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CNN Live Today
Catholic Bishops Say They Made Progress Protecting Children From Abuse
Aired June 20, 2003 - 11:23 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Catholic bishops say they've made progress in protecting children from sexual abuse but victims' rights groups tell a different story.
CNN's Jason Carroll is covering the bishop's conference in St. Louis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The bishops' goal here, evaluate progress made in dealing with priests accused of sexual abuse, their early verdict the church is a better place now than it was one year ago.
WILTON GREGORY, PRES., U.S. CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS: We have in place the means to assure our people that their children are safe from abuse by clergy.
CARROLL: In attendance, Boston's former Cardinal Bernard Law who resigned after church documents showed he protected abusive priests.
Can we just get your opinion on how things are progressing so far? Thanks a lot. We'll see you.
Law didn't want to talk about progress or anything else but Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony did. Mahoney says church leaders have not been slow to cooperate with a survey on the scope of abuse but the man who was leading the church's National Review Board, former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating resigned this week after comparing the cardinal, whom he never met, and other bishops to the Mafia for their stonewalling.
CARDINAL ROGER MAHONY, LOS ANGELES: We're not dragging our feet. We're trying to get this resolved ourselves. We don't want this going on forever.
CARROLL: Shortly after our interview two Los Angeles priests, the tenth and eleventh to date were arrested for sexual abuse in California. On Saturday, the archbishop from Minneapolis-St. Paul will report on how well the church's 195 diocese are following the tough new policies for problem priests.
ARCHBISHOP HARRY FLYNN, MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL: There's been an enormous amount of cooperation on the part of the bishops. There's been an enormous amount of openness on the part of the bishops. CARROLL: But not enough according to victims like Chris Dixon.
CHRIS DIXON, PRIEST ABUSE VICTIM: I feel disappointed because I think some of the bishops are still being so protective of themselves, their priests, that victims are still being victimized.
CARROLL: And Dixon, who had become a priest himself, quit when he says he could no longer suppress the pain of his past. Dixon says one of the priests that abused him in high school later became a bishop in Florida. Anthony O'Connell resigned last year after admitting to abusing Dixon in the 1970s. The church paid Dixon a settlement and when bishops promised last year to reach out to victims Dixon hoped that would include him.
DIXON: They haven't reached out to me. They say that their first priority is to reach out to victims. Here I am. I'm waiting.
CARROLL: The bishops here say give them more time to do what's right.
Jason Carroll, CNN, St. Louis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Children From Abuse>
Aired June 20, 2003 - 11:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Catholic bishops say they've made progress in protecting children from sexual abuse but victims' rights groups tell a different story.
CNN's Jason Carroll is covering the bishop's conference in St. Louis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The bishops' goal here, evaluate progress made in dealing with priests accused of sexual abuse, their early verdict the church is a better place now than it was one year ago.
WILTON GREGORY, PRES., U.S. CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS: We have in place the means to assure our people that their children are safe from abuse by clergy.
CARROLL: In attendance, Boston's former Cardinal Bernard Law who resigned after church documents showed he protected abusive priests.
Can we just get your opinion on how things are progressing so far? Thanks a lot. We'll see you.
Law didn't want to talk about progress or anything else but Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony did. Mahoney says church leaders have not been slow to cooperate with a survey on the scope of abuse but the man who was leading the church's National Review Board, former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating resigned this week after comparing the cardinal, whom he never met, and other bishops to the Mafia for their stonewalling.
CARDINAL ROGER MAHONY, LOS ANGELES: We're not dragging our feet. We're trying to get this resolved ourselves. We don't want this going on forever.
CARROLL: Shortly after our interview two Los Angeles priests, the tenth and eleventh to date were arrested for sexual abuse in California. On Saturday, the archbishop from Minneapolis-St. Paul will report on how well the church's 195 diocese are following the tough new policies for problem priests.
ARCHBISHOP HARRY FLYNN, MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL: There's been an enormous amount of cooperation on the part of the bishops. There's been an enormous amount of openness on the part of the bishops. CARROLL: But not enough according to victims like Chris Dixon.
CHRIS DIXON, PRIEST ABUSE VICTIM: I feel disappointed because I think some of the bishops are still being so protective of themselves, their priests, that victims are still being victimized.
CARROLL: And Dixon, who had become a priest himself, quit when he says he could no longer suppress the pain of his past. Dixon says one of the priests that abused him in high school later became a bishop in Florida. Anthony O'Connell resigned last year after admitting to abusing Dixon in the 1970s. The church paid Dixon a settlement and when bishops promised last year to reach out to victims Dixon hoped that would include him.
DIXON: They haven't reached out to me. They say that their first priority is to reach out to victims. Here I am. I'm waiting.
CARROLL: The bishops here say give them more time to do what's right.
Jason Carroll, CNN, St. Louis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Children From Abuse>
