This article very clearly shows some of the reasons why Voice of the Faithful is a problem.
About 30 people crowded into the basement of St. Aloysius Catholic Church on Monday night, hoping to hear the truth.
They weren’t waiting for the truth, as the following paragraphs make plain. They were there to speak and not listen.
In the question-and-answer meeting with the Rev. Steve Dublinski, members of the Voice of the Faithful got a chance to question the vicar general about how the hierarchy within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane has handled, and plans to handle, cases of sexual abuse by clergy.
“Basically, we didn’t learn anything from him tonight, but I think he learned a lot from us,” said Michael Ross, co-founder of Spokane’s Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests.
These kinds of events put on by VOTF and victim groups aren’t about dialogue or discussion. They’re about pushing agendas, making demands, and finger point.
The VOTF —an international lay organization formed in January —wants church leaders to be more accountable, and to involve parishioners in church governance. They also want the church to admit its response to abusive clergy members was wrong.
What more admission do they want? Is there any American bishop who hasn’t acknowledged that the bishops who shuffled pervert priests from place to place was wrong? At this point, I think the prime motivation, at least for VOTF, is to keep themselves relevant by flogging the horses that are long dead.
