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The Executive Committee of Voice of the Faithful National unanimously approved and recommended the following initial working document on a VOTF Statement of Beliefs for presentation to the Representative Council for review and approval. The Representative Council voted unanimously to remand the Statement for discussion and comment by VOTF Parish Voice affiliates. The Statement was also reviewed by Rev. Ladislas Orsy, S.J., a canon lawyer, theologian, and advisor to Voice of the Faithful.
We believe in the unity of the Paschal Mystery: the life, death, and resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
We love and support the Roman Catholic Church.
We accept the teaching authority of the Church, including the role of bishops and the pre-eminent role of the Pope as the primary teachers and the leaders of the Church.
We believe what the Catholic Church believes.
We believe that sexual abuse by clergy, the treatment of those abused, and the way some bishops dealt with abusers have revealed flaws that require renewal in the human, institutional aspect of our Church.
We hold that the laity has the dignity, the intelligence, and the responsibility (even the obligation) to assist bishops in trying to discern where God is calling us today and to cooperate in the decision-making processes of the Church in a meaningful way.
We believe that the documents of the Vatican II Council illuminate the pathway for lay involvement in the Church.
We believe that the ecumenical dialog between our Church and other faiths should serve as a model for bishops to engage in meaningful dialog with the lay faithful of our Church.
We support collaboration among the bishops, other clergy, and the laity in strengthening the unity of our Church.
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