Contact: Suzanne Morse 617-680-2131, smorse@votf.org

For Immediate Release

Voice of the Faithful Urges Archbishop Levada to Take Responsibility for Transferring Sexually Abusive Priests

Letter to Levada Asks Him to Provide Leadership in Resolving Cases Against Priests, Creating Financial Accountability within Catholic Church

May 18, 2005 – Newton, Mass. – In a letter to Archbishop William Levada, newly named as prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, leaders of Voice of the Faithful are urging the Archbishop to address outstanding questions regarding his involvement in transferring priests who were credibly accused of sexual abuse. The organization of lay Catholics is also calling on Archbishop Levada to expedite the cases against accused priests that are currently languishing in Rome.

Members of Voice of the Faithful are also asking Archbishop Levada to commit to creating structures of accountability, on both administrative and financial matters, within the Catholic Church. “As the last few years have demonstrated, the creation of structures of accountability is a necessary step for the Church to regain its credibility,” said members writing in the letter from Voice of the Faithful. “Lay Catholics are taking responsibility for their faith lives. As importantly, Catholics, through organizations like ours, are insisting on accountability in administrative and financial matters. It is our hope that you will understand the need for accountability and promote it in Rome.”

“After the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith forced the resignation of Fr. Reese of America magazine, an American perspective is sorely needed,” said Ed Gleason, regional coordinator of Voice of the Faithful Northern California. “We hope Archbishop Levada will bring that perspective, especially in connection to the ideas of due process and transparency, to a Roman bureaucracy. He needs to make overtures to the laity. A continuation of hostile stances toward lay Catholics will make it harder for him and the Vatican to serve all Catholics.”

To read Letter to Archbishop William Levada, click here.

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About Voice of the Faithful: Voice of the Faithful (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 victim/survivors of abuse, support priests of integrity, and shape structural change within the Catholic Church in full accordance and harmony with Church teaching. VOTF’s supporting membership exceeds 30,000 registered persons from 50 U.S. states, 39 countries and 210 Parish Voice affiliates throughout the world.