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	Review of Mandatory Celibacy? By Alyce Nicolo Transcript January 31, 2007 http://www.townonline.com/roslindale/homepage/8998966621129146367 The Voice of the Faithful is considering requesting an official review of mandatory celibacy among priests, according to Svea Fraser, one of the movement's original founders, at Monday's Parkway Voice meeting. "There is this bubbling sense of need to talk about this," said Fraser. "If we get at some of the issues that create a culture of secrecy, maybe we can protect our children better." The Voice of the Faithful is a controversial movement started within the Catholic Church after the 2002 clergy sex abuse scandal. The organization focuses on three main goals: supporting survivors of clergy sexual abuse; supporting priests of integrity; and shaping structural change within the church. Fraser, a member of the National Working Group on Goal 2, spoke to a group of about 25 people at St. John Chrysostom in West Roxbury about VOTF's "Ongoing Efforts to Encourage and Challenge Our Priests." "As part of our mantra, we don't take on doctrinal issues. Celibacy is a discipline issue," said Fraser. "We're not necessarily taking it on," she added, stressing that a critical reason for approaching the issue is to show the group's support for clergy and forge a stronger relationship between the two. "This is a test case. We've never done this in our movement before," said Fraser. "I still don't know if we should be doing this." The working group sent the proposal to a VOTF steering committee earlier this month and expects a response in the coming weeks. Parkway Voice is the local chapter of the organization that includes members of St. John Chrysostom, Holy Name and St. Theresa of Avila in West Roxbury and Sacred Heart in Roslindale, and meets on the last Monday of each month; it recently celebrated its four-year anniversary. The local group started as an arena for sharing concerns and discussing issues involving the church, said Peggy Sullivan, one of the original members of the organization. But now meetings are less emotional and more informative, featuring speakers addressing one of VOTF's three main issues. "It's a chance to keep up with things and see how we're working toward the goals," said Sullivan. "You can either work in a positive manner of not even go to church anymore ... We don't want to leave our church and hope that it will be a better church than it has been." Sheila Connors Grove of the Boston chapter was also on hand to update the group on a recent meeting between VOTF members, Cardinal Sean O'Malley and the new vicar general of the Archdiocese of Boston, Father Richard Erikson. The meeting is the second of its kind since August. The purpose of the meetings is to open dialogue between laity and Catholic priests and bishops in order to give laypeople more voice in the church's governance, which has traditionally been kept private. "Father Erikson is very interactive," said Connors Grove. "We continue to be hopeful." One main short-term goal of the movement is lifting a ban on VOTF meeting in parishes where the group formed after October 2002, a rule implemented under Cardinal Bernard Law. Although the ban was not discussed at the recent meeting, Connors Grove assured the group that she drafted a letter asking the archdiocese for a response on the issue and hopes to continue the meetings quarterly. "As they need to rebuild our trust, we need to rebuild their trust," said Connors Grove. "The mutual trust is only beginning to grow again." Some members of the movement feel the ban should be lifted before tackling hot-button issues such as celibacy. "If we're still banned in some places, why are they going to let us talk about priests and celibacy?" said Sullivan. Nancy Sheehan, a member of the Parkway Voice planning committee, agrees that the movement is not ready to take on the issue of celibacy. "There are other things to focus on," said Sheehan. Father David Michael, pastor of St. John, voiced concern over VOTF addressing the issue. "When you advocate, you set up a dynamic of those who agree with you against those who don't," he said.
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