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CNN Live Saturday

Interviews With William Lorri, Mark Serrano

Aired June 21, 2003 - 12:12   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We're now to St. Louis where U.S. Catholic bishops are wrapping up their annual conference, as the meeting draws to a close the deeply divisive issue of sexually abusive priests remains in the spotlight. With me now, from St. Louis is Bishop William Lorri of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
And, good to see you. Thanks for joining us.

BISHOP WILLIAM LORRI, BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT: Thank you. Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Thanks. As the conference wraps up, what's been concluded?

LORRI: Last year, in Dallas, we put in place a charter giving us direction and norms which bind us and we are certainly in the middle of the implementation phase of that, and so, our focus at this meeting was how to implement and strengthen the ongoing implementation of the Charter and the Norms. For example, how to improve and to refine our outreach to victims, making sure that we are dealing, as we said we would deal, with all past offenders, removing them...

WHITFIELD: Well, in that charter -- let's talk about the outreach to victims because there had been a lot of criticism of the Catholic Church that not enough had been done. Has the Catholic Church aggressively been proactive in this past year since that last conference and the last charter was developed?

LORRI: In every diocese, according to the Charter and Norms, there is to be a victims' assistance coordinator. And, I believe that that you're finding across the country an outreach to victims, bishops meeting, as I have certainly done, personally, with victims. And, one of the focuses of the ad hoc committee is continuing to strengthen the outreach of the church, so that we can see the world the way the victims see the world.

WHITFIELD: Also, in that...

LORRI: And I think that is very important for us to do.

WHITFIELD: Also in that charter, a promise to go after allegedly abrasive priests and bishops or those who may be protecting those who have been accused of being abusive. Has that happened? Have you seen any aggressive changes in the past year?

LORRI: My impression is that the bishops are cooperating very, very vigorously and particularly on that aspect. Obviously, the Norms, which were approved by the bishops and by Rome, give us the road map for doing this. Our commitment is that no offending priest or deacon will remain in ministry and I believe we are honoring that commitment vigorously and faithfully.

WHITFIELD: The last conference also vowed to try to help restore faith in the Catholic Church. Do you believe that has been accomplished?

LORRI: I believe that that is an ongoing project. One of the ways is to heal by leading. And, it seems to me that the conversation must focus on the creation of safe environments, so that parents are confident that their kids are safe when they go to church or when they go to one of our schools or religious education programs or youth outings. And we're doing this by massive awareness training that involves clergy, volunteers, employees, by criminal background checks, and by doing an extensive study on the extent of the problem, as well as, its causes. I can barely think of few institutions whether religious or secular taking the unprecedented steps that is the church is taken in this year. We made a lot of progress, but I think we also recognize that we have a lot more to do as we move forward.

WHITFIELD: Bishop William Lorri of Bridgeport, Connecticut joining us from St. Louis where the conference is wrapping up. Thanks very much for joining us.

LORRI: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: Well, while bishops defend their work on the sexual abuse issue, victims groups are speaking out with a different opinion. When we return, we'll hear from one of the leaders of SNAP, the survivor's network of those abused by priests. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Continuing our discussion about the Catholic bishops' conference in St. Louis, victims of abusive priests are getting together, as well. The survives network of those abused by priests, or SNAP, is holding a conference across town from the bishops' leader. One of SNAP's leaders, Mark Serrano, he's with us from St. Louis. Good to see you.

MARK SERRANO, SNAP: Good afternoon, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, your meeting has included about 200 leaders of various organizations including your own of SNAP. What have you all been meeting about specifically?

SERRANO: You know, we have begun a remarkable encounter for healing and action, Fredricka. We've got leaders from around the country joining, for the first time, in a national assembly where we are talking about personal healing in our lives and empowerment. We're also talking about taking steps to support other victims and stepping forward and supporting change and challenging leadership on the part of civil authorities like state lawmakers and like prosecutors. WHITFIELD: And in fact, you may have heard, Bishop Lorri mention, just moments ago, that the Catholic Church, as well, is trying to heal by grieving, sharing that same kind of healing that many of the victims groups are experiencing. Do you agree with any of that of what he said?

SERRANO: Well, you know, historically, the bishops relied on their own counsel for the answers and that's, really, largely what creating this scandal and crisis in the church and one year ago, we were promised for greater involvement on the part of the laity, greater involvement on the part of clergy abuse survivors and I'm afraid that those promises have not been fulfilled. We believe that this is an issue for the heart and not an issue for hair splitting, like audits and technical rules, when in affect, we need documents disclosed like those from Cardinal Mahoney and others where prosecutors have requested documents and haven't gotten them. We really believe that we'd like to see, and I know Catholics across the country would like to see, a renewed commitment on the part of the bishops to disclosure and to real compassion for victims.

WHITFIELD: In fact, he said in the past year since that charter was enacted last -- during the Dallas conference, that perhaps there has been some change that's come about albeit has been slow, he said there has been more of an outreach to the victims, they have more a concerted effort to create safe environments. What were your expectations over the past year, if what he said, is not enough to you?

SERRANO: Oh, you know there has been some change and frankly, we highlighted changes in one diocese, yesterday, the Metuchen Diocese in New Jersey, where there have been involvement on the part of victims. But, you know there's great disparity among the diocese across the country and so, we wanted to see a greater outreach to victims and we don't see that large -- in large measure. Because, you know, we believe we have something to offer in protecting children, today. What we need to see, on the part of the bishops moving forward, is more of an interaction. Right now, there are a lot of Catholics who believe the bishops took two steps forward and one step back.

WHITFIELD: In what way?

SERRANO: For instance, by ousting chairman -- former Governor Keating as the chairman of the review board. Chairman Keating, last year said that all the Catholic's really can do to make bishops accountable is to shout from the treetops when they're applying their own child abuse policies. Governor Keating did that and we can see when someone speaks out and shouts from the treetops, you can be chopped down and that's very discouraging from victims who are trying to find the strength to come forward in their lives for the first time, plus, for a lot of Catholics who thought that the bishops were on the right track.

WHITFIELD: And, with Keating stepping down earlier in the week, you see that as a major setback for the organization as a whole.

SERRANO: Well, you know, it just shows I mean, this -- it calls into question the credibility of this board to be able to address the problems, scrutinize the bishops. The bishops asked the governor to do that and asked for the board's scrutiny, and frankly, they asked for the scrutiny of Catholics across the country and yet, you know, there's a price to be paid for that and I don't think that's the approach moving forward. I think we've got to have a more engaging dialogue; we've got to have more of a willingness to reveal documents on the part of bishops so see the real truth. There are many perpetrators in ministry today, because the bishops have a vast world of gray, by which they judge many cases, so that many cases don't rise to the level of rape or sexual assault of children and that's troubling and it's a concern for children today in the church.

WHITFIELD: Mark Serrano, executive director of SNAP, thanks very much for joining us. Appreciate it.

SERRANO: Thank you, Fredricka.

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







Aired June 21, 2003 - 12:12   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We're now to St. Louis where U.S. Catholic bishops are wrapping up their annual conference, as the meeting draws to a close the deeply divisive issue of sexually abusive priests remains in the spotlight. With me now, from St. Louis is Bishop William Lorri of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
And, good to see you. Thanks for joining us.

BISHOP WILLIAM LORRI, BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT: Thank you. Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Thanks. As the conference wraps up, what's been concluded?

LORRI: Last year, in Dallas, we put in place a charter giving us direction and norms which bind us and we are certainly in the middle of the implementation phase of that, and so, our focus at this meeting was how to implement and strengthen the ongoing implementation of the Charter and the Norms. For example, how to improve and to refine our outreach to victims, making sure that we are dealing, as we said we would deal, with all past offenders, removing them...

WHITFIELD: Well, in that charter -- let's talk about the outreach to victims because there had been a lot of criticism of the Catholic Church that not enough had been done. Has the Catholic Church aggressively been proactive in this past year since that last conference and the last charter was developed?

LORRI: In every diocese, according to the Charter and Norms, there is to be a victims' assistance coordinator. And, I believe that that you're finding across the country an outreach to victims, bishops meeting, as I have certainly done, personally, with victims. And, one of the focuses of the ad hoc committee is continuing to strengthen the outreach of the church, so that we can see the world the way the victims see the world.

WHITFIELD: Also, in that...

LORRI: And I think that is very important for us to do.

WHITFIELD: Also in that charter, a promise to go after allegedly abrasive priests and bishops or those who may be protecting those who have been accused of being abusive. Has that happened? Have you seen any aggressive changes in the past year?

LORRI: My impression is that the bishops are cooperating very, very vigorously and particularly on that aspect. Obviously, the Norms, which were approved by the bishops and by Rome, give us the road map for doing this. Our commitment is that no offending priest or deacon will remain in ministry and I believe we are honoring that commitment vigorously and faithfully.

WHITFIELD: The last conference also vowed to try to help restore faith in the Catholic Church. Do you believe that has been accomplished?

LORRI: I believe that that is an ongoing project. One of the ways is to heal by leading. And, it seems to me that the conversation must focus on the creation of safe environments, so that parents are confident that their kids are safe when they go to church or when they go to one of our schools or religious education programs or youth outings. And we're doing this by massive awareness training that involves clergy, volunteers, employees, by criminal background checks, and by doing an extensive study on the extent of the problem, as well as, its causes. I can barely think of few institutions whether religious or secular taking the unprecedented steps that is the church is taken in this year. We made a lot of progress, but I think we also recognize that we have a lot more to do as we move forward.

WHITFIELD: Bishop William Lorri of Bridgeport, Connecticut joining us from St. Louis where the conference is wrapping up. Thanks very much for joining us.

LORRI: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: Well, while bishops defend their work on the sexual abuse issue, victims groups are speaking out with a different opinion. When we return, we'll hear from one of the leaders of SNAP, the survivor's network of those abused by priests. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Continuing our discussion about the Catholic bishops' conference in St. Louis, victims of abusive priests are getting together, as well. The survives network of those abused by priests, or SNAP, is holding a conference across town from the bishops' leader. One of SNAP's leaders, Mark Serrano, he's with us from St. Louis. Good to see you.

MARK SERRANO, SNAP: Good afternoon, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, your meeting has included about 200 leaders of various organizations including your own of SNAP. What have you all been meeting about specifically?

SERRANO: You know, we have begun a remarkable encounter for healing and action, Fredricka. We've got leaders from around the country joining, for the first time, in a national assembly where we are talking about personal healing in our lives and empowerment. We're also talking about taking steps to support other victims and stepping forward and supporting change and challenging leadership on the part of civil authorities like state lawmakers and like prosecutors. WHITFIELD: And in fact, you may have heard, Bishop Lorri mention, just moments ago, that the Catholic Church, as well, is trying to heal by grieving, sharing that same kind of healing that many of the victims groups are experiencing. Do you agree with any of that of what he said?

SERRANO: Well, you know, historically, the bishops relied on their own counsel for the answers and that's, really, largely what creating this scandal and crisis in the church and one year ago, we were promised for greater involvement on the part of the laity, greater involvement on the part of clergy abuse survivors and I'm afraid that those promises have not been fulfilled. We believe that this is an issue for the heart and not an issue for hair splitting, like audits and technical rules, when in affect, we need documents disclosed like those from Cardinal Mahoney and others where prosecutors have requested documents and haven't gotten them. We really believe that we'd like to see, and I know Catholics across the country would like to see, a renewed commitment on the part of the bishops to disclosure and to real compassion for victims.

WHITFIELD: In fact, he said in the past year since that charter was enacted last -- during the Dallas conference, that perhaps there has been some change that's come about albeit has been slow, he said there has been more of an outreach to the victims, they have more a concerted effort to create safe environments. What were your expectations over the past year, if what he said, is not enough to you?

SERRANO: Oh, you know there has been some change and frankly, we highlighted changes in one diocese, yesterday, the Metuchen Diocese in New Jersey, where there have been involvement on the part of victims. But, you know there's great disparity among the diocese across the country and so, we wanted to see a greater outreach to victims and we don't see that large -- in large measure. Because, you know, we believe we have something to offer in protecting children, today. What we need to see, on the part of the bishops moving forward, is more of an interaction. Right now, there are a lot of Catholics who believe the bishops took two steps forward and one step back.

WHITFIELD: In what way?

SERRANO: For instance, by ousting chairman -- former Governor Keating as the chairman of the review board. Chairman Keating, last year said that all the Catholic's really can do to make bishops accountable is to shout from the treetops when they're applying their own child abuse policies. Governor Keating did that and we can see when someone speaks out and shouts from the treetops, you can be chopped down and that's very discouraging from victims who are trying to find the strength to come forward in their lives for the first time, plus, for a lot of Catholics who thought that the bishops were on the right track.

WHITFIELD: And, with Keating stepping down earlier in the week, you see that as a major setback for the organization as a whole.

SERRANO: Well, you know, it just shows I mean, this -- it calls into question the credibility of this board to be able to address the problems, scrutinize the bishops. The bishops asked the governor to do that and asked for the board's scrutiny, and frankly, they asked for the scrutiny of Catholics across the country and yet, you know, there's a price to be paid for that and I don't think that's the approach moving forward. I think we've got to have a more engaging dialogue; we've got to have more of a willingness to reveal documents on the part of bishops so see the real truth. There are many perpetrators in ministry today, because the bishops have a vast world of gray, by which they judge many cases, so that many cases don't rise to the level of rape or sexual assault of children and that's troubling and it's a concern for children today in the church.

WHITFIELD: Mark Serrano, executive director of SNAP, thanks very much for joining us. Appreciate it.

SERRANO: Thank you, Fredricka.

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