A reader sent me a copy of a Voice of the Faithful press release in which it says that it will not take part in the Call to Action conference this week.
It is with deep regret that Voice of the Faithful must withdraw from the Call to Action Conference this week. We had a productive association last year with CTA. And back in the Spring when we agreed to participate in the conference this year we were focused on the goals we have in common. Since that time VOTF’s participation in the CTA conference has been discussed on and off the list serves. These discussions along with recent newspaper articles highlighting the women priests’ planned celebration of the Eucharist, and more media attention expected in the coming days, has led the Officers to this decision. VOTF withdrawal means the national office will no longer lead a Friday seminar nor provide an informational exhibit booth during the conference.
We are a mainstream, centrist, Catholic lay organization with our mission and goals focused on working within the Church to gain the laity a voice in the governance of the Church, supporting survivors of clergy sex abuse and priests of integrity. Our obligations to our membership, to survivors and to priests of integrity require us to maintain our sense of purpose and not to be associated with issues that challenge church doctrine and go against the teaching authority.
As we have recently with Future Church on the vibrant parishes initiatives, our hope is that we can collaborate with CTA and other church reform groups on issues where we have common ground. This requires a very delicate balance. We will continue to seek that balance and common ground.
What’s most interesting is that they had in fact planned to take part in the first place. What happened? This is a quite sudden change of heart. Did someone clue them in that participation would reveal their true nature as a liberal, heterodox organization founded by by CTA members, contrary to to their claims otherwise?
As I’ve pointed out before, there is no such thing as a “centrist” Catholic position between orthodoxy and heterodoxy. Either you uphold the Church’s teachings or you do not. The fact that they continue to cooperate with another notorious group like Future Church, in addition to working with CTA, just proves the point. Can they name any comparable orthodox groups that they work with?
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Very little has changed with VOTF’s modus operandi, either at the national or local level. But now they can point to this and say they are “loyal Catholics,” while proceeding to work with the same people who use a different letterhead. Pretty transparent when you think about it. But they have been from the beginning.
Well that’d odd. For the first time in my life, last week I received a CTA newsletter and donation form in the mail. The only place they could have gotten my address would have been VOTF – I was one who joined VOTF early just to keep tabs on them. At age 47, I am too young to be a member of either group
I think VOTF and CTA should join the World Council of Churches.