VOICE OF THE FAITHFUL INC

VOTF seeks full transparency and accountability in Church governance and full incorporation of lay Catholics in the life and work of the Church at every level, in accordance with the pathways illuminated via Vatican II and with special attention to the role of women in the Church. We utilize the synodal path towards reform.

Drawing on our baptismal responsibility for the life and work of the Catholic Church, VOTF supports survivors of clergy sex abuse; supports priests who are helping to heal survivors and correct institutional flaws; and works to reform governing structures so that abuse of authority does not happen again.

We aim to provide an open and safe forum for all Catholics--lay and clergy alike--to freely and respectfully discuss the challenges of our Church, regardless of their views on specific issues.

VOTF steadily offers encouragement and support to survivors of clergy sex abuse, to the disaffected and disappointed, and to the sorrowful. We offer a platform of constructive projects to address the injuries of the past and build a basis for trust for the future. We provide educational resources on the structure of the Church, on spiritual growth, and on structural accountability.

Key projects at this time are education about and participation in the Synod on Synodality; a database and annual report on published financial reports from U.S. dioceses; a database and annual report on diocesan Safe Environment practices and standards; a database and annual report on Dioesan Finance Councils in the U.S. and their adherence to canon law; a web-based mechanism for diocesan Catholics to comment on desirable traits for their next bishop; support for the restoration of ordained female deacons; Healing Circles, a model of restorative justice aimed to address wounds from the clergy-abuse scandals; and cooperative efforts with a priests' association both to address the problem of clericalism and to develop reform efforts.

The testimony of many who say, "I couldn't remain Catholic if it weren't for Voice of the Faithful" reminds us of the importance of occupying what might be called "the edge of inside" or perhaps the "edge of outside" -- keeping one foot in the camp of constructive if painful adaptive change and the other in the camp of social justice and truth. We are limited only by our financial resources.

We have successfully offered Healing Circles across the country for survivors, their families, their faith communities, and others harmed by the Roman Catholic Church's sex-abuse scandals and coverups. We maintain a repository for government and academic reports on the incidence and the causes of clergy sex abuse. Donations help finance these efforts, for which we do not charge a fee.

We provide a database of financial reports from U.S. dioceses, with tutorials on how to read their financial statements. We must continuously add to and update this database. We publish annual reports on the results. We monitor and report on the adherence of Diocesan Finance Councils in the U.S. to canon law.

We have issued the first report on Safe Environment practices for child protection in all U.S. dioceses, and will maintain a database and publish a report annually.

We address pastoral reform needs of the Church and the problems of clericalism in conjunction with a U.S. priests association. We provide guidelines for child protection, for bishop selection protocols, and for continued adult faith education. Each requires professional staff to maintain and extend to cover all requests.

We hosted multiple in-depth sessions internationally to gather lay input for the 2023 Synod on Synodality and are recognized as a lay reform organization within the Catholic Church.

Our Executive Director is the lay representative on the governing board of the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests.