NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (AP) - A bishop banned a Roman Catholic lay group formed in response to the church sexual-abuse scandal from meeting at a church here.
"The activities and promotion of the VOTF (Voice of the Faithful) must be curtailed in order to avoid further scandal and polarity among our parishioners," Boston Archdiocese Auxiliary Bishop Emilio S. Allue wrote in a letter to the Rev. Paul T. Keyes, pastor of St. Michael's Parish in North Andover.
Keyes had supported the group and his sister-in-law is one of its leaders. But he told the group it could not meet on church property this weekend, citing his vow of obedience to his bishop.
Voice of the Faithful leaders say they will contest the ban, which they said is illegal under church and United States law. "We love our church and all we ever sought, from the beginning, was open and honest dialogue," said John Vellante, spokesman for the group's 135-member Saint Michael's chapter.
Voice of the Faithful was formed after revelations earlier this year that Catholic leaders had failed to take action against accused pedophile priests. The group, which aims to support abuse victims and work for structural change within the church, claims to have grown to 30,000 members nationally.
Voice of the Faithful has been labeled by some as a dissent group, but it insists it "accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church" and does not seek to eliminate celibacy among priests or allow ordination of women.
But Allue wrote that the archdiocese is seeking "clarification of all hidden and open issues involved and promoted by the VOTF," and until that process is complete, meetings are "inappropriate."
The group has already had disputes with the Boston Archdiocese. Cardinal Bernard Law has refused to accept money raised by the group, and pastors in three towns have prevented the group from meeting in churches.
Meetings of the group on church property also have been limited or barred in some other areas, including Bridgeport, Conn., and Rockville Centre, N.Y.