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Appendix 4 to Derry Report 2006
2 Greenhill Road, Coleraine, N. Ireland, BT51 3JE
13th February, 2006
Very Rev Dr S. Hegarty
Bishop's House
St Eugene's Cathedral
Derry
BT48 9AP
Dear Dr Hegarty,
In the Lenten reflection Towards Healing of February 2005, you
and your fellow bishops lamented the estrangement of many of those hurt
by clerical child sex abuse from their own church, and declared:
"It is a duty on all of us to help people who have suffered abuse to see
the face of Jesus in the life of the Christian community. That means
that we all need to learn more about the anguish and harm that child
abuse causes and about the need for healing in so many lives. We need to
make our communities ones in which the journey towards peace and
wholeness can be made."
Our organisation Voice of the Faithful was first established in the USA
in 2002 to assume this very duty, and is now responding to your call in
your own diocese. We wish also to forward our second objective - that of
helping to restore the confidence of our faithful priests.
Certain that we cannot be effective unless we ground ourselves in
prayer, we have approached a number of clergy in the diocese with a view
to holding prayer vigils interceding for divine support for these
healing causes. Their response has been very positive indeed, and we are
hoping that you too could now give this course of action your official
approval and blessing.
If you would like to meet with us to help guide us in what we propose,
we shall be very glad to do so. We feel that the Towards Healing
document needs soon to show positive results if it is to be effective in
restoring our church's reputation for compassionate concern for the most
unfortunate members of our community, and feel strongly called to
respond to this challenge.
Yours sincerely,
Sean O'Conaill
On behalf of the Committee,
Voice of the Faithful (Ulster)
(Back to Derry
Report 2006) |
VOTF™
Mission Statement
To provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit,
through which the Faithful can actively participate in the governance
and guidance of the Catholic Church.
Our Goals
1. To support
survivors of clergy sexual abuse.
2. To support priests of integrity
3.To shape structural change within the Catholic Church.
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