Voice of the Faithful making itself heard

Salt shakers
May 2002

Catholic high school girls tell Nike to "Just Stop It!"
Voice of the Faithful making itself heard

Voice of the Faithful making itself heard
It's hard to imagine how any message of hope might emerge from the quagmire of the U.S. clergy sex abuse crisis. But the beginning of that message can be heard in some recent headlines, like the New York Times report "U.S. Catholics see turning point for the church." A Boston group called Voice of the Faithful wants to make sure those words ring true. Its slogan: "Keep the faith, change the church."

An outcropping of the pain and confusion many Catholics feel over the sordid scandal of sex abuse and cover-ups, the group began in February as a listening session at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Wellesley, Massachusetts. About 25 parishioners attended that first meeting. Voice of the Faithful now has over 300 regular attendees to weekly meetings at the parish and plans a convention on July 20 at the Hynes Center in Boston, hoping to gather 5,000 concerned Catholics from all over the country.

Aside from publicity it receives in the national media, VOTF uses the Internet to spread the word. Its Web site asks visitors to sign on as satellite supporters, gathering over 2550 email "signatures" so far from Catholics across the U.S. and even 18 foreign nations.

Because so many people have asked for help and advice on starting similar groups in their local area, VOTF is developing a "VOTF-in-a-box" kit to help others get started. It asks for two people from each diocese in the country to initiate a local program.

VOTF is by no means a group of rabble-rousers. Its president and founder is a cardiologist at the Harvard Medical School and the co-founder of an international physicians' organization that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Jim Muller is a life-long Catholic and parochial school alumnus with an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and a graduate degree in Russian history from Georgetown University. In 1980, Muller co-founded the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). In 1985, the organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. IPPNW grew to 150,000 members in five years, so Muller is no stranger to mobilizing supporters and doing it quickly. VOTF's supporter list doubled in one week in April, and nearly every national media outlet has called for interviews.

When the scandal broke in January, Muller found himself in a crisis of faith and even decided he would not attend Mass. But after a weekend of protest, he decided that he should first try in good faith to make a change from within the church before he could give up on it completely. After discussing the idea with two friends, they suggested to the pastor of St. John the Evangelist, Father Thomas Powers, that the parish create a forum for the laity to speak out. They wanted to have a meeting that week where people could vent their frustration, share their pain, and discuss the crisis. Powers took it one step further and invited parishioners to speak after Mass on Sunday with the help of lay facilitators Muller and Peggie Thorp.

Over 600 people spoke out at the after-Mass sessions, and the Monday night meetings grew to include hundreds of people from many different parishes in the region. The Monday night group named themselves Voice of the Faithful and presented a statement to Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston at his March 9 convocation, citing a passage from Vatican II's Lumen Gentium:

"The laity can also be called on in various ways to a more direct form of cooperation in the apostolate of the hierarchy . . . Consequently, let every opportunity be given them so that, according to their abilities and the needs of the times, they may zealously participate in the saving work of the church."

Seemingly in direct contrast to that Vatican document, Law issued a statement the last week of April through his vicar general, Bishop Walter J. Edyvean, that says laypeople must live out their desire for equality ''within the hierarchical structure of the church.'' While not specifically directed at VOTF, the letter directs priests and pastors not to cooperate with a lay organizing initiative started by parish council members from several churches in the Boston archdiocese.

Thorp, who is a member of the VOTF steering committee, says that what is needed is a Conference of the Laity, parallel to the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops and possessing an equal voice.

Giving a voice to the laity is the main concern of VOTF. For now, according to Muller, the group wishes to remain neutral on other specific reform issues like celibacy for priests. The group's official statement lists three goals: "to support people who have been abused, to support priests of integrity, and to shape institutional change in the church."

One way it plans to make its message heard is by diverting funds from the Cardinal's annual appeal to an escrow account for the National Catholic Community Fund, which provides financial resources to Catholic social service programs. Another experienced organizer and parishioner of St. John the Evangelist is organizing the drive.

In response to the recent Vatican summit of American cardinals, VOTF issued a statement calling on the Vatican to hear a delegation of laypeople as well. The statement called attention to the omission of discussion of institutional wrongdoing in the cardinal's communique. It says, "It appears that the Vatican effort is targeted only at the problem of sexual abuse by clergy and does not plan to address the causes of the institutional failures in responding to the crimes of abuse."

It goes on, "The laity are needed to describe the public and personal response of the faithful to the problems, and to add their strength to the search for a solution."

Only time will tell if the Vatican or American church hierarchy will respond to this rising group of Catholic faithful. But as VOTF's numbers double by the week, its cries will surely become harder and harder to ignore. —Tara Dix

For more information:
Voice of the Faithful
Boston Globe's ongoing coverage of clergy sex abuse crisis

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