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New Bridgeport Bishop Offers to Meet with Voice of the Faithful

By Bernard T. Davidow
The Hartford Courant
September 22, 2013

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-bishop-voice-of-faithful-0922-20130920,0,1867009.story

New Bridgeport Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, who has promised to reach out to those Catholics who feel disenfranchised, has offered to meet with the local chapter of the Voice of the Faithful — a meeting the group says it was never able to arrange with his predecessor.

"He has a real chance to put his mark on the diocese, and we're very excited about it," said Jamie Dance, chairwoman of the group, which was formed after the priest sex abuse scandal broke more than 10 years ago. The group's relationship with former Bishop William Lori — now archbishop in Baltimore — was not a good one. They say he never accepted an offer to meet despite repeated requests.

After the pope selected Caggiano in late July, the group sent the incoming bishop a welcoming note. He wrote back and offered to meet. Caggiano was installed as the new bishop on Thursday.

Asked about the offer earlier in the week, a diocesan spokesman said in an email, "After the installation, [Caggiano] will follow through on his promise and hopefully it will be a positive first step in building trust and furthering the healing process."

Dance said she has heard good things about Caggiano from Voice of the Faithful members in the Brooklyn Diocese, where he last served, and was encouraged by his offer to talk with them.

"One of the things that we have … learned about Bishop Caggiano is that he is very much a person who is pastoral in his attitudes toward the people of his diocese. I do believe that this wonderful attribute of his will be greatly useful in the Diocese of Bridgeport," Dance said.

The diocese needs to reach out to the victims of priest sexual abuse, she said.

"There has been no real outreach to survivors and victims of priestly abuse. This is something, I would have to say, that is a scandal in the diocese," she said. "It's a gaping wound in the church."

In a press conference after his selection, Caggiano was asked about the history of priest sexual abuse in the diocese. He said: "The way I would see it is a question of trust. It is a question of trust. It is when that trust is broken it takes a while to rebuild that trust. And, perhaps now, 11 years after, we are still working to rebuild trust among some individuals who may have felt as if that trust certainly was broken and therefore needs to be mended and healed. "

He praised Lori for being a "national leader in making sure our children are protected."

Lori became bishop in 2001 and was faced with a legacy of lawsuits and allegations of sexual abuse committed by priests in the diocese before he arrived. In 2003, he issued an apology to victims, announced a $21 million settlement with people who said they had been molested, and began reforms to prevent future incidents of child sex abuse. During Lori's tenure, the church also fought public release of sealed court documents related to the priest sex-abuse scandal — though many of the documents were subsequently released.

Beth McCabe, a co-leader of the Connecticut chapter of the Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, praised the work of Voice of the Faithful and said she was glad to hear the group would have the chance to meet the new bishop.

While she said she hoped the Caggiano would be proactive in his new role, she was wary.

"They like to talk about what they're doing," McCabe said. "For me, I want to see some action. I want to see them in a situation where they're supporting victims, really making some changes. And, certainly, addressing any sexual abuse cases by calling the authorities.

"They're mandated reporters. That should be the first call," McCabe said. "Until they do that on a consistent basis, I really question their intentions. … There's just such an awful history in Bridgeport."

Voice of the Faithful, based in the Boston area, was born of the sexual-abuse scandal but has also advocated for structural change within the church, including a greater openness in church finances and more inclusiveness in major decisions such as selecting bishops.

In the Bridgeport Diocese, Dance said, the group was also advocating for the church to be more transparent in its financial affairs. She said the diocese stopped posting financial details on its website in 2008.

"This money is taken out of our parishes in the Sunday baskets, donation plates, and is suppose to be used for the care of the marginalized, the care of our cemeteries, our churches … ," she said. "It affects our daily worship life when we know that the money is being spent not only wisely but well."

The group, she said, was also concerned about the declining number of vocations and the aging of the priestly population and their affect, in the long run, on parishioners' access to the sacraments.

She cited Pope Francis' outreach and his reputation as a "pastoral" pope, and said that, from what she knew of Caggiano, he seemed to be in the same mold.

"We are prepared to give Bishop Caggiano every bit of help and support so that he can meet these needs," Dance said. "We feel that he is uniquely capable and poised to do just this."

Contact: bdavidow@courant.com




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