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CNN Live Today

Interview with Delia Gallagher

Aired June 14, 2002 - 11:10   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: We move on now to Dallas, Texas. America's Roman Catholic bishops are struggling with the sexual abuse crisis gripping the church.

Our Leon Harris, CNN's point man on the bishop's conference, joins us once again -- Leon.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello Daryn, and hello folks once again.

Yeah, we are still here keeping our eye on the bishops here in Dallas as they continue haggling over the language in this document, this charter that they've been working on for countless hours at this particular point. They've been working on it pretty much since yesterday afternoon, late into the night last night. And they've picked it up again once this morning.

And we got a chance to have a glimpse inside the room where they were going over some of the details of the document. And you would imagine it's almost about like having lawyers or listening to some lawyers as they go over a contract. And that's pretty much how they're taking it as well, because what they've got to deal with is a very serious situation. They've got to decide what is going to happen to priests who have abused children in the past.

That's the big sticking point here. From here going forward, pretty much everyone agrees a zero tolerance policy is going to win the day.

However, the question over what to do about those who have done it in the past, even if it's only been one time and it's never happened again, that has been the big sticking point.

Joining us now to give us some insight and to explain why in the world someone would drive or fly halfway around the world to come to Dallas and monitor this kind of conference, is Delia Gallagher. She writes for "Inside the Vatican," a publication that's published in Rome.

And this is the first time we've had a chance to talk face to face, and it's nice to have you with us again.

DELIA GALLAGHER, "INSIDE THE VATICAN": Thank you. Nice to be here. HARRIS: Well what are you coming here to listen to and listen for?

GALLAGHER: Well, I think what everyone has come to listen to, which is what is going to be the response of the bishops in what is a very difficult situation. Because they have essentially one and a half days to knock out a policy which has to be very detailed. Because it's not enough just to say, as many have pointed out, well, we're sorry. We want to do better.

Now they've got to come out with A, B, C, D. What are going to be the points when a bishop hears an accusation? What's going to happen when he's faced with a priest and a victim? Is he going to go automatically to the civil authorities? This is a very important point for the Vatican as well.

You've heard some Vatican commentary already saying we don't want them to go directly to the civil authorities when they first hear an accusation. We also heard Bishop Gregory last night at the press conference saying that going to the civil authorities would be the responsibility of the victim.

So I'm very interested to see what is going to be the process for the bishops to follow from the accusation through to conviction.

HARRIS: Well, you know, on top of that, the one thing none of us have ever been able to get a finger on since we've gotten here and gotten started Wednesday evening is what happens with the accountability issue? The issue of what to do with bishops or archbishops, in many cases, who have been responsible for just shoveling these priests around?

GALLAGHER: Yeah. Well nobody knows the answer to that, really. Because even in Rome, you now, bishops are only accountable to the Vatican, to the pope and to Vatican offices, the Curia, as they call it. And so the problem is that if you want to hold bishops accountable for sexual abuse cases, and how they handle those cases, then you will also have to hold them accountable for other abuses in their dioceses and their church, which can go from liturgy...

HARRIS: Like what kind?

GALLAGHER: Well there are liturgical abuses, for example, the way the mass is said. This has always been a big point between the Vatican and some U.S. dioceses. There are abuses in theology and what's being taught in universities, et cetera.

So there are a number of cases where there are abuses which go on in dioceses that the bishops don't want to have the interference of the Vatican. And this has been an argument in the church for several years.

HARRIS: Well, let me ask you one final question, because the other thing we can't get a finger on here is, what happens if these bishops do come up with a document that has, say, four, five, six or seven different provisions -- Article V being the key one right now -- and it goes off to Rome? What happens after it does get to Rome? Does Rome go through it and say, OK, you know, we like numbers one through three. Number five we don't care for, so everything but number five is OK with us.

GALLAGHER: Right.

HARRIS: Or does Rome have to accept everything the bishops submit?

GALLAGHER: No, they certainly don't have to accept everything. But, at the same time, they're not in a position to just reject certain things and say you can't do this. So I think it will be a further discussion, because it will require further fine-tuning of certain points. Rome will be looking with particular attention to canon law, as these bishops will as well.

But Rome is concerned for their priests and their bishops and their canon law, as well as the people. So they will be looking at some of those finer points and will be continuing the discussion, I think, with the bishops.

HARRIS: That means the process gets dragged out even further?

GALLAGHER: Yes. I don't think it's going to be any quick answer.

HARRIS: Well that's exactly what the victims' families and the survivors don't want to hear.

GALLAGHER: Well, I think what the victims' families and the survivors are looking for is an assurance that in the future these cases will not happen again. But the problem is, and they have said it themselves, words aren't enough. So this is a process which is going to require even years to see whether or not the documents, the procedures set in place are going to be effective. Because we won't actually be able to have any results from the procedures and the documents until we have a whole new generation, as it were, of seminarians and priests in active ministry and we see how that works.

HARRIS: Yeah. Any idea, or would you care to guess when we'll see the vote happen today?

GALLAGHER: Late.

HARRIS: Late today?

GALLAGHER: I think so. And they've got a lot to do. They only have one day. Tomorrow is going to be prayer and spiritual conference. Yesterday we heard a lot from the victims.

So really they only had last night and today to work out these finer points. And if you see what they're discussing in there, they really are discussing down to the period in that document. So they have a lot to get through in a little bit of time.

HARRIS: Yeah. Well we had a lot to get through here in a little bit of time. Delia Gallagher, thank you very much.

GALLAGHER: Thank you.

HARRIS: Nice to meet you.

GALLAGHER: Nice to meet you too.

HARRIS: It's also good to see that you're as nice a person and as stunning as you were on TV.

GALLAGHER: Thank you.

HARRIS: All right. Let's stop that mess and go back to Daryn Kagan standing by in Atlanta -- Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: Gosh, Leon, she looks even prettier here in America than she did when she was joining us from the Vatican.

HARRIS: And you're jealous, aren't you?

KAGAN: No, I'm happy for you to be sitting next to such a pretty and nice lady. You enjoy -- good discussion there.

HARRIS: She's a very nice lady -- very nice lady.

KAGAN: Good -- good work. Thank you, Leon.

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