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CNN Live At Daybreak

Catholics Head for Youth Day in Wake of Scandal

Aired July 25, 2002 - 05:33   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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pope John Paul II will be taking part in a pageant this afternoon at a World Youth Day event in Toronto.

Jim Bittermann is there and he asked a number of young people about their faith in the wake of sexual abuse allegations against several American Catholic priests.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a time when conspicuous faith is not necessarily fashionable, when the Catholic Church, especially in the U.S., has been through a lot, the best thing for many of the young who have come to World Youth Days is just finding other kindred spirits. Because being young and Catholic is not always easy.

JIM OBERG, SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA: I get a lot of grief from my friends about, you know, the Catholics, the priests and the jokes, you know, always go around. But, you know, I just tell them no one's perfect.

NIKI FERGEN, PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA: It's like peer pressure. It's kind of hard when everyone's like making fun of you and, or whatever, asking you questions about your faith. And it's just hard to all stand up when you're not with your youth group at all times.

BITTERMANN: So young believers came to Toronto searching reinforcement from their church leaders and others of like minds on issues of faith and conscience. One in four are Americans and sometimes they look for answers to the sexual abuse scandals that have rocked the U.S. church.

CARLA HORSLEY, SIOUX CITY, IOWA: When non-Catholic people come up and ask you questions, particularly now with the scandals going on in the U.S., how are you supposed to handle that?

BITTERMANN: Carla Horsley of Iowa was delighted she had the chance to put her question to the point man on the U.S. scandals, Bishop Wilton Gregory.

HORSLEY: I really liked how he said we've always been a church of sinners and saints. And it just proved that there are sinners in the church and we are humbled by that. BITTERMANN: But the exchanges taking place here are a learning experience for young and old alike.

BISHOP WILTON GREGORY, U.S. BISHOPS CONFERENCE: The next generation is prepared to assume its role of leadership and that makes me feel pretty good about today, but even better about tomorrow.

BITTERMANN: The bishop would, no doubt, find evidence of that in the many young people here who have said the sex scandals in the U.S. church have ironically made them stronger in their faith as they've had to defend it.

(on camera): From their beginnings 18 years ago, these World Youth Day gatherings have always attracted some of the most highly motivated Catholic young people, people who the church needs now more than ever.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, Toronto.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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