Contact: John Moynihan, jmoynihan@votf.org , 617-558-5252

For Immediate Release

VOICE OF THE FAITHFUL CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY FROM BISHOP MATANO

May 17, 2006, Newton MA - Voice of the Faithful is appalled by Bishop Salvatore Matano’s plan to put the parishes of his diocese into a separate trust as a way of shielding the diocese’s assets. It is fraudulent, deceitful and irresponsible. He is not acting as the compassionate shepherd of his flock that he was ordained to be.

We call on him to be accountable, not only to his fiscal responsibilities but also to his priestly duties to protect his people from abuse and to provide justice and healing to those who have been abused.

We call on him to get his priorities in order. Before he begins his latest fundraising drive, he must show the Catholics of Vermont that he is a worthy and responsible steward. We call on him to make transparent the true financial conditions of his diocese. We call on him to establish accountable and transparent finance councils at both the parish and diocesan levels as he is required by canon law. We call on him to take accountability for the horrendous sexual crimes committed by the clerics of his diocese to provide healing and justice to the survivors.

The Catholics of Vermont care deeply about their Church but are tired of being “kept in the dark” about where their hard earned money is going. We are confident that the thousands of talented and devoted Catholic laity in Vermont will rally to assist Bishop Matano in devising a system that will make the diocese and its parishes more accountable, transparent and efficient, if only he will request them to join him in an equal partnership of trust. Without this transparency and accountability, how can he expect anyone to continue to “pray, pay and obey”? As Justice Louis Brandeis said: “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” The best way for Bishop Matano to clean up the diseased condition of the diocese is to “let the sun shine in” and be truly accountable to his people.

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VOTF is a worldwide movement of concerned mainstream Catholics formed in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis. The group’s mission is to provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the Faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church. Its goals are to support survivors of clergy sexual abuse, support priests of integrity, and shape structural change within the Catholic Church in full accordance and harmony with Church teaching.