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	What Is the Voice of the Faithful? By Susan Shultz The Darien Times [Connecticut] June 15, 2006 http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/article_7397.shtml It may not be loud in the diocese of Bridgeport, but it won't be silenced any time soon. The organization was formed in response to the sexual misconduct abuse scandal that erupted in the archdiocese of Boston in January 2002. Parishioners of St. John R.C. Church in Wellesley gathered to discuss the issues facing the Catholic church and organized the Voice of the Faithful to "restore the church's good name." According to its Web site, the Voice of the Faithful now has more than 25,000 registered supporters in 40 states and 21 countries, as well as 150 parish voice affiliates. The mission, according to its literature is "to provide a prayerful voice attentive to the spirit, through which the faithful can actively participate in the governance and the government of the church." In August 2002, a few months after the Bridgeport diocese branch of Voice of the Faithful was formed, Bridgeport Diocese Bishop E. William Lori "warned Catholics not to be misled by the promises of the Voice of the Faithful." "I have consistently supported greater involvement of the laity in the activities of the church," said a statement from Bishop Lori dated Aug. 13, 2002, on the diocese Web site, "But I cannot support an organization like Voice of the Faithful which appears to promote dialogue and cooperation, but which in reality prosecutes a hidden agenda that is in conflict with the teachings of the Catholic faith." As a result of this position, the diocese of Bridgeport banned Voice of the Faithful meetings from taking place on Catholic church grounds. The Bridgeport-based group meets at the First Congregational Church on the Green in Norwalk. According to members speaking at a meeting last Thursday night, Bishop Lori's viewpoint is in the minority: out of 195 dioceses in the U.S., less than 10 ban Voice of the Faithful organizations from church grounds, and several dioceses maintain an open dialogue with their local chapters. Member Dan Sullivan further asserted that relations between the Voice of the Faithful and the diocese of Bridgeport are so strained that they were unable to advertise a recent lecture sponsored by the Voice of the Faithful and Fairfield University in Fairfield County Catholic magazine. The lecture was to be given by the Rev. Richard P. McBrien, theology professor at the University of Notre Dame. Father McBrien's lecture was called "The election of bishops — a return to tradition." The election of bishops is one of the issues put forward by the Voice of the Faithful. "We even offered to take out the reference to Voice of the Faithful and they still wouldn't run the ad," said Sullivan. They were turned down by Fairfield County Catholic editor and diocese media spokesperson Dr. Joseph McAleer, he said. A member at the meeting said she'd been told that some parishioners at a Norwalk parish were told by a member of their clergy not to send their children to Fairfield University because they co-sponsored Father McBrien's lecture. The Voice of the Faithful also runs its own fundraising for charity, called the Voice of Compassion fund. According to member John Lee, it is an option for those who would still like to donate to Christian causes but are not confident in the current church financial structure. In 2005, the Voice of Compassion fund donated more than $6,000 to various charities, some specifically Catholic, some just non-profit. "It's not as much as the diocese raises, obviously, but 100 percent of the money goes to charity," Lee said. Another member said that he heard some of the Catholic charities that received money from the Voice of Compassion fund were told they would be cut off from the official Catholic charities if they continued to accept money from the Voice of the Faithful fund. According to member Maureen Leopold, the first reform she'd like to see in the diocese of Bridgeport is to have the Voice of the Faithful be allowed to meet again at its original Catholic home, St. Jerome Parish in Norwalk. "We cannot meet in a facility that is supported and paid for by all of us," she said. But members seem pessimistic about that in the near future. "The diocese doesn't even want to engage in a dialogue," Sullivan said. In an e-mail to The Darien Times, diocese spokesman McAleer said: "Since 2002, when Bishop Lori first spoke about this group, our position has not changed. We do not support or endorse Voice of the Faithful, whose agenda is contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church (and, therefore, does not represent a true 'voice' of the truly 'faithful'). "This group, which numbers fewer than 200 people (compared to 410,000 Catholics in Fairfield County), is not allowed to meet on church property."
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