VOTF - Who We Are
Statement on Who We Are
Revised Initial Working Document
(A consensus revision by the Needham Parish Voice)
" We are faithful Catholics in communion with the universal Catholic Church.
" We love and support our Church and believe in its doctrines.
" We accept the teaching authority of our Church, including the traditional role of the bishops and the Pope as intended by the founder of our Church, Jesus Christ.
" We will work with our bishops, clergy, and other members to strengthen unity and human moral integrity in our Church.
" We believe that sexual abuse by clergy and the response of some bishops, protecting abusers and forsaking the abused, has caused great human suffering and damaged the moral authority of our Church.
" We believe that the laity has the grace, dignity, intelligence, responsibility and obligation to cooperate in Church governance in a meaningful way according to the norm of law (cf. Canon 129) to correct the profound flaws that have been revealed in the human institutional life of our Church.
" We believe that the council documents of Vatican II illuminate the pathway for lay involvement in the Church.
" We urge that the openness and mutual respect advocated by Pope John Paul II in Ut Unum Sint ("That All May Be One") be the model for meaningful dialog among bishops and laity.
OR,
" We are faithful Catholics.
" We love and support our Church.
" We recognize a mutual teaching role of the hierarchy and the laity, the Sensus Fidelium.
" We will work with our bishops, clergy, and other members to strengthen unity and human moral integrity in our Church.
" We believe that sexual abuse by clergy and the response of some bishops, protecting abusers and forsaking the abused, has caused great human suffering and damaged the moral authority of our Church.
" We believe that the laity has the grace, dignity, intelligence, responsibility and obligation to participate in Church governance in a meaningful way according to the norm of law (cf. Canon 129) to correct the profound flaws that have been revealed in the human institutional life of our Church.
" We believe that the council documents of Vatican II illuminate the pathway for lay involvement in the Church.
" We urge that the openness and mutual respect advocated by Pope John Paul II in Ut Unum Sint ("That All May Be One") be the model for meaningful dialog among bishops and laity.
Voice of the Faithful
Statement on Who We Are
Revised Initial Working Document
The Executive Committee of Voice of the Faithful recommended this Statement for action by the VOTF Representative Council, which remanded it on April 26, 2003 to Parish Voice affiliates for discussion and comment in preparation for further action by the Representative Council. The Statement was also reviewed by Rev. Ladislas Orsy, S.J., an advisor to Voice of the Faithful on canon law and theological matters.
" We are faithful Catholics in communion with the universal Catholic Church.
" We love and support our Church and believe what it professes.
" We accept the teaching authority of our Church, including the traditional role of the bishops and the Pope.
" We will work with our bishops, clergy, and other members to strengthen unity and human moral integrity in our Church.
" We believe that sexual abuse by clergy and the response of bishops, protecting abusers and forsaking the abused, have caused great human suffering and damaged the moral authority of our Church.
" We believe that the laity has the graced dignity, intelligence, responsibility and obligation to cooperate in Church governance in a meaningful way according to the norm of law (cf. Canon 129) to correct the profound flaws that have been revealed in the human institutional life of our Church.
" We believe that the council documents of Vatican II illuminate the pathway for lay involvement in the Church.
" We urge that the openness and mutual respect advocated by Pope John Paul II in Ut Unum Sint ("That All May Be One") be the model for meaningful dialog among bishops and laity.