Voice of the Faithful for Catholics
making a name in Peoria

By Michael Miller,
Peoria Journal Star, January 31, 2004

A group of Catholic lay people in central Illinois is trying to get a hearing from the Diocese of Peoria.

So far the group hasn't been successful at that recognition, but it is slowly gaining membership and momentum.

An affiliate of Voice of the Faithful for Catholics in the Peoria diocese has been coming together since last summer. The national VOTF was formed in Boston in 2002 as revelations poured out about that archdiocese's cover-ups and bad decisions regarding priests who had molested minors.

What Voice of the Faithful believes will help the U.S. Catholic Church most of all is more lay involvement and input at the parish and diocesan levels, said John Ryan of Bloomington, one of the Peoria-affiliate founders.

Two other goals of VOTF are to help survivors of sexual abuse and their families, and to support the many "good priests" who are suffering from a tarnished image due to the scandals.

The affiliate is having organizational meetings and listening to victims and their families, Ryan said. The group hopes eventually to bring in speakers and seminars eventually to raise awareness of the issues, he said.

Ultimately, area coordinators will be established in cities, including Peoria, across the 26-member diocese.

So far, the Diocese of Peoria hasn't acknowledged the group's existence, Ryan said. He sent a letter to Bishop Daniel Jenky in September, asking for an initial meeting, but hasn't heard back from him, he said, "though that's not unusual."

Monsignor Steven Rohlfs, vicar general of the diocese, said the vacationing Jenky told him he "doesn't know much about the central Illinois chapter so he can't comment on it." The bishop also said through Rohlfs that he understands that some affiliates want to "change revealed truth" while others "are loyal to the church."

The image battle is common for VOTF, which sometimes gets lumped in with other, angrier groups seeking change in the Catholic power structure, Ryan said.

At least VOTF-Peoria hasn't encountered open disapproval, as a New Jersey affiliate did. Archbishop John J. Myers, formerly of Peoria and now head of the archdiocese of Newark, has called VOTF "anti-Catholic" and banned it from using church property.

While there are victims groups with angry rhetoric - and, Ryan said, he understands their anger - VOTF members are making the effort to come across as mainstream, prayerful lay Catholics who are promoting changes in how the Catholic Church governs itself at different levels, not trying to change doctrine or dogma. And, Ryan said, VOTF realizes such changes in government probably will take a while to happen.

The local leader also said VOTF draws Catholics from across the church spectrum.

VOTF activists point to the church's own documents - from Vatican II and in canon law - as evidence that the Catholic Church is supposed to have more representative - i.e., elected - lay involvement. Bishops just haven't implemented it for the most part, said Ryan, a former priest who left the priesthood in 1970 to get married.

"We're not asking for some breakthrough, something new," Ryan said. "Laity are involved in the life of the church, but they have no voice by and large, and the provisions are there."

So what difference would this involvement make?

For one thing, Ryan said while acknowledging that he was speculating, many of the scandals endured by the church over the past 25 years may have been averted with more lay representation. It may have been tougher to hide the crimes and, especially, the cover-ups.

"We understand this (how sex-abuse incidents were handled) was a systemic problem at the diocesan and even at the parish levels," Ryan said. More lay involvement at the local levels would be another piece of the puzzle as to how the U.S. Catholic Church can avoid similar problems in the future, Ryan said. While prevention programs like VIRTUS are good, Ryan said, the addition of input from lay people at the parish level would be yet another level of accountability.

Even then, much work needs to be done, Ryan said.

"I don't know what it will take until total trust is restored," he said.

- Michael Miller covers religion for the Journal Star. Write to him in care of the Journal Star, 1 News Plaza, Peoria, IL 61643, call him at 686-3106, or send e-mail to mmiller@pjstar.com. Comments may be published.

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