Posted on 08/20/2009 7:27:16 PM PDT by Publius804
Voice of the Faithful rearranges the deck chairs
In its increasingly panicked effort to remain relevant -- and solvent -- Catholic dissident group Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) has announced a new program: the Voices in Action Campaign. How, you ask, does this differ from the normal activities of VOTF? Good question. According to the press release that dropped into my Inbox an hour ago...
Voices in Action focuses on improving parishes and dioceses; fostering greater accountability in Church leaders and in the laity as well; ensuring financial transparency; healing survivors; protecting children; supporting clergy working together with laity; and encouraging systematic transformation and growth in the universal Church.
Uh... ok. But again, how is this different from VOTF's regular activities? Compare that description with the organization's mission statement and goals, taken from its Website:
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.... To support survivors of clergy sexual abuse.... To support priests of integrity.... To shape structural change within the Catholic Church.
Sounds like the same thing, rephrased. And that has been VOTF's problem all along. The group emerged in the wake of the sex abuse scandal claiming to be something new: a non-ideological gathering of fed-up Catholics working to find original solutions to old problems... and then proceeded to advocate the rewarmed agenda of 1970s Catholic dissent.
No-one's buying it anymore. VOTF's days are numbered.
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From their mission statement, they are attempting to "3. Shape structural change within Church." This is intended to make a "democratic" Church which clearly violates the hierarchical structure which has always existed and is reemphasized in Vatican II Lumen Gentium. The chairman James Muller states in a National Catholic Reporter article on April 26, 2002, ÏWe have donation without representation, and we have to change that.Ó Also on a CNN interview dated April 29, 2002, the chairman desires cafeteria Catholicism: "... our goal is to provide a democracy for the laity, so that the laity can decide what they want and then counterbalance the absolute power, which we have now of the hierarchy." See more details below. |
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When Wolves Dress Like Sheep: Close Look at Voice of the Faithful |
Deal Hudson |
But notice the bait-and-switch tactic used [by VOTF] in listing its three goals. Everyone can rally behind the cry of supporting faithful priests and the abused, but "change within the church" could encompass a variety of "changes" that are well outside the Church's teaching. (off-site) |
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Danny DeBruin |
As the subject says. (off-site) |
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Paul Likoudis |
VOTF is a clone of Call to Action. (off-site) |
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Rev. Thomas A. Frechette |
Pastoral letter in response to parishioner queries regarding VOTF. (off-site) |
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