WHEN AMERICAN Catholic bishops met in Dallas this year to address the church's child sexual abuse crisis, they recognized the need to consult with the faithful. In their charter on sexual abuse, they acknowledged the concern of many regarding "the participation of God's people in decision-making that affects their well-being."

Since that June meeting, and a follow-up in Washington last month, it has become apparent that several bishops are making a distinction between the faithful worthy of consultation and those who are not. A glaring example is the response to the group the Voice of the Faithful, formed in the wake of the scandal.

In Boston, the center of the crisis, Cardinal Bernard Law refused to meet with Voice of the Faithful leaders until recently. And then the cardinal - who has come under harsh criticism for his handling of pedophile priests - met with them reluctantly. Why?

Because Cardinal Law questions the group's motives for publicly challenging church policies and practices. He has banned any new chapters of the group from meeting on church property and refused to accept donations the group wants directed to specific church causes. Bishops in Oregon, Maine, Camden and Newark, N.J., and Long Island, N.Y., also have banned the group.

The suspicions of the bishops appear overblown, considering the group's genesis. About 25 parishioners in Wellesley, Mass., got together one evening in the basement of their church. These were not radical malcontents, but longtime Catholics active in parish affairs who were deeply troubled about the Boston archdiocese's handling of priests who prey on children.

If Catholics like them can't speak freely and question their church leaders, then who among the laity can?

The Voice of the Faithful, now totaling 25,000 members in 40 states and 21 countries, endorses involvement in parish councils and other church activities. But it recognizes the difficulty parish groups have in questioning pastors, bishops and cardinals under whose authority they operate. That's where the Voice of the Faithful comes in - to publicly hold the church accountable.

That kind of public challenge could be viewed as an affront to the independent authority of each parish and diocese. After all, the church is a hierarchical organization with a chain of command that remains largely unbroken.

In Maryland, Baltimore's Cardinal William H. Keeler has sought various ways to reach out to laity since the church scandal broke. He has taken a strong stand on priests credibly accused of abuse - publicly identifying them and removing them from ministry - and detailed church spending on these cases. He has hosted listening sessions, established an e-mail newsletter and plans a yearly report on the state of the diocese. However, no more than a couple hundred out of 500,000 diocesan members ever attended one of the sessions. Some meetings attracted less than a dozen people.

Voice of the Faithful leaders contend that their interest is not in changing church dogma - say, on the ordination of women or celibacy - but on giving voice to the laity's concerns. The responsibility of church leaders goes beyond listening to the faithful. They also should be communicating the laity's concerns to their superiors, regardless of the subject, if they are the true shepherds.