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VOTF
Identity Statement
VOTF MISSION
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.
VOTF GOALS
To support survivors of clergy sexual abuse.
To support priests of integrity.
To shape structural change within the Catholic Church.
VOTF STATEMENT OF IDENTITY
Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) arose in 2002 in response
to shocking revelations in the life of the Catholic
Church: widespread clerical abuse of children; silence
of clergy in the face of known or suspected abuse;
and the moral, governance and pastoral failures of
Catholic bishops in response to abusers and survivors
alike. In the face of such breaches of trust, VOTF
emerged from the determination of Catholic laity to
find their voice and to claim their proper role in
the governance of the Church.
Drawing on their baptismal responsibility for the
life and work of the Church, VOTF members commit themselves
to supporting survivors; supporting priests who are
helping to heal survivors and correct institutional
flaws; and working to reform governing structures so
that abuse of authority could not happen again. Nourished
by its members’ deep love for the Body of Christ,
VOTF seeks full transparency and accountability in
Church governance and full incorporation of lay Catholics
in the life and work of the Church at every level.
The patterns that led to abuse and cover-up, and to
increasing instances of clerical financial misconduct,
still prevail. It is simply unreasonable to trust in
exclusively clerical governance or to expect meaningful
reform from the hierarchy acting alone on these issues.
Affirming their responsibility for the good of the
Church, VOTF members continue to offer their experience
of faith and their competencies in the Church. They
willingly collaborate with bishops and clergy who welcome
such relationships. They also pursue independent avenues
to exercise their role of fully initiated lay faithful
in the life and governance of the Church. In doing
so, VOTF stands in full communion with the Church through
sacrament, proclamation and service. It bases its work
on the Gospel, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and
on the rich sources of Catholic tradition, particularly
the understanding of the Church articulated in the
documents of the Second Vatican Council.
VOTF welcomes the active participation of all Catholics
who share a commitment to assisting survivors, supporting
priests of integrity, protecting children, and working
for full lay participation in Church governance. VOTF
will continue to seek structural reforms that will
correct the problems that led to the abuse scandal,
and that, if unchanged, could enable other scandals
to occur. Joining VOTF is a commitment to work to strengthen
and renew the Church, and to assume shared responsibility
for its governance.
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