Voice of the Faithful: Pro and Con

Voice of the Faithful is a relatively new national group of Roman Catholics who came together in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis. On its Web site, it says: "If, like tens of thousands of other faithful Catholics throughout the world, you agree with our Mission and Goals, please join us as we work within the Church to develop a voice for 'The People of God.'"

I've found dozens of articles written about the group. It seems to be a love them or hate them kind of situation. The negative articles are very negative. The positive very positive.

In Crisis magazine, writer Danny DeBruin deems VOTF a radical organization of dissent. See complete article. A National Catholic Reporter commentary worries about what it calls VOTF's anti-bishop bias.

On the pro side, many Catholics see it as a breath of fresh air, a new way to look at church issues. In an interesting article about the founding of the group, co-founder Jim Muller says, "The sex abuse was a symptom of a disease, which is an underlying system of absolute power and no accountability by the Church hierarchy."

The group's Web site also links to some of the more positive articles. Example here. As we journey to Vatican III, I predict VOTF will grow more influential, so it's a good idea to be as informed as possible about the group.