October 6, 2003

Archbishop Justin Francis Rigali

Archdiocese of Philadelphia

222 North 17^th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19102

Dear Archbishop Rigali:

We are writing to welcome you to Philadelphia as our new Archbishop and to offer our collaboration in any efforts of mutual concern. We would be happy to meet with you at any time to explore such collaboration and to offer our help. Our constituency comes from more than forty parishes. All of us are faithful Catholics who love our Church and participate actively in our parishes.

We are affiliated with national Voice of the Faithful, which came into being in Boston as a result of the sexual abuse crisis in the Church. Like the national VOTF, we pursue the goals of supporting those who have been abused, supporting clergy of integrity and working for needed changes in the Church that the sexual abuse crisis brought to light. Most basically, we see ourselves as a vehicle by which the laity—along with clergy and vowed religious—can exercise our full responsibility in the Church, in entire accord with the teachings of the Church.

We were happy to learn from news reports of the concerns that motivated your work in St. Louis, such as taking steps to protect children from sex abuse, supporting inner city schools, expressing a desire to overcome racism, and, of course, being faithful to the teachings of the Church. Also, we value very much your orientation as a person of prayer, with a special relationship to the contemplative aspect.

We would like to take this opportunity to express in detail some of the hopes we have for your time with us here in Philadelphia so that you will know the concerns we carry in our hearts.

Authenticity in following Jesus Christ: As baptized Christians, all of us, of course, are called to be disciples of Christ.

Regarding bishops, the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, said in his May 7, 2001, address to the first new bishops of the millennium: "Our efficacy...depends in good measure on the authenticity of our following of Christ. Personal holiness is the condition of our fruitful ministry as bishops of the Church. Our union with Jesus Christ determines the credibility of our witness of the Gospel."

As we reflect on Christ’s life and teachings, we note the amazing simplicity of how he lived: how few possessions he had, his constant reaching out to the poor and suffering, his poignant statement that "foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to

lay his head" (Mt. 8:20). In all three Synoptic Gospels, he notes how hard it will be for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of God.

Perhaps it was because of these words of our Lord that the Code of Canon Law states that bishops are "bound to give an example of holiness, charity, humility and simplicity of life" (Canon 387). In this light, we were glad to read that your brother bishop, Archbishop Sean O’Malley in Boston, will live in a humble rectory in South Boston, rather than living in the lavish residence used by his predecessors. Your own credibility as "a witness of the Gospel" must have been enhanced in St. Louis when you decided to live in modest quarters. Here in Philadelphia, we believe you have an opportunity to begin a tradition of living in Christlike simplicity by not moving into the princely mansion on Cardinal Avenue. Our city has many neighborhoods where you could reside modestly while also giving you opportunities to reach out to the poor and needy as Jesus did.

Servant leadership: In his address to the new bishops, Pope John Paul II also said that "today more than ever the role of the bishop must be understood in terms of service. The bishop is servant of all." Certainly the Pope’s words reflect the servant leadership which Jesus articulated in his day. How he excoriated those religious leaders "who like to walk around in long robes...and have the best seats...and places of honor at banquets" (Mk. 12:38-39)! How he contrasted the rulers of the Gentiles (who "lord it over them") with what he expected from his disciples: "It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave" (Mt. 20:25-27)!

We emphasize these teachings because, unfortunately, some Church leaders give the impression of "lording it over" the rest of us. They appear to be as unapproachable as a medieval prince and almost to disdain the gifts, talents and intelligence, not only of the laity, but of priests and religious as well. We value leaders who, instead, draw upon the talents and ideas of the whole Catholic community and who are consultative and open to advice. We need leaders who recognize our baptismal equality and value our voice, leaders who will relate to us as brothers and sisters, co-members of the People of God. In sum, we agree with Pope John Paul II that your "efficacy" here in Philadelphia will depend upon the "authenticity" with which you follow Christ.

The sexual abuse crisis: Cardinal Bevilacqua has taken many steps to address the horror of clergy sex abuse of our children. Many informed observers see him as one of the foremost Church leaders in the effort to make sure that sexual abuse is stopped. Much more still needs to be done, however. We would be happy to discuss with you our concerns in this regard, since one of our main goals is to assist the Church in putting a stop to sex abuse. If it has not already happened, we hope that you will consider naming one or more sexual abuse victims (perhaps from the SNAP organization) to the Archdiocesan Lay Review Board. We hope, out of respect for Catholic mothers and fathers, that you will release the names of priests with credible allegations of abuse so that the former can take their own steps to protect their children. Our other concerns can await our meeting with you.

Eradicating Racism: Cardinal Bevilacqua made an excellent start in addressing racism in his 1998 pastoral letter, Healing Racism Through Faith and Truth. Very little, however, has been done to overcome racism in our archdiocese since that time. We note from press reports that in St. Louis, although you disbanded the archdiocesan Human Rights Office, you did call for "vigilance in rooting out all forms of prejudice and discrimination" and said "we must never tire of pursuing every opportunity to put an end to those evils and promote the God-given dignity of every person."

Several members of our local Voice group have been deeply involved in efforts to eradicate racism at the levels of the parish, the archdiocese and general society. They would be glad for your leadership in this matter and would be happy to help.

The 10^th Archdiocesan Synod: Cardinal Bevilacqua recently promulgated 89 decrees stemming from recommendations of our Synod. If implemented, many of the decrees could do much to improve the archdiocese. We are particularly interested in the decrees calling for stronger efforts at forming lay leadership and organizing an archdiocesan Pastoral Council. Again, we would be happy to help implement those decrees wherein we have experience and expertise.

Archdiocesan Financial Accountability: An on-going concern and cause of frustration among the laity is that we provide so much of the Church’s funding, yet receive so little information on how our monies are used. This year the Philadelphia archdiocese, under Cardinal Bevilacqua’s leadership, issued its first financial report in ten years. Even though the report was very skimpy and provided few details, it was appreciated as a good start, especially since it was sent to every Catholic household. We hope that you will continue this regular reporting and will find it possible to give many more specifics than were contained in this year’s document. We also hope that you will broaden the archdiocesan Finance Council by including representatives of the poor and people of color. If Jesus were in your place, would he not be looking for advice, not only from the top of society, but from the poor, the marginalized and those with less power?

In closing, let us reiterate our desire to meet and work with you around common concerns. And, again, our warmest welcome to Philadelphia.

Sincerely yours,

(signed)

The VOTF/GP Steering Committee