BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — An insurgent lay-led reform movement has been banned from meeting on church property by two Catholic bishops in the Northeast.
Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., and Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., have banned Voice of the Faithful from meeting at local parishes. The group, which now claims 25,000 members, was formed after the sex abuse scandal erupted in the Archdiocese of Boston earlier this year.
Lori, a member of a key committee of bishops that drafted new rules on dealing with sexually abusive priests, said he does not trust the group because of its “hidden agenda which is in conflict with the teachings of the Catholic faith.”
On the other side of Long Island Sound, Murphy banned the group because it does not follow traditional channels for airing grievances and offering advice to the bishop.
Voice of the Faithful President James A. Post said bishops who shun the laity are only making the problem worse for themselves. (TAB)
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