minister.
A dedicated few remain vigilant to protect children after sex ...
John Allen discusses the differences young Catholics bring to Catholicism.
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102782686454&s=4384&e=
001gJbLMHpFmadCfD7b9cf6zg9BJLOqTwBHVvcungO9
LzsG_4nOTv2LrzKWuKJAv6fgUP0Nx4hSnjvV
q25-vJEjDoFahNcJEewTpK8GOOWnagi2hOhASIcIh5XECj006mHC
Bishop Gumbleton prevented from speaking at a Catholic Church on peace or nuclear
disarmament. Bishop Sample not allowed to open a Pax Christi meeting on Church property.
http://ncronline.org/news/peace/two-bishops-barred-speaking-catholic-venues
Delaware agreement - trials against diocese will be postponed but files released.
http://wjz.com/wireapnewsmd/Diocese.of.
Wilmington.2.1295638.html CALENDARBoston College Church in the 21st
Century
November 13, 2009, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
ANNUAL MINISTRY RENEWAL DAY
Called to
Become an Adult Church
Presenters: Jane E. Regan and John J. Shea, O.S.A.
Co-sponsored by The Church in the
21st Century Center
Location: Gasson Hall 100, Chestnut Hill Middle Campus
Free of charge, including lunch. Registration
required
More Information
North Shore/Seacoast and Lynn affiliates of VOTF
Fr. Robert Imbelli's talk, previously scheduled in our brochure for Oct. 21 has been postponed. The new date,
is May 23, 2010. 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. | |
| ©Voice of the
Faithful 2008. All Rights Reserved |
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Op-Ed Columnist The Nuns’ Story By MAUREEN DOWD Published:
October 24, 2009 WASHINGTON Once, in the first grade,
I was late for class. I started crying in the schoolyard, terrified to go in and face the formidable Sister Hiltruda.
Father Montgomery, who looked like a handsome young priest out of a 1930s movie, found me cowering and took my hand, leading
me into the classroom. Sister Hiltruda looked ready to pop, but she couldn’t say a word to me, then or ever.
There was no more unassailable patriarchy than the Catholic Church. Nuns were second-class citizens then and —
40 years after feminism utterly changed America — they still are. The matter of women as priests is closed, a forbidden
topic. In 2004, the cardinal who would become Pope Benedict XVI wrote a Vatican document urging women to be submissive
partners, resisting any adversarial roles with men and cultivating “feminine values” like “listening, welcoming,
humility, faithfulness, praise and waiting.” Nuns need to be even more sepia-toned for the über-conservative
pope, who was christened “God’s Rottweiler” for his enforcement of orthodoxy. Once a conscripted member
of the Hitler Youth, Benedict pardoned a schismatic bishop who claimed that there was no Nazi gas chamber. He also argued
on a trip to Africa that distributing condoms could make the AIDS crisis worse. The Vatican is now conducting two inquisitions
into the “quality of life” of American nuns, a dwindling group with an average age of about 70, hoping to herd
them back into their old-fashioned habits and convents and curb any speck of modernity or independence. Nuns who took
Vatican II as a mandate for reimagining their mission “started to look uppity to an awful lot of bishops and priests
and, of course, the Vatican,” said Kenneth Briggs, the author of “Double Crossed: Uncovering the Catholic Church’s
Betrayal of American Nuns.” The church enabled rampant pedophilia, but nuns who live in apartments and do social
work with ailing gays? Sacrilegious! The pope can wear Serengeti sunglasses and expensive red loafers, but shorter hems for
nuns? Disgraceful! “It’s a tragedy because nuns are the jewels of the system,” said Bob Bennett,
the Washington lawyer who led the church’s lay inquiry into the pedophilia scandal. “I was of the view that if
they had been listened to more, some of this stuff wouldn’t have happened.” As the Vatican is trying to
wall off the “brides of Christ,” Cask of Amontillado style, it is welcoming extreme-right Anglicans into the Catholic
Church — the ones who are disgruntled about female priests and openly gay bishops. Il Papa is even willing to bend Rome’s
most doggedly held dogma, against married priests — as long as they’re clutching the Anglicans’ Book of
Common Prayer. “Most of the Anglicans who want to move over to the Catholic Church under this deal are people
who have scorned women as priests and have scorned gay people,” Briggs said. “The Vatican doesn’t care that
these people are motivated by disdain.” The nuns are pushing back a bit, but it’s hard, since the church
has decreed that women can’t be adversarial to men. A nun writing in Commonweal as “Sister X” protests,
“American women religious are being bullied.” She recalls that Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo, who heads
one of the investigations, moved a meeting at the University of Notre Dame off campus to protest a performance of “The
Vagina Monologues.” “It is the rare bishop,” Sister X writes, “who has any real understanding of the
lives women actually lead.” The church can be flexible, except with women. Laurie Goodstein, the Times’s
religion writer, reported this month on an Illinois woman who had a son with a Franciscan priest. The church agreed to child
support but was stingy with money for college and for doctors, once the son got terminal cancer. The priest had never been
disciplined and was a pastor in Wisconsin — until he hit the front page. Even then, “Father” Willenborg
was suspended only because the woman said that he had pressed her to have an abortion and that he had also had a sexual relationship
with a teenager. (Maybe the church shouldn’t be so obdurate on condoms.) When then-Cardinal Ratzinger was “The
Enforcer” in Rome, he investigated and disciplined two American nuns. One, Jeannine Gramick, then of the School Sisters
of Notre Dame, founded a ministry to reconcile gays with the church, which regards homosexual desires as “disordered.”
The other, Mary Agnes Mansour of the Sisters of Mercy, headed the Michigan Department of Social Services, which, among other
things, paid for abortions for poor women. Marcy Kaptur, a Democratic congresswoman from Toledo and one of Bishop Blair’s
flock, got a resolution passed commending nuns for their humble service and sacrifice. “The Vatican’s in another
country,” she said. “Maybe people do things differently there. Perhaps the Holy Spirit will intervene.”
Nicholas D. Kristof is off today.
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| Outspoken Catholic Bishop Steps Down After Stormy Tenure | | Religion News Service | | | A
Pennsylvania Catholic bishop whose public scoldings of politicians--including Vice President Joe Biden--created a stir nationwide
resigned on Monday (Aug. 31), citing stress and lack of confidence in his leadership. Bishop Joseph Martino was appointed
in 2003 to head the Diocese of Scranton, a heavily Catholic corner of northeastern Pennsylvania. His relatively brief tenure
was marked by battles with local parishes, a teachers union, college administrators and a number of politicians, particularly
over abortion rights. "For some time now, there has not been a clear consensus among the clergy and the people of the
diocese of Scranton regarding my pastoral initiatives or my way of governance," Martino said Monday at a press conference.
The Vatican appointed Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia, as temporary head of the Scranton diocese, which
encompasses about 350,000 Catholics in 11 counties. |
| The Republican (Catholic Church) Captivity | | National Catholic Reporter | | Last November at their post-election meeting, a vocal minority of bishops lamented the election results, aghast
that not only a majority of Americans, but more tellingly a majority of Catholics, had voted to make Barack Obama President
of the United States. So extreme were the comments of these few bishops that some could easily have confused them with Republican
ward-heelers, and be prone to the fear that a new "Republican Captivity" of our Church was in full force. A lot
of the bishops' hysteria at their November meeting was over that great Republican bogeyman, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA),
which was not a part of the Democratic platform, and had absolutely no priority among the issues facing the new administration.
This did not prevent the public lamentations of select bishops on how FOCA would force Catholic hospitals to close - despite
the insistence of the Catholic Health Association to the contrary. |
 | Dear Friends, When we announced to you earlier this week our need to raise $60,000
by July 31st to keep our national office open, we notified the media in an example of financial transparency. In just
48 hours, 352 members have contributed over $33,000 (more than half of our goal) to help us meet our immediate crisis.
We greatly appreciate both the words of encouragement and any amounts you are able to
contribute. If you would like to contribute, donate now. Media coverage also has elicited comments from long-standing naysayers and critics. We certainly
didn't expect a contribution from The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, but Director of Communications Susan
A. Fani went so far as to issue the following yesterday: | Voice
Is Toast Voice of the Faithful is now preparing its obituary. After lecturing the Catholic Church
for years on such matters as financial accountability, the organization is in financial ruins. According to Voice officials,
it needs $60,000 just to pay its summer bills. Good luck: it is well-known that Voice members are incredibly stingy.
To the extent that the Church made necessary reforms, it effectively spelled the demise of Voice. It was
always a close cousin to Call to Action, another moribund organization, and now the cat is out of the bag. To think that
Voice can exist as a volunteer group is delusional. Quite frankly, Voice is toast. |
In contrast David Clohessy, Executive Director of SNAP is quoted in the National Catholic Reporter's story
yesterday as follows: “Millions of Catholics are grateful that clergy sex crimes and cover ups
are finally being exposed. We hope they'll step up to the plate and support this pioneering organization that works so hard
to make the church a safer, healthier place.” Clohessy warned that “an unchecked, all-powerful
Catholic hierarchy is dangerous. Like politicians, bishops need checks and balances to thwart or at least reduce arrogance,
callousness and recklessness. That's what VOTF steadfastly provides and what the church desperately needs.” SNAP Outreach Director Barbara Dorris posted the following statement in response to the NCR article.
“In a church largely characterized by lay apathy and indifference, VOTF has motivated
and guided tens of thousands of Catholics to make a real difference. Every Catholic who wants a safer, healthier church
should support this dedicated group, not just with lip service but with donations. I'm sending a check in today.”
Who do you find compelling? Those who claim that our Church's leadership
knows best and has taken care of business since 2002, or those who see the systemic flaws in our wounded Church such as
SNAP and VOTF, and want to make a difference for the better? We hope that you will join 350 of your colleagues
help us maintain our national presence with your contributions. You can donate online or mail your contribution to P.O. Box 423, Newton, MA 02464 
Dan Bartley, President
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 | Dear Friends: The release of a report this month on the 60-year clergy sexual abuse scandal and cover-up involving more than 800 children abused at Irish institutions
is, frankly, yet another example of how the leaders of the Catholic Church don't get it. Why do I say that? Because after seven years of watching scandal after scandal unfold around the world, we still are left with too many
questions. Questions about why bishops and others who knew of the abuse kept silent and, in far too many cases, enabled
additional abuse. Questions about how a Church committed to caring for the weakest and the neediest of us all could
so violate their trust—and then cover up the violations. Questions that the Irish bishops themselves say must
be answered: WHY and HOW could this happen? Voice of the Faithful adds another question:
How can we renew our Church without first holding accountable those who enabled such abuse? If
you believe, as we do, that Church leaders must be held accountable in any country where clergy abused children without penalty—and
it has occurred in many places—please give now to Voice of the Faithful so that we can make your voice heard. Our affiliate in Ireland
is doing all that it can to organize people who will act in concert to bring about change in response to the latest revelations.
Even prominent Irish bishops are calling for explanation and examination. But they need
our help. And they need us to demand greater accountability among Church leaders here in the U.S. as well. After all, our
own record is rather bleak—seven years after the wave of revelations that began in Boston, only one bishop has
lost his job and only one bishop has been put on leave. If you agree that this is
unacceptable, I hope you will do two things: - Give to Voice of the Faithful, which is your voice to demand change.
- Read more about the scandal in Ireland, and forward this email
to all your friends to let them know what is going on there: VOTF Ireland; VOTF Ireland Press Release; VOTF National Press Release. VOTF Ireland's Sean O'Conaill was on BBC radio and can be heard 19 minutes into the program.
It is every Catholic's responsibility
to help change our Church. It may seem like an insurmountable challenge. But by supporting VOTF and telling your friends to
stand up and be heard, you lead us to become a better Church. Sincerely,
Dan Bartley
VOTF President
P.S. Please consider committing to a monthly donation via credit card. You can do this online, and it is a great way to support our efforts continuously throughout the year. |
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