Legislative Reform
Click here
to link to the Archdiocesan Organizational Chart
222 N. 17th St.
Philadelphia, PA
19103-1299
Daily Prayer
for Priests
Heavenly
Father, grant that our priests be strengthened and healed by the power of the Eucharist they celebrate. May the Word they proclaim give them courage
and wisdom.
We pray that all those whom they seek to serve may see in them the love and care of Jesus,
our Eternal High Priest, who is Lord for ever and ever. Amen
Mary, Mother of
the Church, look tenderly upon your sons, your priests.
Joseph, patron of
the Universal Church, pray for us all. |
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Our Mission Statement
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.
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Voice of the Faithful of Greater Philadelphia
On Tuesday, March 9, the Greater
Philadelphia affiliate of VOTF
hosted a meeting of the
American Catholic Council
featuring keynote speaker: Rev. Thomas Doyle
at Chestnut Hill College.
Father Doyle spoke on his vision of the future of the American Catholic Church.
Click here to link to the American Catholic Council website.
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Philadelphia Magazine
November 2009 edition
"Sins of Our Fathers"
Click here to read an excerpt from the article.
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Kathleen Kennedy Townsend
An audience of more than 100 people came out to the 'Church on the Mall'
In Plymouth Meeting on the evening of Wednesday, October 21, 2009, to hear Mrs. Townsend speak
on her book,"Failing America's Faithful: How Today's Churches Are Mixing God with
Politics and Losing Their Way."
Mrs. Townsend, a former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, the
oldest child of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, and niece of John F. Kennedy and Ted
Kennedy, praised the efforts of the Voice of the Faithful and challenged
the organization to continue in its efforts to 'change the Church'.
Click here to read the article that
appeared on the irishphiladelphia.com website.
Click here to read the article that
appeared in the Montgomery Media.
Double click on the photos to enlarge. Click on your 'back' button to return.
Click here for a link to more on
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.
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Submitted to the New York Times, Week of April 20, 2009
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...'Catholics
(that includes Cardinals and Bishops)
have a duty to do everything possible to heal the
wounds'... Pope Benedict XVI
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Please help Voice of the Faithful hold the Catholic bishops accountable for their actions. Watch this video (click
the word “video” to open it) and forward it to spread the message!
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FIRST FRIDAY vigils
Join with us at the First Friday Vigil in front of the Philadelphia Archdiocese Office Building at 222 N. 17th Street (between Race and Vine Sts.). There we will pass out literature to the passerby and those entering the building. Join us and bring a friend.
Come and pray with others in a prayerful spirit, show with your own visible body, the support we have for those whose bodies and souls were abused by priests.
Express in a public and powerful way your concerns about the state of the child abuse scandal in our Catholic church.
For VOTF to have an impact, we must show that many are involved and concerned about the child abuse that has been and may still be occurring in our beloved
Archdiocese.
Click here to view the letter, regarding those abused, sent by VOTF-GP to Cardinal
Rigali dated September 22, 2006. It included four (4) action proposals.
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Each first Friday, VOTF-GP will be in front of the
office center, calling on Cardinal Justin Rigali to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis in greater depth and to respond to concerns raised by the
organization.
In a letter sent to Cardinal Rigali in October, 2005, VOTF-GP asked (1) to
meet with the Cardinal and urged him to support state legislation to protect children and hold abusers and enablers responsible, (2) to meet with survivors of
abuse and offer compensation, (3) to support the creation of child safety committees in each parish, and (4) to admit publicly that the hierarchy’s cover-up of
abuse was immoral.
All VOTF/GP members and friends are urged to attend.
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For anyone who may question whether child sexual abuse of children occurred,
and that the Church did everything in its power to conceal it, check out this website!
Catholic
Sex Abuse
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double click on 'State Representatives' below to link to a listing of
them
Urge your State Representatives to Support House Bill 1137 >
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We are grateful to Bishop Geoffrey Robinson,
of Sidney Australia,
and author of
"CONFRONTING POWER AND SEX IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH"
for the courage he showed during his recent speaking tour in the United States.
Please note:
A DVD of
'Bishop Robinson's Lecture in Philadelphia' is now available. To
obtain a copy, please double click on this e-mail address and provide
your name and address:
RobinsonDVD@rccrenewal.org. The
cost is $7.50 each, which includes shipping and handling.
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Extend the window for lawsuits over abuse, baltimoresun.com, 2/15/2009
Group outs top 10 priests accused of sex abuse, Baltimore Examiner, 11/12/2008
Church, Hoffman and statutes of limitation, to Inquirer, 8/1/2008
Catholic leaders knew, Guest commentary, denverpost.com, 7/8/2008
Arrest sex scandal enablers, Opinion, phila.com, posted 6/17/2008
Turlish: End statute of limitations for abuse victims, The MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA, 6/2/2008
Laws regarding childhood sexual abuse need change, delawareonline.com, 5/25/2008
Sister Mulkerrin aided the victims, baltimoresun.com, 5/24/2008
Ronnie Polaneczky: Bill to protect humans thrown to the dogs, Phila Daily News, 5/22/2008
Ex-Valley priest sentenced to 10 years in sex case, Morning Call, 5/22/2008
Nun who goaded Catholic leaders in Boston about sex scandal dies, Daily News, 5/21/2008
Editorial: Child Abuse - Truth comes with a price, Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/20/2008
No hearing on leeway for abuse allegations, philly.com, 5/18/2008
Church needs to act on sex abuse, (letter), Phila Inquirer, 4/23/2008
Letter:
Church needs to act on sex abuse, Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/23/2008
A visit of substance, Baltimore Sun, 4/22/2008
Editorial: Priest Child Sex Abuse, Phila Inquirer, 4/21/2008
"The Successor"--Cardinal Levada on bishops and the abuse scandal, and why he is not in line to be
Pope..., blog.beliefnet.com, 4/18/2008 (and be sure to read the Comments)
Pope meets with victims of sex abuse by clergy, apologizes, Morning Call, 4/18/2008
Pope meets abuse victims, Phila Inquirer, 4/18/2008
Sexual abuse victims describe frank meeting with pope, CNN, 4/17/2008
Pope: Clergy sex abuse ‘very badly handled’, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 4/18/2008
EXCLUSIVE: Pope meets with Boston abuse victims, Boston Globe, 4/17/2008
Papal Mass raises questions about role of laity, Morning Call, 4/17/2008
After warm D.C. welcome, pope speaks of abuse, Phila Inquirer, 4/17/2008
Still awaiting an accounting, NY Times, 4/17/2008
If the pope is 'ashamed,'why isn't he ashamed that he's sheltering Bernard Law?, Dallas News, 4/15/2008
Pope should wash feet of sexual abuse victims, Allentown Morning Call, 4/16/2008
But will he talk to the victims?, Washington Times, 4/16/2008
Pope lands in US, vows to fight clergy sex abuse, Associated Press, 4/16/2008
Pope Begins U.S. Visit; Says He Is Ashamed of Sex Scandal, NY Times, 4/16/2008
Pope: 'Ashamed' of Clergy Abuse Scandal, philly.com, 4/15/2008
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General Meeting: Monday, May 19,
2008 at Chestnut Hill
College
Parents of Abused Children spoke about the heartbreak that
sexual abuse has caused their families. Why is it that pedophile priests receive better treatment than their victims?
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Now, Archbishop Ryan High School - When will it end?
Ex-Archbishop Ryan High president charged with theft, Philadelphia Inquirer, 12/21/2007
Priest stole $900,000, some to buy drugs for student, officials say, Morning Call, 12/21/2007
Former Phila. Catholic School Principal Charged with Embezzling, KYW1060, 12/20/2007
The above release includes a statement from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on 12/20/2007. How many incidents of sexual abuse? Is there a credibility issue here?
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A PETITION TO CARDINAL JUSTIN RIGALI
Open the books!
The Voice of the Faithful of Greater Philadelphia believes it is both important
 and necessary for the Archdiocese to disclose relevant
financial information. Because it has not been forthcoming, VOTF-GP is initiating an effort to obtain signatures on a petition urging the
Cardinal to do so. Members are requested to sign our petition and to solicit your friends, neighbors and relatives to do
likewise. Click here to view the reasons which support the need for this
information. To view and print out a form for recording signatures,
click here!
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"
Love in Action: A Direct Action Handbook for Catholics Using Gospel Nonviolence to Reform and Renew the Church."
Richard K. Taylor wrote it originally for national and local VOTF, but it has broad application to
any group working for Church reform. It has very favorable endorsements by Catholic leaders, including a bishop and Jim Post, co-founder of national
VOTF. Its 50 photos and other illustrations make it especially readable. It's priced at $12.95 and can be purchased at its own website,
www.gospelnonviolence.com or
at www.amazon.com - just type in Richard K. Taylor.
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The following Letter to the Editor of the Phila. Inquirer was published in February, 2007
To the editor: It was deja vu, reading Donna Farrell's Jan. 9 letter on behalf of the Philadelphia
Archdiocese.Her response to a study reporting widespread embezzlement in Catholic archdioceses will remind Catholics of the years of assurances that our children
were safe in the hands of these very leaders. She ignores one crucial failure of the archdiocese in ensuring the safety of our church's
funds - the failure to make systematic, annual disclosure of the diocese's financial status to all Catholics. The last financial disclosure was more than three
years ago, and it reported one year's data from a period beginning in 2002. This is woefully inadequate disclosure to thousands of hardworking Catholics who place
their church-supplied envelopes in the
basket every week. The archdiocese's 2003 report was not a standard audit statement, such as one might receive
from any large charitable corporation. The report did not disclose important information, such as how much money was spent on lobbying in Harrisburg, lobbying
that we recently saw in action as the archdiocese joined in efforts to kill child-protection legislation.
It also did not disclose how much was spent that year as a result of sex-abuse cases, which then were still secret.
Since December 2003, Voice of the Faithful of Greater Philadelphia, a group of more than 400 Catholics from parishes across the
archdiocese, has called for the archdiocese to become fully transparent in its finances.
Embezzlement, like sex abuse, is the product of secrecy. We urge our bishops and pastors to publish transparent annual financial
reports. Marita Green, Chair VOTF of Greater Philadelphia
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"Who is going
to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your
mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops, like bishops, and your religious act like religious."
----Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, before the Knights of Columbus, June 1972
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Click here to view the
video regarding priest abuse
that was produced by SNAP and moderated by John Salveson. Our
thanks go out to the Philadelphia Inquirer for their invaluable service in making this available on-line.
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Senate Bill 1054 was passed by the PA Senate on Tuesday, November
21, 2006.
Thanks to all those whose efforts resulted in this bill being passed!
Click here to view Senate Bill 1054, as amended.
Note, this is a .pdf file so you will need Adobe Reader to open it, which you can download for free.
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"Must Read"
for all Philadelphia Catholics (and others).
Click here
to read the article by Michael Newall that appeared in the April 28, 2006 issue of the
National Catholic Reporter
entitled
"Shining light on a cover-up"
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Click here to learn of the upcoming plans and actions which you can take!
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"Authority has simply been abused too long in the Catholic Church and for many people it
just becomes utterly stupid and intolerable to have to put up with the kind of jackassing around that is posed in God's name. It is an insult to God Himself
and in the end it can only discredit all idea of authority and obedience. There comes a point where they simply forfeit the right to be listened
to." (Hidden Ground of Love: The Letters of Thomas Merton, p. 230)
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The Grand Jury Report
Click
here to view the complete document.
Note, this is a 424 page document - please give it time to download!
Click here to view the
response by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Click here to read the DA office's response to the above response by the Archdiocese to the Grand Jury's report.
Adobe Reader is required to view these documents, which you can download for free by double clicking on their logo.
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Please Note: Links to media articles which previously appeared in this area
have been relocated to the " NEWS ARTICLES" tab which can be found in the
left column above.
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Who are we?
Voice of the Faithful of Greater Philadelphia (VOTF-GP) is an affiliate
of Voice of the Faithful, a worldwide organization of more than 40,000 Catholic men and women formed in January 2002 in the Boston area to deal with the sexual
abuse crisis in the Church and the cover-up of that abuse by the hierarchy.
VOTF-GP has over 300 members in more than 40 Catholic parishes spread throughout Bucks, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
What are our goals? VOTF-GP shares the stated goals of the parent organization in Boston:
- to support those who have been abused;
- to support priests of integrity; and
- to shape structural change within the Church.
To accomplish these goals, VOTF-GP reaches out to those who have been abused and to priests of integrity
to offer support and to find ways of working together. It also seeks dialogue with Church leaders to explore how the laity can find a more meaningful
voice in the Church.
Composed of faithful Catholics, VOTF-GP does not question the teaching authority of the Church. It seeks to provide an open and safe forum where Catholics of
all points of view and backgrounds can freely and respectfully discuss the challenges facing the Church. It calls for the laity to have its rightful place in
full accord with Church teaching in Canon Law, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, and Vatican II.
VOTF-GP envisions a Church of accountability and transparency in which the laity, vowed religious, clergy and hierarchy will be partners in decision-making. If
all of these members of the Body of Christ had been actively and meaningfully engaged in the operations of the Church, the sexual abuse of children would have
been addressed immediately and not allowed to continue. VOTF-GP sees the current crisis as an opportunity to renew the structure of the Church so that it becomes
more fully "the People of God"—a loving community affirming
and drawing upon the gifts, experience and intelligence of all its members.
Who are our members? Members of VOTF-GP are the “people in the pews”—dedicated
Catholics who serve as lectors at Mass, teach CCD (PREP) classes, sing in the choir, take communion to the sick, and serve as Eucharistic ministers, ushers,
deacons, and members of parish pastoral councils.
It is their strong commitment to their faith that has brought them together in the spirit of Vatican II to cleanse and renew the Church and move it forward
into the 21st century. They accept the authority of their bishop and the pope, but see the need for increased participation by the laity in the governance
and operation of the Church.
What can you do? If you are shocked and saddened by the collapse of leadership and
trust in the Church, and would like to take part in its renewal, you can join with thousands of Catholics around the world by becoming a member of Voice of the
Faithful through its Greater Philadelphia affiliate. Membership dues are $15 for individuals and $25 for families. As a member,you will be notified
of upcoming activities of the affiliate in which you can participate.
Please click here or on the "Membership" button above, print out the form, and mail it along with your check to the address indicated.
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Archbishop
Ryan H. S. - A Violation of Trust!
