Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
Converted Episcopal Priests Allowed Wives as Catholic Priests
Aired May 01, 2002 - 11:44 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: And in the Boston area today, a court hearing over the psychiatric records of retired priest Paul Shanley. The family of an alleged sex abuse victim wants those records for a civil suit filed against Shanley. Shanley argues that his medical history should be private. The court has already released hundreds of pages from Shanley's personnel file. Those documents show that the church could have known as early as 1967 of reports that Shanley was molesting children.
Well, critics of the Church say that one way to stop the problem of abusing priests is to allow them to marry, but Pope John Paul II is standing firm on the requirement that priests be celibate. But there are some exceptions, as our national correspondent Gary Tuchman found out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He is partial to Harley Davidson and country roads here in Southeastern Kansas. Bob McElwee rides with leather, and the collar, the collar of a Roman Catholic priest. There is an even more unusual aspect to his life.
REV. BOB MCELWEE, CATHOLIC PRIEST: I am married, been married for 34 years, I think.
TUCHMAN: And he has the seal of approval from the Vatican.
MCELWEE: We praise you forever. Holy, holy, holy Lord.
TUCHMAN: Father McElwee is one of about 130 former Episcopal pastors in the U.S. who have converted, become Catholic priests, and been permitted by the pope to keep spouses they already had.
(on camera): You have your Roman collar band around your neck. Do you have a wedding band on your finger?
MCELWEE: Yes I do. Yes I do. And a Harley Davidson ring, too.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): He lives in the church rectory with his wife and son. He has five other grown children, and four grandchildren.
MCELWEE: Bye bye, you guys.
GINGER MCELWEE, WIFE OF BOB MCELWEE: Bye bye.
B. MCELWEE: See you later.
G. MCELWEE: Have a good day.
TUCHMAN: Bob and Ginger McElwee have been married since they were both 19.
G. MCELWEE: He had taken a vow to me prior to taking the vow to the Church. Therefore, he can't get rid of me.
B. MCELWEE: Lord, help us remember that these motorcycles are only machines.
TUCHMAN: Father McElwee, who blessed more than 400 motorcyclists at his church in Frontenac, Kansas this past weekend. He says he is blessed to be married to both his wife and his church.
Parishioner Sharon Daugherty is conservative but supportive.
(on camera): Why do you think it is OK that your priest is married?
SHARON DAUGHERTY, PARISHIONER: I guess it is just because he is a great guy. I don't know -- everything he does is fine with us.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): One thing he does is declare to his parishioners that despite his situation, celibacy should remain Church policy. He says it is hard to split your devotion.
B. MCELWEE: It is not fair to my family. It is not fair to the Church. A married priest is essentially a bigamist.
HARRY VICKERSON, FORMER PRIEST: If it were possible, I would be an active priest today.
TUCHMAN: Harry Vickerson used to be an active priest, but then he got married, and had to step down as pastor of this church in Stonington, Maine. Vickerson considered it quite ironic when a man who later took his place was a former Episcopal minister who was allowed to keep his wife.
VICKERSON: The church didn't collapse or fall down because there was a married man was there.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Pope John Paul II has been steadfast in his feelings about priestly celibacy, but this program shows the Vatican is willing to make exceptions. For now, though, life long Catholics need not apply.
(voice-over): McElwee spends much of his time thinking about how to be a better priest and husband, but he no longer thinks about how he got down this road in the first place.
B. MCELWEE: I am what I am because I was led into it, not because I chose it. TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN, Frontenac, Kansas.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
