Archbishop William Lori

WHEELING — The group Lay Catholic Voices for Change is promising to withhold financial support from the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, including collections, if numerous concerns outlined in a letter are not addressed.

Today is the organization’s self-imposed deadline for the diocese to respond to an open letter, addressed to Archbishop William Lori, which lists numerous demands to increase accountability for parishioners and break the perceived grip of clerical hierarchy.

The group, which represents a number of parishioners from northern and north-central West Virginia, sent Lori the letter earlier this month.

The letter and its demands came following an investigation into former bishop Michael Bransfield that found excessive spending and credible claims of sexual harassment against adults.

“We are outraged that the scandal of clergy sex abuse in our Church has been prolonged and perpetuated by coverups in the DWC,” the letter states. “We are also troubled and appalled by the coverup in our diocese of Bishop Bransfield’s outrageous spending.

“As lay people, we decry the crimes that have been committed. But we are forced to acknowledge that the coverups have been facilitated by our acquiescence to a culture of clericalism that has pervaded our Church.”

The letter makes several demands of the diocese, while promising actions on behalf of the laity.

The diocese must release the full full report (with redactions required to protect the identities of victims and witnesses) submitted by the investigative panel appointed by Lori on abuse within the diocese.

Second, the diocese must release the names of those who were complacent in Bransfield’s actions and the abuses which occurred within the church, contributing to the cover-up, failure to report abuses or using positions of authority to intimidate people into silence.

Third, a full, independent, lay-led financial audit of the diocese to be completed annually.

The letter also calls for significant lay involvement in matters such as the selection of a bishop to replace Bransfield, a more publicly available and accessible means to report abuse within the church, and confidentiality and policites of non-retaliation be enforced and espoused.

The letter ends by requesting a response from the diocese by Friday, June 28.

Tim Bishop, spokesman for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, said no information was available as of Wednesday as to whether the diocese would respond to the letter.

Charles DiSalvo, a representative for Lay Catholic Voices for Change, declined to comment before any potential response from the diocese. However, in an earlier interview with West Virginia Metro News, he said the letter was an attempt to put restraints on what parishioners saw as unchecked authority of the clergy within the church.

“The root problem, as we indicate in the letter, is the culture of clericalism that dominates the church,” DiSalvo said. “Priests and bishops have unlimited and unchecked power to govern the church, and as everyone well knows, when power is unchecked, corruption follows closely behind.”

DiSalvo had said that he hopes transparency and public accountability will help break down what he sees as a system of corruption.

“What our group seeks to do, among other things, is to break through that power structure and open up the diocese’s finances to the public,” he said. “There’s nothing that works as a disinfectant as well as sunshine does.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Information pertaining to Lay Catholic Voices for Change’s demands of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in Friday’s story was incorrect. The demands listed were from a similar petition circulating online. The Lay Catholic Voices for Change letter instead demands, among other things: the release of the full report (with redactions) submitted by the investigative panel on abuse in the DWC; the names of those complicit with abuse through cover-ups and failure to report; a complete, annual, lay-led financial audit of the diocese; and full financial accountability. This story has been updated to reflect the correct parts of the organization’s letter. The organization’s open letter to Archbishop William Lori can be read at: www.change.org/p/archbishop-william-lori-bring-accountability-and-healing-to-west-virginia-s-catholic-church.