Voice of the Faithful
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Washington, DC

For Immediate Release
Communications Office
November 10, 2003

Opening Remarks of the Executive Director, Steve Krueger
Where is there hope? - Some important signs

Good morning and thank you all for being here.

For most in the Catholic Church it has been twenty-two months since the clergy sexual abuse crisis began. For others of course, namely survivors of clergy sexual abuse and those who were aware of the crimes bring perpetrated upon them, the crisis has been going on for years. However, since January 2002 lay persons, many parish clergy, and the public at large has looked to the Church - to our bishops - to respond in a manner that represents the Gospel teachings and values upon which our faith is based. Additionally, reports of public officials, most recently Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly's Grand Jury report have all reached the same conclusion - the root cause of the clergy sexual abuse crisis are the flawed structures and dysfunctional culture within the hierarchal Church. As regrettable as it is, it should come as no surprise then, that on the whole, the response of the bishops has been too slow, has often times re-victimized survivors, has only met standards imposed upon them, and for most of us, has not met standards that we imagine would - or should - exemplify our pastoral leaders.

As the crisis falls out of the headlines in places like Boston, and in the face of a two-thousand year old institution, people ask the question, "Where is there hope for change if the Church hasn't changed by now?" I suggest to you that the answer can be found all around us for the next several days with the gathering of communities of people that have come to Washington, albeit for different reasons. "

• Hope can be found in the survivor community where they have taught us what courage is in their pursuit of healing and justice. "

• Hope can be found in lay persons who have said to themselves that they have to do something in response to this crisis to be present to the survivor community and to be a part of the solution of the underlying problems the Church faces. "

• And yes, hope can even be found in the actions of some bishops.

While Voice of the Faithful has come under attack from critics who either deliberately distort our message or fear the implications of it, VOTF has been a significant and meaningful presence for the survivor community. For many survivors VOTF has been the pastoral response from the Church and we will continue to do so.

In the past year, based on more than 3,500 articles and broadcast pieces that have covered us, we have become one of the significant and clear, reasoned, and prayerful voices of the laity that has provided insight into the clergy sexual abuse crisis.

While we have been amongst the first to spotlight the pastoral failures of our bishops, it is important in restoring trust in the Church to also acknowledge those genuine actions taken by bishops that provide good pastoral leadership. It is the responsibility of the laity, as well as the bishops, to buildup the Church, and this can only be done through the mutual support of actions that contribute to this mission. Voice of the Faithful must walk the path of both bringing accountability to the culture and structures of our Church and at the same time foster unity within the community of the Church. Bishops and parish clergy must do the same.

To that end we make mention of several bishops for the following actions that have provided glimmers of hope for all Catholics and survivors. Their actions will light the way for others to follow and provide the basis to continue down the paths they have forged. "

• For acting with the courage to support survivors we commend Bishop Paul Bootkoski of Metuchen, NJ "

• For his commitment and expediency to reach a global settlement for survivors, as he said he would, we commend Archbishop Sean O'Malley of Boston, MA "

• For their willingness and courage to begin dialogues with Voice of the Faithful, we commend Bishops Gerald Kincanus and Michael Sheehan of Phoenix and Tuscon, AZ and Bishop Alexander Brunett of Seattle, WA.

Lamentably, other bishops have recently acted in ways that have not contributed to building-up the community of the Church by their actions towards Catholics who identify with the mission and goals of VOTF and who are the core of their parishes. The most recent "banning bishops" include Bishop George Coleman of Fall river, MA and Archbishop John Donoghue of Atlanta. GA.

Ironically, now retired Bishop Thomas Daily of Brooklyn, NY who was criticized heavily in the Reilly Grand Jury report, is one of two bishops - with Bishop Daniel Pilarcyk of Cincinnati - who reversed their decision to ban Voice of the Faithful. Bishop Daily ultimately welcomed Voice of the Faithful to meet on Brooklyn Church property.

Finally, for those bishops, and parish clergy, who have contacted VOTF and told us that we are doing God's work, we thank them for their supportive words.

"Where is there hope?" I have suggested to you it is all around us. Communities of people are here in Washington to help build better lives for others. VOTF will always stand with survivors and support them on their journeys for healing and justice. At the same time we will do whatever we can to create dialogue with our bishops related to our mission and three goals. We call on all of our bishops to do the same - to reach out and create dialogues where they can - in the spirit of the community we are all called to build as one Church. Make no mistake, we are only starting our journeys, but the signs of hope are there. The signs of hope are here in this hotel with the survivors, here in this hotel with the lay persons supporting them, and yes even across the street with some bishops who are taking actions their fellow bishops, and they themselves, can build on.