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Please
send comments and inquiries to pthorp.ed@votf.org.
“Our
church needs you and needs the kind of pressures you can
bring to bear to help bring about change…" Bishop
Thomas Gumbleton speaking to Voice of the Faithful at Holy
Trinity, Washington DC.
| The
talk delivered by VOTF Priest of Integrity Award
recipient Bishop Thomas Gumbleton at the
VOTF at Holy Trinity gathering echoes the lessons
of the past five years.Full story at National
Catholic Reporter (subscription required). |
DIOCESE/State
Watch:
Maryland supporters of Senate Bill 575 fought
the good fight against the considerable efforts of the Maryland
Catholic Conference and lost. If passed, the bill would have
provided for a window of 1 year for all victims to apply
for civil damages, with a cap of $250,000. A VOTF supporter
said that justice for victims was the primary objective but
such a law would also “be a deterrent to future acts
of abuse because organizations like the Church will know
they will be held financially accountable for protecting
abusive priests.”
New
York NY: VOTF New York issued a call to Cardinal
Egan to reconsider parish closings and to engage in open
dialogue. Read
the full text of the letter.
California
Los
Angeles CA: This week’s story in the Los
Angeles Times raises another question about truth-telling
in the LA archdiocese. “Documents newly filed in
the Caffoe civil case provide the first glimpse into
confidential priest files that Mahony sought for four
years to keep sealed in the midst of a sexual abuse scandal
that engulfed the archdiocese. He eventually took the
secrecy fight to the U.S. Supreme Court.” Read
more.
San
Diego CA: “An attorney for the Roman Catholic
Diocese of San Diego said last week that the diocese's
recent bankruptcy filing will not scuttle longtime plans
to build a Catholic high school in North County.” Read
more.
Follow-up
to Davenport IO bankruptcy filing: The Des
Moines Register reports: “A federal bankruptcy
judge set a July 16 deadline for people to file claims
of sexual abuse by priests against the Roman Catholic
Diocese of Davenport. The diocese, which filed for Chapter
11 bankruptcy last fall, is selling some of its property
to settle the claims.” Read
more.
New
Hampshire: The Concord Monitor reports
that the Attorney General will release the annual audit
of the Manchester diocese next month. The story notes
that new allegations were made during the past audit
year. Read
more.
Washington
DC: The Washington Post reports: “The
D.C. Council would abolish the statute of limitations
for filing criminal and civil cases that involve sexual
abuse against children under a bill proposed yesterday
by council member Marion Barry.” Read
more.
Sean
O’Conaill of VOTF Ireland reports
that the affiliate has sent a message “to the Irish
state inquiry into clerical child sexual abuse in the archdiocese
of Dublin. This is due to report in October.” The
text of the VOTF Ireland message refers to the role played
by clericalism in the origins and mishandling of abuse,
and the likely roles of clericalism in weakening child
protection measures and in preventing healing. The full
text is available the VOTF Ireland website.
NATIONAL/International
News
See the National
Representative Council update on recent
proposals; the VOTF
Board of Trustees reports a change in
leadership.
The VOTF
National Office Search: Job descriptions
for the positions of Executive Director, Comptroller
and Office Manager are here.
Of
VOTF National interest: “Five years after revelations
of widespread sex abuse and cover-up rocked the Catholic
Church, Austin Bishop Gregory Aymond will report on the church's
progress and challenges Tuesday at Georgetown University
in Washington. Aymond leads the Committee for the Protection
of Children and Young People for the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops and has become known for his progressive approach
to weeding out problem priests, observers say.” Read
more. VOTF representatives attended the talk
and will provide a report in the next Vineyard.
SITE-Seeing,
Etc.
A
priest is “Notified”: Fr. Jon Sobrino’s
writings (Fr. Sobrino is the well-known advocate
in Latin America of liberation theology) are under scrutiny
by the Vatican.
Speaking
of the lay voice, here’s an opportunity at Boston
College on Sat. March 24: “Blasphemy,
Free Speech and Journalistic Ethics” will be held
on campus (Higgins Hall, Room 300). Additional information
can be found on the BC website.
- Also
at BC, the IREPM (Institute of Religious Education and
Pastoral Ministry) program is ready for Spring ‘07. Read
more.
Joan
Chittister says, “When it's about women, you've gone
too far” in a National Catholic Reporter Conversation
Café commentary. If you're
in the neighborhood or if you know someone in the Washington
DC area, SNAP Philadelphia has something for everyone to
do on April 14. "Join over 1,000 others at the 4th
Annual International Race to Stop the Silence: Stop Child
Sexual Abuse 10K Race, 2.25 mile Walk (so you
don’t have to be in tip-top shape to show your support
and help raise funds), and 1K Kids' Fun Run (after the
Race and Walk) at 8:00 am Saturday, April 14, 2007 in West
Potomac Park, Washington DC." For information, write
to snapphila@yahoo.com.
A
mini-review from VOTF secretary Gaile Pohlhaus: The
Rights of Catholics in the Church by James Coriden
is a new release from Paulist Press (2007). “Like
Gaul it is divided into three parts: An Overview, The
Rights of Catholics in the Church, and Limitations On
and Defense of Rights in the Church. There is an index,
suggested further readings, and it is about 145 pages
in length. While it makes for an excellent reference
tool, its true value lies in its clarity, case studies,
and explanations. This book should be must reading for
all involved in Church renewal.”
According
to VOTF member, author Jason Berry believes
that “American Catholics who want the Vatican to
adopt reforms won’t be effective until they find
an ear in Rome, says an investigative writer whose books
about clergy sexual abuse were a factor in Pope Benedict
XVI’s removal last May of the founder of the Legion
of Christ.” Read
more.
Lent
Reflection – from
VOTF members Stan and Eileen Doherty
QUOTE
for our time: “On Jesuit college and university
campuses, the anniversaries remind us of the men and
women who tried to be voices for the voiceless and power
for the powerless. We are reminded of what a twelve-year-old
girl said at the funeral of the Jesuits and their co-workers: ‘Don't
cry for them; imitate them.’” On the
1989 murder of six Jesuits, among whom the recently “notified” Fr.
Jon Sorbino worked. Read more.
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