Prelates Berate New Laity Group:
Voice of the Faithful Labeled by Many Bishops as Merely a Stealth Reform Organization

By Gary Stern
Journal News (NY)
November 11, 2002

WASHINGTON - Is it Voice of the Faithful - or Faithless?

The fast-growing lay Catholic group, which rose from the sex-abuse scandal in Boston and now claims 25,000 members across the country, has been taking a beating lately from skeptical bishops.

The group says it's pushing for a new, meaningful lay voice in the church, a voice that can help prevent a future scandal. But several bishops have banned the group from their parishes, insisting that it is just another Catholic reform group in disguise.

Leaders of Voice of the Faithful gathered in Washington yesterday - a day before the nation's bishops begin four days of meetings - to defend their intentions and their integrity.

"In each and every case we have been banned, our reputation has been smeared without the benefit of the bishop talking to our representatives," said Steve Krueger, the group's interim executive director. "In sum, the bishops have judged us without knowing us and in doing so have cast aspersions on our members and VOTF as an organization."

In recent months, bishops on Long Island and in Newark, N.J., Bridgeport, Conn., Portland, Maine, and North Andover, Mass., have closed their dioceses to Voice of the Faithful. Bridgeport Bishop William Lori, who has been a national leader in pushing for a policy to address the church's sex-abuse scandal, probably summarized the other bishops' concerns in calling Voice of the Faithful a "dissent movement" that is ultimately promoting female priests and other radical reforms.

Bishop William Murphy of the Diocese of Rockville Centre on Long Island called the group "Voice of the Unfaithful."

Group leaders said they are not seeking church reforms, only a lay voice. Svea Fraser, a founding member of the group, said the sex-abuse scandal could not be solved by the bishops alone.

"We accept the good intentions and good-faith efforts of the bishops, but these actions alone are not enough," she said. "They are inadequate in addressing the underlying causes of the crisis: secrecy, lack of accountability and the abuse of power."

Putting aside their organizational problems, the group's leaders also criticized the recent revisions to the bishops' sex-abuse policy. The changes reduce the role of review boards that include lay members in favor of secret diocesan panels and, for difficult cases, church tribunals run by clerics.

"We do not need less oversight. We need more," said Susan Troy, a founding member of the group. "We do not need less lay involvement. We need more. We do not need the status quo. We need an increase in opportunities for lay wisdom and input. We need openness and transparency."

Cardinal Bernard Law, archbishop of Boston, has agreed to meet with Voice of the Faithful's leaders soon. He has expressed an interest in understanding their goals.

"We are cautiously optimistic," Krueger said.