VOTF meetings banned on church property

Social justice news
September 2002

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Church calls for human dignity in sustainable development
Pax Christi USA calls for 'pledge of resistance' against attack on Iraq
Religious orders won't defrock abusive priests
USAID reports hunger stalks Palestinian children
U.S. women religious pass resolution for peace
VOTF meetings banned on church property

VOTF meetings banned on church property
Two bishops—William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York, and William Lori of Bridgeport, Connecticut—banned meetings of the lay group Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) on church property. Headquartered out of Boston, VOTF started as a small group of concerned parishioners in the wake of the clergy sex abuse scandal and has grown to over 25,000 members across the country. Chapters are being formed on parish, city, and regional levels, bringing Catholics together for discussion and programming about the role of the laity in the Catholic Church.

According to VOTF, Murphy has refused to state his reasons for banning the groups' meetings. Sheila Pfeiffer, a VOTF member in Long Island, says she thinks the bishop decision is based on misconceptions about the group. "I believe that Bishop Murphy made this decision based on limited knowledge of VOTF," she said, "I hope that he would reconsider his decision and open a channel of communications with the group."

Murphy responded through Joanne Novarro, a spokesperson for the diocese. "He has a responsibility given to him by God and the Holy Father to care for the diocese of Rockville Center," said Novarro, "and he feels that [VOTF] would be a divisive element. He's not opposed to dialogue within parishes, but they don't need [VOTF] to do that."

In a prepared statement, Lori said he banned the group because he believes VOTF is affiliated with a European church reform group, We Are Church, that supports an end to mandatory celibacy for priests. He alleged VOTF has a "hidden agenda that is in conflict with the teachings of the Catholic faith."

VOTF responded that, while it hosted a speaker from We Are Church at its national conference in July, that speaker was just one of about 100 speakers at the conference and did not indicate any endorsement of We Are Church by VOTF. In fact, VOTF's goal for the conference was to bring speakers of many different viewpoints together as presenters, according to a letter issued to all VOTF members by Jim Post, president of VOTF.

VOTF officials strongly decried the ban and asked the bishops to rescind them, citing the right and obligation outlined in Vatican II that the laity be involved in the governance of the church. They called attention to a petition signed by 68 theologians in support of VOTF's right to exist and organize. "By denying Catholics the right to assemble on property built and maintained by their donations, Bishop Murphy compounds the pain and outrage felt by parishioners everywhere," said Post.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Law was deposed for days in August in a court battle to determine if a settlement reached earlier this year between the archdiocese and about 30 victims of defrocked priest John Geoghan is binding. The archdiocese backed out of a settlement that would award a total of $15 - $30 million dollars to the victims because its finance council did not approve the use of funds. Attorneys for the victims claim the settlement was final, while the archdiocese argues it was pending approval.

In the midst of court proceedings, the Boston Globe revealed archdiocesan officials were discussing the possibility of declaring bankruptcy with specialists in bankruptcy law. The archdiocese is currently charged with over 400 accusations of sex abuse by its clergymen, and providing financial settlements to all the alleged victims could empty archdiocesan coffers. Already this year, the Globe reports, the archdiocese has cut program budgets by as much as 40 percent because of current financial woes.

Because it is a not-for-profit organization, a bankruptcy filing would protect the archdiocese from having to liquidate assets to pay its creditors, including money owed in lawsuits. Although the archdiocese owns millions of dollars worth of real estate, these assets would be untouchable, essentially allowing the archdiocese to stay in business despite financial insolubility.

VOTF has established an alternative fund to support Catholic social service organizations without giving directly to the archdiocese. Called the Voice of Compassion Fund, organizers say it was designed to allow those people who feel wary of the ultimate destination of money donated to the archdiocese to still support the work of archdiocesan programs that aid the poor and needy. However, the Archdiocese of Boston announced in July that it would not accept any funds from Voice of Compassion. Other organizations that are funded partially by the archdiocese, like Catholic Charities of Boston, have yet to decide whether they will accept VOTF money, an issue that has sparked public controversy between Catholic Charities and the archdiocese.

According to a VOTF spokesperson, VOTF is now considering other recipients for the donations, which it says will be clearly spelled out to donors. At press time, VOTF had already collected over $10,000 for the Compassion fund.—Tara Dix

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