ARE THE BISHOPS LISTENING?
Gallicho, Grant
ARE THE BISHOPS LISTENIHG? An interview with VOTF's James E. Post Grant Gallicho One of the most interesting and hopeful developments to come out of the Catholic Church's sexual-abuse crisis is...
...POST: Bishop Lennon is a "caretaker" in both the positive and negative senses of that word...
...Our third goal, that of "structural change," is intended to ensure that sexual abuse does not recur in the future...
...Despite being a licensed social worker, McCormack violated the professional standards of the field and concealed information about known and suspected abusers...
...I encourage all Catholics who care about the future of the Catholic Church to get off the sidelines, shed the passivity we were brought up to accept as our role as laity, join Voice of the Faithful, and work toward attaining our baptismal right to "actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church...
...The "fraternal accountability" the bishops publicly promised last December in Washington, D.C., has been a charade...
...We have much work to do-and we need a critical mass to do it...
...Might VOTF come to be seen as a group that wants to topple bishops...
...Boise, Idaho...
...New Hampshire members of VOTF contacted the national office and sought advice on how to proceed...
...In this case, we connected knowledgeable people in Boston and elsewhere with the New Hampshire VOTF leadership...
...But SNAP focuses only-and in deep detail-on the physical and emotional "salvation" of survivors, and it does so from an empowered position as a group of fellow survivors...
...William Lori, Bridgeport, Connecticut...
...POST: There are some general statements I can make about the relationship of national VOTF to affiliate groups...
...How can VOTF be affiliated with statements like this and maintain its credibility, especially in meetings with bishops...
...Many people-lay and clerical alike- are skeptical that the NRB and OCYP can succeed...
...It is too often overlooked that in the past year, VOTF members have studied the teachings of our church, and invested countless hours in discerning our rights, responsibilities, and obligations to participate in healing the church...
...Bishop Christian's role was exclusively in New Hampshire, but involved instances of blatant deception and concealment of information...
...We need accountability, and this goal lies within canon law, too...
...POST: No, we're not "worried" about too close an identification with SNAP or the Linkup...
...And I truly don't know how anyone could confuse SNAP and VOTF unless they wanted to be confused...
...His actions were not "accidents" or "oversights...
...VOTF had 120 Parish Voice affiliates in February 2003- and 160 in March...
...This is already paying off: We signed on our first Spanish-speaking affiliate in April-Voz de los Fieles in San Francisco...
...We therefore have to ask these bishops-over and over until we get answers-did they carry out any investigation of VOTF before issuing their bans...
...mothers and fathers who think and talk like parents...
...Our relative homogeneity concerns us...
...The relative success of these conversations has been mixed-some have been difficult, while others have been quite positive-but the significance of the meetings cannot be underestimated...
...And the bishops, while slow to "get it," still have an opportunity to be part of a positive outcome to this momentous chapter in our church's history...
...Bishop Lennon has been very slow to act-including unconscionable delays in the implementation of the child protection policy...
...GALLICHO: VOTF's stated first goal is "to support those who have been abused...
...Nashville, Tennessee...
...As animating principles, we have real objectives that flow from both of these goals...
...The Catholic laity have a big stake in the success of these initiatives...
...This was indeed an "animating principle" and motivation for many VOTF members to join our movement...
...Did they notify VOTF of their evidence...
...We're trying to help ourselves, too, with a very professional strategic plan in the works that uses the gifts of many skilled and knowledgeable members to take a more proactive approach to our growth and development...
...POST: Our current patterns show greater than 20 percent growth per quarter-from 25,000 registered supporters in January 2003 to 30,000-plus in March 2003...
...At about the same time, I met with Archbishop Daniel Pi-larczyk of Cincinnati, Ohio...
...It's about time we held the bishops to high standards...
...By contrast, VOTF supports survivors as one of our goals...
...This is good news and effectively ends the ban in the Diocese of Brooklyn...
...In time, they will be surprised to learn how determined the laity is to rid the church of this evil...
...Remember that justice is an animating principle, to the extent that it moves people to action...
...GALLICHO: What is VOTF's membership today...
...His public acknowledgements to date have been calculated public relations efforts to save himself from the same fate as Cardinal Law's...
...JAMES E. POST: I would summarize VOTF's "year one" accomplishments this way: As individual Catholics, we helped one another find the courage to stand up and say "No...
...We give guidance, not orders...
...He admits it...
...MDs who think and talk like doctors...
...Cincinnati, Ohio...
...One role of the national VOTF is to support local affiliates in their work...
...The bishops-together with the laity and clergy-should be part of the creation of a healthy, revitalized church...
...POST: VOTF leaders have met with more than twenty bishops in dioceses across the nation...
...These people describe themselves as "poor" and powerless...
...It should be noted that we are just about half men and half women...
...In general, we are trying to become more understanding and knowledgeable about the various subcultures that coexist underneath the big Catholic tent...
...Sexual-abuse is not what our church stands for...
...The call for the resignation of Bishops McCormack and Christian came from the people of New Hampshire...
...What was the process by which these bishops banned their own Catholic people from the communion, teaching, and guidance that is owed them-that is owed to every member of the church in the Spirit of Christ...
...Their actions are bogus, and persons of good will know it...
...We have learned much from the survivors of clergy sexual abuse...
...They needed guidance as to how a case could be researched, organized, and prepared for formal submission to church authorities...
...This huge block of center-Catholics is still largely untapped...
...Bear in mind, however, that the ban should never have been imposed...
...Founded in February 2002, VOTF has quickly established itself as a lay initiative that must be taken seriously- its 30,000-strong membership spans forty states and twenty-one countries...
...The bishops should be defensive about these matters...
...An interview with VOTF's James E. Post Grant Gallicho One of the most interesting and hopeful developments to come out of the Catholic Church's sexual-abuse crisis is the lay reform group Voice of the Faithful...
...VOTF has offered to assist the National Review Board and the Office of Child Protection in any way it can...
...They were the knowing acts of a man who deliberately sought to conceal, cover up, and deceive others...
...I think everyone would agree that we have accomplished the goals of whistleblowing and the expression of outrage...
...They failed in their duties to God, church, and the people of God...
...We learned about the evil and injustice that touched their lives...
...Nonetheless, there is great power in the testimony or witness of survivors...
...If they fail, we will all be worse off...
...Are you making any progress in minority communities...
...In the same article, Minnesota attorney Jeffrey Anderson is quoted as saying that since his first sexual-abuse case against the Catholic Church in 1983, "we have been suing the shit out of them...
...Americans like short wars and "quick fixes...
...Joseph Gerry, Portland, Maine...
...Moreover, the anger has now been transformed and shaped into a commitment to help our church heal through disclosure, truth, and restoration of trust...
...Goals 1 and 2 are about justice...
...No one believes the job is done-the church hasn't "changed" yet, although we know from bishops' positive and negative reactions that they are listening...
...SNAP, in particular, is doing holy, Spirit-driven work...
...To clarify: on April 29, Bishop Daily issued a letter to his priests that leaves decisions regarding VOTF's use of church facilities in the Diocese of Brooklyn up to individual pastors...
...Did it need to...
...The only "hard and fast" requirement is that affiliates must agree to act in accordance with VOTF's mission, goals, and policies...
...We're reaching out proactively to urban parishes-Hispanic and urban children were well represented among the abused-translating our messages into Spanish and other languages...
...How many (and who) have banned VOTF...
...As an aide to Cardinal Law, McCormack actively dealt with victims, interceded on behalf of priests, and tried to minimize or avoid litigation against the archdiocese...
...POST: Our goals and our future are connected in several ways...
...Hartford, Connecticut...
...First, it is the Catholics in a local community or diocese that must make the judgment about the quality of a bishop's pastoral leadership...
...and elsewhere...
...In April, Doctor Jim Muller, VOTF's co-founder and first president, offered a cordial, constructive introduction of VOTF's principles and activities to Cardinal George of Chicago...
...Both VOTF and SNAP are change agents-as are organizations of nuns, social service providers, and more...
...VOTF members have met with their bishops in Denver, Colorado...
...We've helped lay Catholics find their voice, express their sense of outrage, and challenge those in authority who permitted such depraved behavior to occur...
...This can be a great story...
...SNAP provides a menu of counseling and other services to survivors...
...They write, "So far our voice have [sic] not been heard even after several months...
...GALLICHO: What are your thoughts so far on Bishop Richard Lennon, aPOSTolic administrator of Boston, who was appointed to replace Cardinal Law...
...Knocking people out of their comfort zones (including VOTF's) is sometimes prophetic and necessary, and we trust that the Holy Spirit is providing some momentum in all this...
...We do not underestimate their resistance to change-but they are underestimating our determination...
...Some people have the sense that the victims are crucial to the "mystique" of VOTF, that "testimony" is the animating force behind many of your meetings...
...POST: I don't accept that there's a "VOTF mystique" or a "survivor mystique...
...We don't force anyone to think and talk in just one way...
...grant GALLICHO: It's been over a year since VOTF formed...
...That won't happen in the Catholic Church...
...That's too simple a view of what is happening...
...We haven't yet accomplished the "change the church" goal that is intrinsic to "keeping the faith...
...icipate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church...
...John DiMarzio, Camden, New Jersey...
...What evidence did they find against VOTF...
...They have language and location issues regarding their worship and have begged their bishop for help...
...It is scandalous that neither the Vatican nor the fellow bishops have uttered one word of criticism of Cardinal Law or Bishops McCormack, Banks, Daily, or Murphy...
...In that story, Feuerherd writes that Paul Baier, a member of VOTF's steering committee, said at the meeting that he wanted to "crack Los Angeles and greater New York," explaining "how we get another year" out of media coverage...
...The qualities Catholics want to see in their bishops are "openness to change," "responsiveness," and "addressing sexual abuse" (see www.boston.com/globe/spotlight/abuse/poll...
...The bishops' Norms and Charter are still just promises, not realities...
...Venice, Florida...
...What differentiates VOTF from SNAP and the Linkup...
...Until Brooklyn bishop Thomas Daily reversed his earlier ban, all eight had refused to meet with VOTF leaders, refused to state their case against VOTF, and refused to engage in meaningful discussion of what must be done to restore trust and renew the church...
...Goals 1 and 2 may seem "easy" because they are not controversial...
...What have you accomplished...
...If we are dissenting from any church teaching or canon law, we have a right to be informed by those who are ordained to the role of servant and authority in the church, and they have a responsibility to engage us in that teaching and learning process...
...Consciousness has been raised, but the systems, structures, and culture that produced this scandal-this evil- have not been reformed yet...
...Our movement has evolved at least to where we are a mostly middle-class, educated, national audience that is largely white and middle-aged...
...The result was a credible case, properly documented, and effectively presented at the diocesan, national, and international levels...
...GALLICHO: VOTF's New Hampshire affiliate has called for the resignation of Manchester Bishop John McCormack and Auxiliary Bishop Francis Christian...
...John Myers, Newark, New Jersey...
...and Robert Vasa, Baker, Oregon...
...McCormack fails that test by his own words and admissions...
...POST: Bishop John McCormack is a bishop who is covered in guilt...
...Louisville, Kentucky...
...Our collaboration with SNAP includes appropriately referring survivors in need to SNAP and the saving services that it provides...
...People want good leadership-good bishops...
...We consider this work to be a vital part of our lives as Catholics and of our spiritual journey in Christ...
...The recalcitrant bishops and their allies are counting on American Catholics to have a short attention span and to return to apathy...
...POST: Eight bishops have issued orders (edicts or directives) to pastors that VOTF should not meet on church property...
...We don't feel the need or consider it our responsibility to control other groups whose missions we stand in solidarity with...
...This group, which is not an official affiliate, but learned about us on our Web site and named themselves "Voice of the Vietnamese Faithful," has turned to VOTF to help them find a voice in their diocese...
...GALLICHO: VOTF has had some recent success in meeting with bishops (Cardinal Francis George, for example...
...Has it continued to grow...
...bankers who think and talk like bankers...
...I am thinking of the February meeting of the Linkup, a support group for victims of clergy sexual abuse founded in 1991, reported in the March 7 National Catholic Reporter (Joe Feuerherd, "Victim's Vow to Keep Cases in News...
...Has there been any outreach to Kathleen McChesney, head of the bishops' new Office of Child and Youth Protection (OCYP), and to the bishops' National Review Board for the Protection of Youth (NRB...
...We-along with Kathleen McChesney, head of the new Office of Child and Youth Protection of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Governor Frank Keating, chairman of the USCCB's National Review Board- have seen signs of some bishops digging in, resisting change, and refusing to implement vigorously the bishops' Charter and Norms...
...And there are doubtless some bishops who would like to see them fail, and who have in fact tried to undermine their efforts (New York's Cardinal Edward Egan and Newark's Archbishop John Myers quickly come to mind...
...Seattle, Washington...
...It's also been one of the most controversial, garnering praise in some quarters and harsh criticism in others (some bishops have banned the group from meeting in their dioceses)-this despite its self-described centrist philosophy, the goals of which include: (1) to support those who have been abused, (2) to support priests of integrity, and (3) to shape structural change within the church (www.votf.org...
...William Murphy, Rockville Centre, New York...
...That's one reason that there has been a spontaneous burst of energy in dioceses whose bishops are retiring...
...Of our other goals-reform goals like financial transparency-that will change the church, people everywhere see the need for this...
...How do you avoid conflation in the public eye, and in the eye of the hierarchy...
...At the end of April, there were at least 170...
...People of any diocese are entitled to petition the Holy See for a bishop who is a moral leader...
...They have accepted hearsay, endorsed scurrilous attacks, and walked away from their responsibilities as pastoral shepherds and teachers...
...The leaders of the affiliates knew the high degree of discontent...
...VOTF members are faithful, traditional Catholics who are working to heal and renew our church...
...McCormack's complicity in the handling of cases of clergy sexual abuse in Boston was revealed in 2002...
...It is very important that these initiatives succeed...
...GALLICHO: A final question: How do you respond to those who say, "VOTF isn't going anywhere...
...The eight bishops and their dioceses are: Thomas Daily, Brooklyn (initially...
...GALLICHO: What do you make of bishops who have banned VOTF from meeting on diocesan grounds...
...Here's a story that's both interesting and illustrative: Last month we were contacted by a group of Vietnamese Catholics in Wichita, Kansas, who reported, "We, the Vietnamese Catholics in Wichita, Kansas, are the victims of power abuse and cover-up, hence the emotional hurt and depression...
...Brooklyn, New York...
...We all need to remember that the survivors are real people who have been permanently traumatized by what has happened to them...
...We are grateful for the decision and for the many hours of work that local VOTF members invested in dialogue with diocesan officials...
...Bernard Law and Richard Lennon, Boston...
...In fact, they are nothing short of historic...
...Finally, I'd like to point out that VOTF includes all types of people-lawyers who think and talk like lawyers...
...They squandered the moral integrity of church leadership and now they are scrambling to save themselves by demonizing the laity...
...It's a sorry picture...
...These relationships are important...
...His administrative fingerprints are on the case of Father Paul Shan-ley...
...Our position is that we must all stand behind the commitment to accountability and disclosure...
...How does the national office relate to the local affiliates...
...As the first anniversary of VOTF's inaugural international convention approaches, VOTF president and co-founder, James E. Post, agreed to bring us up-to-date in this interview, which was conducted by e-mail...
...The relationship between the national office and local affiliates is still evolving, still being worked out...
...We have given thousands of Catholics a reason to stay in the church...
...GALLICHO: Are you at all worried that VOTF might become too closely allied with other victims' groups whose goals are very different from yours...
...We, too, had a good conversation and agreed to continue our dialogue...
...Our job is to prove them wrong and to insist that real reforms take place...
...Indeed, much prayer, thought, and reflection took place among New Hampshire Catholics...
...This is not a new hierarchy...
...The national office is evolving into more of a clearinghouse for information, practices, and support...
...He does care about the Boston archdiocese and is dedicated to addressing its needs...
...We learned to respect them and their stories...
...We have some natural affinities with support/ interest groups in fulfilling our goals (first, supporting survivors, and second, supporting priests of integrity): Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and the Linkup support our first goal, and the Boston Priests' Forum supports our second goal...
...We don't expect them to express their anger and hurt "politely" in order to spare our sensibilities, or society's, or the church's...
...Sadly, in the dioceses ruled by these "banning bishops," Voice of the Faithful is denied the teaching, guidance, and communion we seek...
...This indicates an enormous pent-up demand among Catholics who want to do something about the crisis, not just endure it, and are looking for somewhere to turn...
...The March 1,2003, target date that was promised has come and gone...
...He is also painfully mindful of his temporary position and seems afraid to take initiatives that would have any impact on the status quo, possibly in "advance deference" to his successor...
...We have absorbed the faithful's anger at the hierarchy and turned it into a positive force for change...
...We are indeed "going somewhere," nourished by the Holy Spirit, who is shaping much of what we do...
...It did not come about quickly or precipitously...
...The two agreed to remain in dialogue...
...Their faces are the "face of Christ...
...GALLICHO: When the New Hampshire affiliate called for McCormack and Christian's resignations, did it ask for approval from the national office...
...social workers who think and talk like social workers...
...What has meeting with bishops meant to VOTF...
...The Boston Globe's opinion poll of Boston Catholics (May 11 and 12) showed that more than 80 percent want the next archbishop to "respond" (or "defer") to the laity, work with clergy, and not adopt a command-and-control style...
...Not one word of reprimand has been issued...
...People-laity and clergy-want to have a voice in who leads their diocese and how that leader functions...
...Still, while standing in solidarity with these groups, we acknowledge that we won't always be comfortable with their activities, nor can we control what their members say...
Vol. 130 • June 2003 • No. 11
