Press Contacts:

Nicole Sotelo, Call To Action
773.404.0004 x285 (office)
Anne Harter, Leader of FOSIL
618.277.7594
Lena Woltering, Long-time Leader of FOSIL
618.830.0243 (cell)

March 14, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRIESTS CALL FOR BISHOP’S RESIGNATION; HISTORIC STEP IN CATHOLIC JUSTICE MOVEMENT

Call To Action/USA and its chapter affiliate, FOSIL, the Fellowship of Southern Illinois Laity, applaud the courage of the Catholic priests in the Belleville, IL Diocese for issuing a letter this morning calling for the resignation of their Bishop, Edward K. Braxton. This action, done in times of church crisis, only occurs in rare instances such as when a group of Boston priests similarly came together to call for Cardinal Law’s resignation after massive revelations of sexual abuse.

“After a series of unjust actions by Bishop Braxton, including taking money from a charity fund to buy expensive vestments, the laity and priests of Belleville have had enough,” says Lena Woltering, a long-time leader of FOSIL.

“This is a historic moment for the Diocese of Belleville and for the entire U.S. Catholic Church. It is a reminder of our responsibility in Catholic Church canon law to speak out against injustice and hold our leaders accountable,” says Woltering.

The statement from the priests reads: “…it is requested that Bishop Braxton resign from his office as Bishop of the Diocese of Belleville for his own good, for the good of the Diocese and for the good of the presbyterate.” They go on to say: “Recent revelations of Bishop Braxton’s misappropriation of funds have only intensified the lack of trust the priests, religious and laity of our Diocese have in our Bishop.”

The actions that precipitated this move by the Belleville priests are part of a wide-spread trend of financial mismanagement within the Catholic Church. According to a recent study, 85% of Catholic dioceses reported embezzlements (Learn more: http://ncrcafe.org/node/779). Just last month, a Connecticut priest was found to have embezzled up to $1.4 million of parishioner donations to live a double-life of luxury.

“It is clear that bishops must be held accountable,” says Nicole Sotelo, Communication Director for Call To Action/USA. “We know that bishops harbored pedophile priests with no accountability for years. The same is true in terms of finances—there is often no accountability. Most organizations and corporations are subject to annual audits. However, the recent study showed that only 3% of dioceses conduct internal audits of their parishes. This allows for flagrant misuse of hard-earned parishioners’ funds. ”

“Catholics expect their donations to be used for the poor, for the church,” says Sotelo. “Bishop Braxton and other church officials found guilty of financial abuses have lost our trust and have turned away from the core teachings of Jesus: to feed the poor, clothe the naked, and care for the most vulnerable among us.”

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