UNITED STATES
The Tidings
By James D. Davidson
The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes it clear that there is a very close relationship between the Catholic faith and the Catholic Church. In paragraph #171, the Catechism says that the Church "guards" the faith, "hands on" the faith, "teaches" us "the language of faith," and "introduce[s]" us to "the understanding of the life of faith."
In other words, the faith and the Church are inseparable. Accepting the faith is to endorse the policies and practices of the Church. To belong to the Church is to embrace the Catholic faith.
But, in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal, some laypeople have suggested that the faith and the Church are quite different entities. For example, members of the Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) say Catholics can accept the faith but also question the policies and practices of the Church. This view is clearly expressed in VOTF's slogan "Keep the faith, change the Church."