In continued efforts to quell the sex-abuse controversy, the Archdiocese of Boston now prohibits new chapters of the Catholic lay group Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) from meeting on church property. In a letter made public on Saturday, Cardinal Bernard Law deemed meetings of the group, founded after the sex-abuse scandal erupted, “inappropriateÉuntil I had received further informationÉ” according to the Associated Press. The group, which purports to have a global membership of 25,000, expressed disappointment that pastors in other parishes are banning their meetings. “[W]e are a group of concerned Catholics who love the church, and want nothing more than to help build the church up,” interim executive director Steve Krueger told the Associated Press. Law has also rejected all financial contributions from VOTF.
Chair of a church policy review panel, Governor Frank Keating of Oklahoma has urged that the church engage openly with the group.
