Free Republic

Pope had critics, too As Pope John Paul II is laid to rest this week, debates he fueled in churches throughout the Americas continue to swirl.In the United States and Latin America, John Paul left a church with declining membership, short on clergy, and attempting to heal from the priest sex-abuse scandal.For critics and lay reform groups, his biggest weakness was his refusal to engage in open dialogue.Polls have shown the majority of American Catholics out of step with church doctrine on issues such as contraception, divorce, homosexual unions, married clergy, and women priests, even as they praised the pope's...

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...

BOSTON (AP) -- The lay group created to give anguished Roman Catholics a voice as the clergy sex abuse crisis unfolded five years ago is now in a crisis of its own, dealing with a budget deficit and infighting among its leaders. Voice of the Faithful is projecting a $100,000 deficit in the next fiscal year following a drop in the number of major donors, according to an account of a group leaders' meeting which is posted on Voice's Web site. Board chairman William Casey said that the group has had trouble adjusting to a long-term strategy as the short-term...

The Catholic lay reform group Voice of the Faithful is holding a national meeting to create a lasting strategy for involvement in the church, three years after the clergy sex abuse scandal fueled the group's calls for change.For three days beginning Friday, about 500 leaders from some 200 of the organization's local affiliates will attend workshops on recruiting, strategy, keeping parishes open and supporting abuse victims.It is the group's first national meeting in nearly three years.The steps are needed to transform the 30,000-member organization from a cause fueled by anger into a mature advocate for worshippers, observers say."Anger gets you...

As I pulled into the high school parking lot of the affluent Long Island suburb of Manhasset one July evening, I passed a BMW with a Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) window decal. Clearly, this was the place. I entered the building, passing a number of elderly people standing behind tables covered with pamphlets. A very pleasant grandmother handed me four or five leaflets, including a printout of the Nicene Creed, a flier for the group’s September “Faith Convention” and some other VOTF reading material. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Paul Lakeland-the liberation theologian from Fairfield...