Voice of the Faithful
Encyclopedia
Voice of the Faithful is an organization of progressive Catholics, formed in early 2002 in response to the Catholic sex abuse cases.
, to pray over allegations that a priest had abused local youngsters. Its meetings soon became well attended, as well as attracting significant media attention. A conference it held in July 2002 attracted over 4,000 lay Catholics, victims of clergy sexual abuse, theologians, priests and religious from around the United States of America and the world. Less than a year after its founding, VOTF was able to claim 30,000 members worldwide. VOTF currently has members in all 50 states and in 21 nations, with over 150 Parish Voice affiliates.
Jim Muller, one of VOTF's co-founders and its first president, has written a book about the group's founding called Keep the Faith, Change the Church.
VOTF's mission statement is: "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."
It has articulated three goals:
1. To support victims of clergy sexual abuse;
2. To support priests of integrity; and
3. To shape structural change within Church.
Members of the organization have worked to extend statutes of limitations
for allegations of abuse against minors. One of its more visible accomplishments was its involvement in the effort to extend the statute of limitations in Massachusetts
. The group leading this effort, called the Coalition to Reform Sex Abuse Laws, included many VOTF members. In April 2011 it mailed a letter to the priests working in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to elicit their support for the abolition of the statute of limitations in Pennsylvania
.
VOTF advocates for structural change in the Church—in general, for lay members to have a greater administrative voice, especially regarding financial oversight, in their parishes and dioceses.
VOTF has recently taken a controversial stand in calling for the Vatican to review the requirement that priests be celibate. Jim Post, a former president of VOTF, stated, "We’ve repeatedly rejected that argument, saying that those are not our issues. Even I, from time to time, wonder whether we shouldn’t just declare victory and say a lot’s been done in five years."
Connecticut attorney Thomas Gallagher, a noted contributor to VOTF, was instrumental in writing proposed legislation, similar to the 1905 law in France
, which would remove bishops' control of the dioceses and place them into the hands of laymen.
Leaders from VOTF have helped create the American Catholic Council, a group of dissident Catholics who want to reform the Church.
called the group "one of the most interesting and hopeful developments to come out of the Catholic Church’s sexual-abuse crisis."
Since its inception, many have questioned whether VOTF is, as it claims, operating within the law, doctrine and tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. The group has hosted many speakers not in favor with the hierarchy, such as Eugene Kennedy
, a long-time observer of the Roman Catholic Church, professor emeritus of psychology at Loyola University in Chicago and author of the book "The Unhealed Wound: The Church and Human Sexuality"; and Rev. Thomas P. Doyle, O.P., J.C.D., an advocate for obtaining justice for victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, who has been reprimanded for failing to implement liturgical guidelines.
Some feel that ongoing publicity, prosecution and high profile legal settlements related to sexual abuse by priests, such as the July 2007 Diocese of Los Angeles settlement, point to the group's continued influence. Other reports, however, say that the group is broke and facing an identity crisis.
In his 2008 book Here Comes Everybody
, author Clay Shirky
studied VOTF as an example of an activist group for which the communication possibilities of the Internet
were essential; contrasting its success with an "almost identical" 1992 case of a pedophile priest in the same diocese, also under Bishop Law and reported by the Boston Globe, but before widespread adoption of the Internet.
In her 2011 book Faithful Revolution: How Voice of the Faithful Is Changing the Church, author Tricia Colleen Bruce offers an in-depth look at the development of Voice of the Faithful and its struggle to challenge church leaders and advocate for internal change while being accepted as legitimately Catholic. Drawing on three years of field observation and interviews with VOTF founders, leaders, and participants, the book explores the contested nature of a religious movement operating within the confines of a larger institution, an example of what the author calls an intrainstitutional social movement.
Founding, growth and mission
VOTF began when a small group of parishioners met in the basement of St. John the Evangelist Church in Wellesley, MassachusettsWellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Greater Boston. The population was 27,982 at the time of the 2010 census.It is best known as the home of Wellesley College and Babson College...
, to pray over allegations that a priest had abused local youngsters. Its meetings soon became well attended, as well as attracting significant media attention. A conference it held in July 2002 attracted over 4,000 lay Catholics, victims of clergy sexual abuse, theologians, priests and religious from around the United States of America and the world. Less than a year after its founding, VOTF was able to claim 30,000 members worldwide. VOTF currently has members in all 50 states and in 21 nations, with over 150 Parish Voice affiliates.
Jim Muller, one of VOTF's co-founders and its first president, has written a book about the group's founding called Keep the Faith, Change the Church.
VOTF's mission statement is: "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."
It has articulated three goals:
1. To support victims of clergy sexual abuse;
2. To support priests of integrity; and
3. To shape structural change within Church.
Positions
Voice of the Faithful works to support victims of clergy sexual abuse and advocates for bishops' fuller accountability for their handling of complaints of abuse by clergy. The group is partially credited with forcing the resignation of Boston's Archbishop, Cardinal Bernard Francis Law, in December 2002.Members of the organization have worked to extend statutes of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
for allegations of abuse against minors. One of its more visible accomplishments was its involvement in the effort to extend the statute of limitations in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. The group leading this effort, called the Coalition to Reform Sex Abuse Laws, included many VOTF members. In April 2011 it mailed a letter to the priests working in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to elicit their support for the abolition of the statute of limitations in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
VOTF advocates for structural change in the Church—in general, for lay members to have a greater administrative voice, especially regarding financial oversight, in their parishes and dioceses.
VOTF has recently taken a controversial stand in calling for the Vatican to review the requirement that priests be celibate. Jim Post, a former president of VOTF, stated, "We’ve repeatedly rejected that argument, saying that those are not our issues. Even I, from time to time, wonder whether we shouldn’t just declare victory and say a lot’s been done in five years."
Connecticut attorney Thomas Gallagher, a noted contributor to VOTF, was instrumental in writing proposed legislation, similar to the 1905 law in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, which would remove bishops' control of the dioceses and place them into the hands of laymen.
Leaders from VOTF have helped create the American Catholic Council, a group of dissident Catholics who want to reform the Church.
Analysis
A two-year study conducted by Catholic University of America found that VOTF members "share a deep and highly involved commitment to their Church." and the group has been endorsed by a number of American Catholic theologians. An article in CommonwealCommonweal
Commonweal is a American journal of opinion edited and managed by lay Catholics. It is headquartered in The Interchurch Center in New York City.-History:...
called the group "one of the most interesting and hopeful developments to come out of the Catholic Church’s sexual-abuse crisis."
Since its inception, many have questioned whether VOTF is, as it claims, operating within the law, doctrine and tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. The group has hosted many speakers not in favor with the hierarchy, such as Eugene Kennedy
Eugene Kennedy
Eugene Cullen Kennedy is an American psychologist, syndicated columnist, and a professor emeritus of Loyola University Chicago. He remained a professor of psychology at the university for several years...
, a long-time observer of the Roman Catholic Church, professor emeritus of psychology at Loyola University in Chicago and author of the book "The Unhealed Wound: The Church and Human Sexuality"; and Rev. Thomas P. Doyle, O.P., J.C.D., an advocate for obtaining justice for victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, who has been reprimanded for failing to implement liturgical guidelines.
Some feel that ongoing publicity, prosecution and high profile legal settlements related to sexual abuse by priests, such as the July 2007 Diocese of Los Angeles settlement, point to the group's continued influence. Other reports, however, say that the group is broke and facing an identity crisis.
In his 2008 book Here Comes Everybody
Here Comes Everybody
Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations is a book by Clay Shirky published by Penguin Press in 2008, which evaluates the effect of the Internet on modern group dynamics. The author considers examples such as Wikipedia and MySpace in his analysis...
, author Clay Shirky
Clay Shirky
Clay Shirky is an American writer, consultant and teacher on the social and economic effects of Internet technologies. He has a joint appointment at New York University as a Distinguished Writer in Residence at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and Assistant Arts Professor in the New...
studied VOTF as an example of an activist group for which the communication possibilities of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
were essential; contrasting its success with an "almost identical" 1992 case of a pedophile priest in the same diocese, also under Bishop Law and reported by the Boston Globe, but before widespread adoption of the Internet.
In her 2011 book Faithful Revolution: How Voice of the Faithful Is Changing the Church, author Tricia Colleen Bruce offers an in-depth look at the development of Voice of the Faithful and its struggle to challenge church leaders and advocate for internal change while being accepted as legitimately Catholic. Drawing on three years of field observation and interviews with VOTF founders, leaders, and participants, the book explores the contested nature of a religious movement operating within the confines of a larger institution, an example of what the author calls an intrainstitutional social movement.
External links
- official site
- Lead411: Voice of the Faithful
- American Catholic Council
- The Boston Globe: Spotlight Investigation: Abuse in the Catholic Church
- The Boston Globe: IN-DEPTH: The rise of Voice of the Faithful
- Richard Sipe: VOTF: LEARNING FROM HISTORY – HOW TO PROTECT AGAINST ABUSERS (lecture by Sipe)
- ‘‘The Christian Science Monitor’’: Catholic reformers hold historic meeting
- National Catholic Register: Cover story: Church in Crisis: 4,000 meet to give laity a voice
- Notre Dame Magazine: Keep the Faith, Change the Church (interview with first VOTF president Jim Muller)
- National Catholic Register: Joan Chittister: Voice of Faithful goes after biggest issue of all: authority
- The Christian Science Monitor: A window on reform
- National Catholic Register: Church in Crisis: Meltdown in Boston
- ‘’National Catholic Register’’: Voice of the Faithful misleads the laity: Group’s challenge to bishops’ authority is challenge to doctrine
- Richard Sipe: Beyond Crisis (lecture by Sipe)
- The Boston Globe: Give laity a key role in fixing church (op-edOp-edAn op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
) - The Boston Globe: A lifeline for the Church (op-ed)
- The Friends of ST. FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI: Digging in to stay and pray - At some 'suppressed' churches, they defy O'Malley's plan (reprinted from National Catholic Register)
- The Boston Globe: Unanswered questions linger (op-ed)
- Richard Sipe: VOTF and the Reform of the Governmental Structure of the Catholic Church (dissertation by Thomas P. Doyle)
- Richard Sipe: SOME OBSERVATIONS FOR VOTF (dissertation by Doyle)