#United States #Boston #Voice of the Faithful #Diocese Transparency #Catholic Church

Overview

On April 30, 2025, Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), a significant Catholic Lay Apostolate dedicated to enhancing transparency within Church operations, published its findings from the 2024 diocesan financial and governance reviews. These findings are crucial as they shine a light on how Catholic dioceses across the United States manage their financial affairs.

Financial Transparency Scores

Before their public release, the reports were shared with each diocesan bishop and Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) across the 176 dioceses under the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Encouragingly, the average transparency score held steady at 71% for 2024, the same as in 2023. However, there was a notable increase in overall governance scores, moving from 34% to 35% in 2024. These scores reflect the degree to which dioceses provide accessible and timely financial information to their congregants.

Interestingly, out of the total dioceses evaluated, ten achieved a remarkable 100% in the 2024 Financial Transparency review. This is a testament to their ongoing commitment to transparency, with several dioceses maintaining their perfect scores from the previous year. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe made significant strides, increasing its financial transparency score by an impressive 50 points, showcasing a strong dedication to improvement.

Governance Improvements

Governance scores also reflected improvement, with six dioceses achieving scores of 95% or 100%. Notably, the Archdiocese of Denver saw its governance score increase by 63 points in the 2024 assessment, emphasizing the commitment to enhancing governance practices within the Church. Despite these advancements, the reviews indicated that the gains in specific dioceses were sometimes counterbalanced by significant declines in others, resulting in stagnant overall average scores.

Concerns Over Financial Reporting

A concerning trend highlighted by VOTF was the failure of some dioceses to timely update their financial reports. The organization believes that posting current audited financial statements is essential for promoting financial transparency within dioceses. VOTF trustee Margaret Roylance underscored this point, stating that making these documents available is a cornerstone of accountability to the faithful.

A troubling incident occurred with the Archdiocese of New York, where the link to the financial summary disappeared from the diocesan website. This oversight led to a drastic drop in their score, falling from 37 to a mere 12 points, marking it as the lowest score among all evaluated dioceses this year.

Recognition and Future Commitment

VOTF acknowledges the effort of dioceses that excelled in transparency and those that made notable improvements this year. They commend these dioceses for their dedication to providing Catholics with accurate and up-to-date information regarding the allocation of their contributions. Despite the setbacks observed in some areas, VOTF remains optimistic about the overall commitment from most U.S. dioceses to uphold transparency.

Looking forward, VOTF is committed to fostering transparency throughout the Church. They believe that such transparency not only strengthens lay stewardship and promotes generosity but also builds trust within the Catholic community nationwide. By continuing to push for accountability and transparent practices, Voice of the Faithful aims to enhance the overall financial health and governance of dioceses, ensuring they meet the needs of their congregations effectively.

For more detailed insights on the financial transparency of individual dioceses, the complete reports can be accessed on the VOTF website, where previous reports are also archived for public viewing.