Press Release – VOTF ASKS FOR SIGNIFICANT ACTION NOT APOLOGY

Contact: Jessica Lillie Ciccone, PR Director, votfpr@votf.org, (781) 559-3360, (314) 749-5188 cell

For Immediate Release
VOTF ASKS FOR SIGNIFICANT ACTION NOT APOLOGY
Pope Benedict’s Address Leaves Much to Be Desired.

June 15, 2010-Boston – During Pope Benedict’s address to 50,000 priests in St. Peter’s Square, the pontiff begged forgiveness from God and the survivors of clergy abuse and promised “to do everything possible to ensure that such abuse will never occur again.” But how is that different from prior statements with no change in behavior?

The repeated statements of apology coming from Rome without any corresponding action highlight the sad fact that the Vatican simply does not understand the gravity of the situation.

“We are in the midst of a crisis of confidence, a crisis of belief in the institutional church,” says Voice of the Faithful president Dan Bartley. “Words are no longer enough. Words will inspire confidence and loyalty only when they are accompanied by action. The more apologies that the Vatican piles on without meaningful action, the greater the cynicism these words will inspire.”

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For more information about VOTF visit voiceofthefaithful.mystagingwebsite.com or email Jessica at votfpr@votf.org or call 781-552-3360.

Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) is a lay organization formed in 2002 in response to the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. It started in the basement of a church in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and has since expanded worldwide with more than 150 Parish Voice affiliates and 30,000 members.