VOTF Policies and Positions (2002)

• Mission Statement and Goals
• April 22 Statement from VOTF Regarding the Vatican Meeting of Cardinals
• April 22 Statement on Role of the Media
• March 9 VOTF Statement to Cardinal Law in Boston

Voice of the Faithful has not developed many policy positions to date, and those we have developed focus on the sexual abuse crisis. We have said that the Church has a responsibility to respond to survivors in a meaningful, healing way. We have said that bishops and laity in each diocese should engage in a serious and substantive dialogue. We have said that the structures of decision-making that gave rise to this crisis - secrecy and deception - should be exposed to the healing power of sunlight and disclosure. These policies make sense. These policies respond to the crisis facing our Church. These policies address the real problems confronting parish priests, bishops, and laity.

To state more specifically what we do and do not stand for:

• Voice of the Faithful is focused on those actions necessary to respond to survivors, to support priests who are living their vows, and to effect structural change that helps ensure this type of abuse never occurs again in the Catholic Church.

• We accept the teaching authority of the Catholic Church.

• We have taken no position on the many other issues that divide Catholics in 2002.

• We do not endorse any organizations or interest groups.

• We do promote a full and open discussion about the root causes of the sexual abuse crisis and the remedies that are needed.

• We do take the position that the bishops and the Vatican have failed to address the sexual abuse crisis and its consequences adequately.

• We do take the position that bishops fail in their role as shepherds and teachers when they refuse to engage the laity in a meaningful and substantive discussion of the issues.

• We do take the position that Pope John Paul II rightly called clergy sexual abuse "crimes," and a "shame and scandal" for the Catholic Church.

• We do believe that cleaning up this culture of deception and scandal is job #1 for the bishops.

Voice of the Faithful will stay true to its mission and goals. We will support survivors of clergy sexual abuse. We will support priests in the faithful discharge of their vows. And we will work for structural changes that help ensure that clergy sexual abuse does not occur again in the Catholic Church. Ours will remain a philosophy of "centrism," of providing a voice for all people in the Catholic Church. In this way, we will "Keep the Faith and Change the Church."