Press Release For Immediate release

VOTF CALLS FOR MORE FROM VATICAN: Pope Benedict's Pastoral Letter Misses Important Issues

March 20, 2010

Boston –Pope Benedict XVI offered sympathy for the Irish Catholics affected by the recent clergy sex abuse crisis yet today’s papal pastoral letter missed an opportunity to address the scandal as a whole. Just as previous Vatican communications have done, today’s letter implied that this Irish crisis was merely a local matter that could easily be resolved with apologies. As we know all too well, this is not an Irish problem, it is not a United States problem, it is not an Australian problem or a Canadian problem or an Austrian problem ... It is a Catholic problem and it must be fixed.

“I had high hopes for this pastoral letter,” said Dan Bartley, President of Voice of the Faithful National. “I see now the Church still refuses to hold accountable bishops who endanger children. If Pope Benedict could acknowledge the systematic problems in the Church and hold those bishops accountable, perhaps then we could begin to heal. It is our hope that those accused of clergy abuse will take Pope Benedict’s advice to heart when he said ‘submit yourselves to the demands of justice, but do not despair of God’s mercy.’”

For Catholics in Ireland and the United States, an apology from the pope is not enough to heal the Church, nor will it solve the problem. In a written statement, Sean O’Conaill from Voice of the Faithful in Ireland said “If this papacy is to rise to this challenge it must stop behaving as though there were no systemic weakness paralyzing its mission everywhere. Rome needs to demonstrate that it has finally gotten the message that the people in Boston sent it in 2002.”

For more information about the VOTF or VOTF Ireland, please email Donna at dbdoucette@votf.org or call 617-686-3757.

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. The entire organization is committed to helping the Catholic Church.

Action

VOICE OF THE FAITHFUL

Search

Press Release For Immediate release

VOTF CALLS FOR MORE FROM VATICAN: Pope Benedict's Pastoral Letter Misses Important Issues

Post new comment

VOICE OF THE FAITHFUL Who We Are VOTF FAQs VOTF IN THE NEWS Press Releases Voices in Action Campaign Spiritual & Communal Growth Child Protection & Survivor Support Local Actions Networking & Partnerships Universal Church Reform VOTF Publications Prophetic Voices 2011 Member Survey Emily & Rosemary Fund for Women in the Church Government & Academic Reports on Clergy Sex Abuse Planned Giving Priest Support Structural Change Voice of Renewal/Education VOTF In Your Area Books Calendar of Events HOME Sign up for our Email Newsletter Enter Your Email Address Search
	Press Release For Immediate release VOTF CALLS FOR MORE FROM VATICAN: Pope Benedict's Pastoral Letter Misses Important Issues March 20, 2010 Boston –Pope Benedict XVI offered sympathy for the Irish Catholics affected by the recent clergy sex abuse crisis yet today’s papal pastoral letter missed an opportunity to address the scandal as a whole. Just as previous Vatican communications have done, today’s letter implied that this Irish crisis was merely a local matter that could easily be resolved with apologies. As we know all too well, this is not an Irish problem, it is not a United States problem, it is not an Australian problem or a Canadian problem or an Austrian problem ... It is a Catholic problem and it must be fixed. “I had high hopes for this pastoral letter,” said Dan Bartley, President of Voice of the Faithful National. “I see now the Church still refuses to hold accountable bishops who endanger children. If Pope Benedict could acknowledge the systematic problems in the Church and hold those bishops accountable, perhaps then we could begin to heal. It is our hope that those accused of clergy abuse will take Pope Benedict’s advice to heart when he said ‘submit yourselves to the demands of justice, but do not despair of God’s mercy.’” For Catholics in Ireland and the United States, an apology from the pope is not enough to heal the Church, nor will it solve the problem. In a written statement, Sean O’Conaill from Voice of the Faithful in Ireland said “If this papacy is to rise to this challenge it must stop behaving as though there were no systemic weakness paralyzing its mission everywhere. Rome needs to demonstrate that it has finally gotten the message that the people in Boston sent it in 2002.” For more information about the VOTF or VOTF Ireland, please email Donna at dbdoucette@votf.org or call 617-686-3757. 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. The entire organization is committed to helping the Catholic Church. Action Post new comment Your name: * E-mail: * The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. Homepage: Comment: * Input format Filtered HTML Allowed HTML tags: <a> <b> <address> <blockquote> <br> <caption> <center> <code> <dd> <del> <div> <dl> <dt> <em> <font> <h2> <h3> <h4> <h5> <h6> <hr> <i> <img> <li> <ol> <p> <pre> <span> <strong> <sub> <sup> <table> <tbody> <td> <tfoot> <th> <thead> <tr> <u> <ul> <tr> Lines and paragraphs break automatically. anonymous Lines and paragraphs break automatically. Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>	VOTF™ Mission Statement 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. Our Goals To support survivors of clergy sexual abuse To support priests of integrity To shape structural change within the Catholic Church.