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  Catholic Reform Group Defines Goals

By Bill Zajac
Republican [Springfield MA]
July 17, 2005

A local leader of the Voice of the Faithful says that the lay Catholic reform group has strengthened its resolve to push for both tougher laws involving sex crimes against children and greater financial disclosure by the church.

John M. Bowen, who heads the East Longmeadow affiliate of the Voice of the Faithful, said last week that the group's recent national convention in Indianapolis showed that it has matured into a national agent for church reform from a Boston-based organization concerned with just clergy sexual abuse.

"It was an energizing experience to know there are people from the West Coast and the South and Midwest who are concerned with the same issues as we are," said Bowen, who returned yesterday with his wife, Mary Lou, from the three-day convention.

The group will continue to push for support for Massachusetts legislation that seeks to abolish the criminal and civil statute of limitations for sex crimes against children. Several bills seek to extend, but not abolish, the limitations.

Bowen hopes that the Most. Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, will support abolition of the statute of limitations.

The bishop's spokesman, Mark E. Dupont, said yesterday that McDonnell is waiting to see the final version of the bill before declaring his position.

Bowen hopes to meet with McDonnell soon.

Some supporters of the legislation have expressed a concern that the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, comprising the state's four bishops, will not support any bill that may have attached to it a provision that seeks to abolish the $20,000 ceiling on liability of cases involving charitable organizations.

Bowen said that with the pricetag of the national clergy abuse scandal possibly rising to $3 billion, Voice of the Faithful will intensify its push to have greater financial disclosure.

"The church is acting like a multi-national corporation, but we the laity are the stockholders," he said. "The stockholders eventually have some say, especially when there are talks of bankruptcy with regards to our money."

The Rev. William Toller, who monitors diocesan priests taken out of ministry for clergy abuse, will speak at the next meeting of the East Longmeadow affiliate of the Voice of the Faithful on July 26 at 7 p.m. in the St. Michael's Church Parish Center at 53 Somers Road, East Longmeadow.