Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Extraordinary Meeting Resuming Inside Vatican

Aired April 23, 2002 - 10:01   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, at this hour an extraordinary meeting is resuming inside the Vatican and the inner sanctum of the Roman Catholic Church as well. U.S. cardinals, the pope and other church leaders are confronting the priest sex scandal and the crisis of confidence that it poses among the American Catholics.

Our Jim Bittermann is in Rome. Let's go to him now to get the very latest -- hello, Jim.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon. The afternoon session of those meetings is about to get under way about a half hour from now. There was a morning session this morning, one about three hours. Twelve of the 13 American cardinals are here, as well as an unusually large contingent of cardinals from the Vatican, seven cardinals from the Vatican, including the secretary of state, Angelo Sodano, who is in a sense the prime minister of the Vatican. It kind of shows how important the Vatican is considering this problem.

After about two-and-a-half-hours of meetings this morning, the cardinals went around the corner to the pope's library, where the pope had a few words to start off the meetings for the cardinals. In some of the strongest language we have heard directly from the pope yet said this. He said the abuse, which caused the crisis, is by every standard wrong and rightly considered a crime by society. The pope making it clear how he felt, especially about the idea of the secular crime involved in sex abuse by the priests. And the pope urged his churchmen to come up with some kind of criteria that would help avoid repetition of past mistakes.

Having said that, after the meetings this morning, I asked Cardinal Adam Maida of Detroit exactly what issues would have to be addressed if they want to come up with these kinds of criteria, and here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARDINAL ADAM JOSEPH MAIDA, DETROIT: There are certain pastoral issues that we need to look at, and we need to look at, you know, our seminaries, are we doing a good job at screening candidates. And so that the Vatican can help us in a very, very concrete way, and I have great hopes that we are going to come from here very much supported, very much enriched and a clear direction and a great hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BITTERMANN: At a news conference earlier, Cardinal Frances George said, however, that coming up with general standards to apply in every case is somewhat difficult. He explained how problematic it can be.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARDINAL FRANCIS GEORGE, CHICAGO: The difficulty lies in the diversity of comportment of behavior that we are talking about. There is a difference between a moral monster like Goeghan, who preys upon little children and does so in a serial fashion, and to someone who perhaps under the influence of alcohol engages in an action with a 17 or 16-year-old young woman who returns his affection. That is still a crime in every instance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BITTERMANN: The cardinals will meet here, as I mentioned, Leon, this afternoon and all day tomorrow. They are hoping not really to come up with much of a consensus, because it doesn't seem from what they were saying at the news conference that they could come up with much of a consensus. Basically, they hope to at least lay the foundation for some more specific principles that the bishops can look at when they meet together in the United States in June -- Leon.

HARRIS: So, Jim, this foundation you speak of, should we expect it to also include perhaps include another letter or some sort of writing from the pope before it is all over with?

BITTERMANN: It wouldn't surprise me that at the end of this, the pope would have something to say. He launched it with the statement this morning. I don't think he is in any of these meetings this afternoon as far as we can tell. He probably will not be attending any further meetings, but we would think at the end, there would be some kind of statement from the pope explaining what his feelings are, as the cardinals leave here to go back to the United States.

But the Vatican is obviously taking this very seriously. And it should be so. One of the other things that at least part of this process is to be seen -- the church as being seen addressing this problem. The media here is covering this like I have never seen a Vatican event covered before. There are a lot of television cameras covering this from all angles. And I think what the American church particularly wants to show is that this is a serious problem. It is being taken seriously. They want to reassure the Catholic faithful exactly how serious this problem is -- Leon.

HARRIS: Yes, Jim, all those cameras you mentioned, I am just curious about how many of them are actually using reporters that are speaking English on this story. We have been hearing that not very many folks outside of the U.S. have actually jumped off the bandwagon, if you will, on this issue quite yet. But we'll continue to follow that as...

BITTERMANN: Well...

HARRIS: Go ahead, Jim, do you have an answer for that one?

BITTERMANN: No, I was just going to say I think that's absolutely true. It has not been covered to the same extent as it has been covered in the United States, but that's not to say that the problem doesn't exist elsewhere, as we have seen from some of the cases that have broken out in Europe.

HARRIS: Yes, good point. Jim Bittermann in Rome, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com