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Please send
comments and inquiries to pthorp.ed@votf.org.
“Collective
discernment and decision-making is the most important
lesson learned over the last forty years.” Fordham
University theology professor Bradford E. Hinze in
his new book. See Site-Seeing, Etc. in this issue.
VOTF
Campaigns for Accountability: How our Church made our case. See “Facts
and Figures”; visit the VOTF web site additions to the Campaigns for Accountability page; and see where you fit in!
In this issue: Chicago’s Cardinal
George apologizes following investigation findings
of rampant failures in the application and
intent of the USCCB Charter; audits for abuse
prevention training and background checks find
failures in Boston, MA and Portland, ME. (In
all, five dioceses nationwide are not
in compliance with a Church standard for background
checks
and 23 nationwide are failing to meet the youth
training standard); the
priests’ group Voice of the Ordained
proposes mediation between Abp. Murphy and LI VOTF; VOTF Ireland is
welcomed by local bishop – see “Message from Ireland” in
Commentary; VOTF Atlanta, GA finds
a “new day” with
their archbishop; Lent’s reflection riches; VOTF working groups – re-introduce yourself. See “Have you met?”;
children are a little safer in Virginia – legislatively;
not only VOTF National but VOTF affiliates
are using ads in their regional press to
get their message out – see Diocese/State
Watch in NY, OH and CT. |
NATIONAL
News
Affiliate reminder – A link from your web
site to In the Vineyard will go a long way
to keeping all of us on the same page.
VOTF,
Inc. takes its own financial transparency seriously. Click
here for VOTF Financial Statements.
Survivor
Community News – See Kathy Dwyer’s message
in Commentary – “A New Commandment: Honor Thy Children.”
- Go
to the SNAP
web site for comments on the Chicago breakdown.
- Read
the March 19 issue of New Hampshire’s Union
Leader article “Protecting
Children: The idea is to strengthen the law”.
DIOCESE/STATE
Watch
VOTF
Dublin, Ireland: No standstill in Ireland after
abuse numbers are made public. The government and
the Church in Ireland are working together with
quick determination to put an end to decades of
abuse of children by priests. Read more in the Belfast
Telegraph. See
Sean O’Conaill’s update in Commentary “Message
from Ireland.” Note that VOTF Ireland will
soon have its own web site.
- There
is excellent coverage of Ireland’s abuse crisis
in the Jurist;
see a March 9 column “Irish clergy sex abuse study
shows many suspected, some sued, but few convicted” by
Angela Onikepe.
Chicago,
IL: A March 14 story on cbs2chicago.com reports
that a nun’s warning to the Chicago archdiocese
about a priest sexually abusing children was met
with far less than concern for children. “‘If the
parents aren’t pushing it, let it go.’ That’s what
a nun was told by an Archdiocese of Chicago official,
a lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges.”
- VOTF
Chicago continues to listen, learn and
discern actions. Read the letter sent to the
Cardinal by VOTF Chicago and follow their meeting
minutes at the VOTF
Chicago web site.
- Cardinal
George’s statement of apology and the diocese investigation
findings are available in full at the Archdiocese
of Chicago web
site:
- In
part, the published findings state, “An effective
monitoring system geared toward reducing
the further sexual victimization perpetrated
by accused priest abusers does not exist.”
- SNAP’s
response is available on their web
site. On Feb. 25, SNAP called for the
resignation of Cardinal George as head of
the Chicago archdiocese.
- Associated
Press reporter Rachel Zoll noted, “Whatever trust
the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops had restored
with their response to clergy sex abuse has been
badly eroded in recent weeks by a combination of
missteps and outside criticism.” The story at kgw.com also
noted, “On Friday, Voice
of the Faithful called for an independent
investigation of George and Skylstad, and urged
them to temporarily step down.”
- Individuals
from several states are planning a Good Friday
silent vigil in Chicago to demonstrate their hope
that Cardinal George will step down from his vice-president
position in the USCCB, as well as his leadership
position in the Chicago archdiocese.
- For
more information, contact Jim Field at fie7jm@aol.com and
Sheila Boyle at sheilaboyle@mac.com.
The vigil will be held on Good Friday, April
14, 2006, 2:00 p.m. CST at Holy Name Cathedral,
Chicago, IL.
VOTF
Long
Island,
NY is
also
using
ads
to
get
their
message
out – the
ad
launches
a
petition
drive
for
financial
accountability
in
the
Rockville
Centre
archdiocese
headed
by
Abp.
William
Murphy: Newsday reported, “The
group
is
asking
Bishop
William
Murphy
to
create
a
finance
council
made
up
of
elected
lay
members
of
the
church.
The
group
would
work
alongside
an
existing
appointed
council
to ‘make
sure
that
spending
priorities
reflect
the
values
and
priorities
of
the
faith
community,’ according
to
the
petition.” For
details
go
to www.votf-li.org.
- Cardinal
Edward
Egan
of
the
Archdiocese
of
New
York
has
announced
the
recommendation
by
Church
officials
that
three
dozen
parishes
and
a
dozen
schools
be
closed.
A
panel
of
52
lay
leaders
and
priests
has
been
convened
by
archdiocesan
officials
to
review
the
recommendations.
Subscribers
may
access
the
full
story
at
the New
York
Times (March
17).
- The New
York
Times reports: “Saying
that
Long
Island
Catholics
cannot
continue
to
endure
deep
divisions
in
their
diocese,
a
group
of
priests
is
calling
on
Bishop
William
F.
Murphy
and
an
influential
lay
group,
the
Long
Island
Voice
of
the
Faithful,
to
let
a
mediator
help
settle
longstanding
differences.” The
Voice
of
the
Ordained
is
the
priests’ group.
The
story
appeared
in
the
Long
Island,
NY
section
of
the
March
19
issue
of
the New
York
Times.
VOTF
Dayton,
OH: VOTF
Dayton,
OH
ad
offers
Catholics
a
hands-on,
user-friendly
approach
to
financial
accountability
in
their
diocese
by
sending
a
clear
message
to
Archbishop
Pilarczyk.
See
details
at daytonvotf.org.
Also,
see
the Dayton
Daily
News.
VOTF
Northern
Virginia: Senate
Bill
253
is
awaiting
the
governor’s
signature.
Read
how
this
bill
got
there
in
Commentary “Success
in
the
Virginia
Legislature” from
Bill
Casey,
VOTF
Northern
Virginia.
- More
good
news
in
Virginia – According
to
the Washington
Post, "Catholic
parishes
across
Northern
Virginia
will
be
allowed
for
the
first
time
to
use
girls
and
women
as
altar
servers,
Arlington
Bishop
Paul
S.
Loverde
said
yesterday,
leaving
Lincoln,
Neb.,
as
the
nation's
only
Catholic
diocese
barring
females
from
that
role.”
Spokane,
WA: According to the Catholic Explorer, “Bishop
William Skylstad of Spokane, president of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops, has denied a woman's
claim that he sexually abused her more than 40
years ago when she was a minor.” Many observers
are recalling the 1993 false claim of sexual abuse
against now-deceased Cardinal Joseph Bernardin.
It had been filed by a former seminarian who later
dropped the lawsuit.
- From
Associated Press: “The individual parishes of the
Catholic Diocese of Spokane do not want to help
pay for a $45.7 million settlement offer made by
Bishop William Skylstad to 75 victims of sexual
abuse by priests, an attorney said Wednesday. The
82 parishes were expected to shoulder a hefty portion
of the settlement costs, but instead will ask U.S.
Bankruptcy Judge Patricia Williams to reject the
settlement offer, said Bob Hailey, an attorney
and spokesman for the parishes.”
Massachusetts: In
a Boston Globe op-ed: A “justice gap for victims
of child sex abuse” might be narrowed, according
to Jetta Bernier, executive director of Massachusetts
Citizens for Children, and John Mackey, retired police
chief of Tewksbury. Both are members of the Coalition
to Reform Sexual Abuse Laws in Massachusetts.
- A Boston
Globe editorial on March 15 noted: “The urgency
of lifting the statute of limitations is shown
by the case of a Maynard high school teacher
accused in January [‘06] of abusing a teenager
three and four years ago. But other people, now
adults, say Magno abused them when they were
in high school decades ago, and their cases are
now beyond the law.”
- On
March 14, hours of testimony before a Joint Judiciary
Committee may produce a step forward in legislation
that will offer children more protection than they
have today. VOTF, survivors, and survivor support
organizations took to the floor at the Boston State
House on March 14 for hearings on the reform of
state sexual abuse laws. Speaker after speaker “urged
lawmakers to pass bills extending the civil and
criminal statutes of limitations and lifting immunity
protections afforded to charitable organizations” according
to the SNAP web site. “By the time some
survivors are ready to come out and admit they
were sexually abused, ‘the clock has stopped ticking,’ said
Jetta Bernier. The vast majority of survivors will
never be able to bring their abusers to justice.”
- Disturbing
news from a vibrant faith community – they’ve been “absorbed.” See
Commentary – “When a Faith Community Works – Beware”.
To receive the VOTF Boston newsletter twice monthly,
contact Dorothy Kennedy at kendor713@yahoo.com.
- From
the Boston Globe, March 22: An independent
audit found the Boston archdiocese in compliance
with most requirements of the Charter for the Protection
of Children and Young People adopted by the US
Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2002. However,
the audit also found that 40 percent of Catholic
school children did not receive the safety training
mandated by the plan. ''Passing the audit as presently
constituted does not guarantee that child sexual
abuse will not continue," said Ray Joyce, executive
director of Voice of the Faithful. ''The Archdiocese
of Chicago was found to be in full compliance in
their last audit, and yet the Chicago media is
right now full of accounts of clerical sex abuse
and the failure of the archdiocese to supervise
their priests who were known to be abusers."
Portland,
Maine: “Maine's Catholic Church is falling
short on two fronts in its battle to rid the institution
of sexual abuse problems, according to an annual
audit of the diocese. The examination found the
diocese needs to step up background checks on volunteers
and employees and increase efforts to teach children
how to protect themselves against sexual predators.” The
story appeared in March 22 issue of the Portland Press
Herald.
VOTF
Atlanta, GA: The 1/12/16 Vineyard reported
that Archbishop Wilton Gregory had lifted a ban
on VOTF meetings on church property. VOTF member
John Dearie reports in Commentary that there is “A
New Day in Atlanta, Georgia.” Visit the VOTF
Atlanta, GA web site.
VOTF
Maryland: Hearings have been held before the
House Judiciary Committee on two bills that would
significantly ease restrictions on the reporting
of sex abuse. One bill, would allow victims to
file suit until age 42. A second bill would open
a two-year window during which victims of any age
could file lawsuits. According to the Washington
Post, both bills are being opposed by local
Catholic Church officials. VOTF Baltimore and SNAP
spoke in favor of the bills.
Denver,
CO: In the Rocky Mountain News: “A
sex-abuse bill in the legislature was endorsed
Wednesday by Colorado’s three Catholic bishops.
HB 1088 gained their approval after Rep. Rosemary
Marshall, D-Denver, axed a provision that lengthened
the statute of limitations for filing civil cases
against sexual predators of children and their
nonprofit or church employers. Now, the amended
bill addresses only the issue of lifting the statute
of limitations on crimes against children committed
on or after July 1, 1996.”
- The
Denver archdiocesan web
site notes: “The California law changed the
civil statutes of limitations for childhood sexual
abuse, allowing a disastrous one-year revival period
for expired claims. This has brought forward cases
from as far back as 63 years ago. In many of the
cases, the alleged offender and all witnesses are
long deceased.”
VOTF
Mid-Michigan is sponsoring a healing prayer
service with a talk by Bishop Thomas Gumbleton
on April 2. Details are available at blessed-midland.org. On
April 4, Bishop Gumbleton will speak at the Paulist
Center, Boston, MA.
VOTF
Bridgeport, CT: The affiliate’s ads are
promoting the April 29 Symposium on “Elect Our
Bishops? Why Not?” Click
here.
SITE-Seeing,
Etc.
From
an Associated
Press report: “Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday
he will consider increasing women’s ‘institutional’ role
in the church, but reiterated that they would remain
barred from the priesthood.”
US
Catholic, April 2006 issue: The magazine conducted
a survey of Catholic readers on the qualities they
would like to see in a candidate for Holy Orders.
Go to www.claretians.org,
click on “About the Claretians,” and choose “Publications.”
The
March issue of the quarterly Catholic Common Ground
Initiative publication Initiative Report includes
an excerpt from Practices of Dialogue in the Roman
Catholic Church (New York, Continuum, 2006) by
Bradford Hinze, Fordham University theology professor.
Hinze confirms a VOTF practice when he notes, “Collective
discernment and decision-making is the most important
lesson learned over the last forty years in all of
these practices.” For more information, click
here.
PRAYER:
LENTEN Reflections – The season is rich with
prayerful moments – on our
web site; in this issue
(see Jack Rakosky’s “The Lenten Call to the Desert”);
and in publications noted below.
US
Catholic, March 2006: “Women’s words for the
40 days” is made up of prayers for the weekly Lenten
journey. The reflections cover a wide range of
writing – from the 14th Century mystic Julian of
Norwich to contemporary Joyce Rupp.
America magazine,
March 13, 2006: “Polluted” is the second essay in
a series for Lent and Easter. This one addresses
a tale told by the 13th Century Sufi poet Rumi.
- Please
remember in your prayers Donna Doucette and her
family. Donna’s husband Gene died suddenly on March
18. Donna is an NRC representative from Region
1(CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) and co-chair of the Voice
of Renewal/Lay Education Working Group. Gene was
a supporter extraordinaire of Donna and
her work in VOTF. Gene’s obituary appeared in the Boston
Globe.
COMMENTARY – your
comments and inquiries are welcome. Write to Peggie
Thorp at pthorp.ed@votf.org.
[March
19, 2006, New York Times: “Mr. Donohue
[Catholic League] said that church reforms in the
wake of the priest sex-abuse scandal left groups
like Voice of the Faithful that were formed in
response to the scandal without a purpose. ‘Once
the reforms were instituted, that meant groups
like Voice of the Faithful should pack their bags
and say ‘mission accomplished,’ he said.” Comment: It
seems Mr. Donohue hasn’t read about the Archdiocese
of Chicago breakdown.]
QUOTES
for our time:
“It’s a sign that nobody’s
in charge,” Illinois Justice
Anne Burke, former chairwoman of the National Review
Board, commenting on developments in Chicago, IL
“When
the welfare of the institutional Church takes precedence
over the welfare of God’s people and fidelity to
the Gospel, we find ourselves at the very borders
of idolatry.” Fr. Donald Cozzens
in his book, Faith That Dares to Speak |
