The president of Voice of the Faithful, the lay Catholic movement that sprang
from the priest sex abuse scandal, on Saturday called the decision of some
bishops to ban the group from meeting on church property "so morally wrong
that it is difficult to reconcile that behavior with Christian teaching."
James Post also singled out Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport for criticism in
an interview before speaking during a two-day conference on church governance
and accountability at Yale University. The conference was held at the law
school and sponsored by St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center. The panel
also included Kathleen L. McChesney, director of the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops' Office for Child and Youth Protection.
Voice of the Faithful, which began in a church basement in the Boston
archdiocese a year ago, has about 30,000 members across the nation. In
Connecticut, local chapters have started in the dioceses of Bridgeport, Norwich
and Hartford.
Post expressed particular frustration with the actions of Lori, one of eight
bishops in the country to ban the group's local chapters from diocesan
buildings. Lori's decision came shortly after the group held a national
convention in Boston in July. At that time, the bishop issued a statement that
said the goals of group were not in keeping with church teaching. Local members
of the group have communicated with Hartford Archbishop Daniel A. Cronin, Post
said.
"I think Bishop Lori was the first bishop to publicly prevent us from
meeting on church property and he's never really given a full explanation for
that," Post said. He said Lori has not responded to phone calls or letters
from the organization.
By contrast, there has been positive communication between organization members
and bishops in other parts of the country, he said.
"Those bishops who have acted to ban us, not one of them sat down with us
beforehand to find out what we were doing. They acted first and asked questions
later," Post said. "What I keep coming back to is that we are
Catholics who love the church, and we cannot reconcile what has happened with
our faith, and we are determined to change those human administrations to make
a difference in this church."
Lori's spokesman, Joseph McAleer, Saturday defended the bishop. He said,
"The bishop has been very proactive in responding to sexual misconduct. He
has enhanced the role of the laity."
In regard to Voice of the Faithful, McAleer said, "The bishop has made his
position very clear. This group has an agenda that is contrary to church teaching."
McChesney, a former FBI agent, was chosen to head the national review board
created by the conference of bishops to audit the compliance of bishops charter
for the protection of children that was passed at their meeting in Washington,
D.C.
Since taking office McChesney has traveled the country speaking with victims
groups and diocesan officials.
The review board will make certain that all dioceses have a process in place to
handle sex abuse complaints involving priests and that all victims receive
therapy. The board also will begin surveying every diocese in the country to
collect information on the number of sexual abuse cases, the amount of money
paid in settlements and the numbers of priests who are accused of sexual abuse,
arrested on such charges or treated for sexually abusive behavior.
The intent is to create a detailed study that will show the root causes of the
sex abuse crisis within the church.
"By knowing a lot about a particular kind of crime, you can do a lot to
prevent it," McChesney said during an interview.