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New Developments in Catholic Church Sex Scandal

Aired March 28, 2002 - 10:39   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: There are new developments this morning in the Catholic Church sex scandal. The archdiocese of Saint Louis says that one of its priests has resigned, another has been placed on leave after allegations of sexual abuse. One of the priests denies the allegation. The church says the matters are under investigation.

These new abuse allegations come as the church celebrates holy week, traditionally a time of reflection and rebirth. And for many Catholics, this is also a time of great sorrow and soul searching as they wonder what this scandal means for the future of the church and the priests around the world.

Our guest, Father Lorenzo Albacete, examines those issues in a piece he writes for "New York Times" magazine that will appear this Sunday on Easter Sunday. Father, good morning -- thanks for joining us.

REV. LORENZO ALBACETE, CATHOLIC PRIEST: Thank you -- good morning.

KAGAN: I imagine it's not an accident that you chose Easter Sunday to publish this piece.

ALBACETE: Yes, I thought if there is any day to emphasize hope, that's the day. In the end is the only assurance that we have for a future, so build on that. You're right.

KAGAN: I think people are going to find your piece fascinating, because it's titled "The Struggle with Celibacy," a topic that's not often discussed openly by priests, and yet you touch along upon a number of topics that have come up with news of the scandal. And one of them is a lot of people feel that the vow of celibacy is partly responsible for so much of this scandal and for so much of this sexual misbehavior that we have seen from priests.

ALBACETE: I think the vow of celibacy is responsible for the shape. The horror comes in for the scandal itself. I don't think it's the vow celibacy. It's something deeper. It's a much deeper interior conflict that would manifest itself, whether you take a vow of celibacy or not. I think the vow of celibacy, though, provides the conflicts where particular -- I can only say shape of this scandal, that is to say it is a certain kind of the magnitude of it. All of that is related to the lifestyle, and the lifestyle of the priest is certainly dominated in many ways by the vows of celibacy. So it shapes it, but I don't think determines it.

KAGAN: Well, it's so interesting to read your piece, because obviously the majority of priests are not sexual predators. They are men that are doing great work and serving people around the world. And you talk about your own personal struggle with celibacy. You write that had you the choice, you would not have chosen a life of celibacy if you could have entered the priesthood and not had a celibate life. But you also write that you have come to appreciate this symbolism of what celibacy means in terms of love and poverty as well.

ALBACETE: Yes. I think the vow of celibacy after all doesn't come out of anywhere in -- nowhere in the history of the church. It is a reflection of an experience, and the experience begins to manifest itself after martyrs disappeared, when the church was part of the establishment. There were no more persecutions like that. And certain groups of people began to feel called to a radical lifestyle that would give a particular witness, and they ran off to caves and formed communities and so forth.

The underlying characteristic of all of this is the decision to go without any securities, to put themselves entirely in the hands of God. That is poverty in a radical sense. Celibacy is a form of that poverty. Obviously, if you take that vow, if you live that way to get married and have children would be an outright irresponsibility as you have obligations then that otherwise you can ignore. But most of all, I think it shows the attitude that should be present even that helps even married people. That is to say an interior poverty in which love is entirely affirmation of the other without any desire to possess.

And to me this is, as I explained in the column, it was a particular example, I noticed that. I noticed when a married man, who was suffering through a particular experience, told me that my vow, my vocation to celibacy was meant to help him get through this. And I realized perhaps very powerfully for the first time the great value of it. I think it is very sad that it has become and has been trampled and allowed to become a sign of absolute perversion.

KAGAN: As the clergy ages, one of the challenges of the Catholic Church is attracting more to the priesthood. Do you think without the vow of celibacy or perhaps if women were allowed in, and I realize that's a whole other topic perhaps for another day, that that would attract better people and more people, not just quantity but quality as well?

ALBACETE: I don't think it is the task of the church to package itself as an attractive institution to recruit people to work for it. There is only one way. The attraction is not going to come from the church. The attraction is going to come from the one the church claims to represent. To the degree that the church becomes transparent to the attraction of Christ himself, to that degree, everything else will follow. I don't think we should go on recruitment drives that would say, hey, it's now easier. We don't have the vow of celibacy.

KAGAN: It's not supposed to be easy. I understand that. One thing that's not...

ALBACETE: Or easy or hard, it's beside the point.

KAGAN: One thing -- and finally, Father, one thing that certainly is not easy is looking at the scandal, looking within the church itself. How do you think that priests around the country, around the world, should be talking with their parishioners in light of the scandal that the church is dealing with right now?

ALBACETE: Well, I think first we have to face the parishioners. We have to give an account of ourselves. We feel shocked, horrified, accused. That's what I say in the column. I feel personally accused, and I feel people are looking at me, because I am wearing the collar, and you know, is he one of them? And this is unbelievable, and the people, well, this is all they hear.

I think we should honestly speak about what we are going through and what we think is happening and why and how we are trying to stop it with our people. Above all, the scandal given to the Catholic people is after the actual hurt given to the victims. The scandal given to the Catholic people is the worst thing about this, again after the suffering of the victims.

KAGAN: Yes, of course. Well, you share some very honest feelings in your column, and once again, it will appear in this Sunday's "New York Times" magazine, "The Struggle With Celibacy" by Father Lorenzo Albacete -- Father, thank you for joining us this morning.

ALBACETE: Hey, thank you -- bye-bye.

KAGAN: Appreciate it.

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