Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
Interview With Peter Steinfels
Aired August 05, 2003 - 10:17 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: Let's go ahead and put the situation in Minneapolis in some perspective. What implications does Reverend Gene Robinson's case in the Episcopal Church have for U.S. religion in general? Peter Steinfels is the author of "A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America." He's also a religion columnist for "The New York Times." Peter Steinfels joins us live from New York this morning. Good morning. Thanks for being with us.
PETER STEINFELS, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Glad to join you.
KAGAN: Does something about the timing of this, the 11th hour revelation of this strike you as kind of odd?
STEINFELS: Well, obviously, it raises suspicions that this is part of a take no prisoners attitude toward Bishop Elect Robinson's situation. But on the other hand the whole history of allegations about sexual misconduct in religious settings suggests that there's a lot of unpredictable and basically inexplicable ways that these things come about.
So I think the church is very right to be following its procedures that were already in place and to take this kind of accusation quite seriously.
I think we see here, this is clearly one of the consequences of 18 months of very widely publicized accusations of sexual misconduct against Roman Catholic clergy. And, again, everybody says these things have given victims a voice who are often silenced, but at the same time, they raise the questions of trial by publicity that in many cases really -- in this case perhaps can really take attention away from the fundamental and larger issues.
KAGAN: But the thing that's interesting, and there's a lot of that, what's interesting about what's happening here. But, with the potential of Gene Robinson becoming a bishop, there are people that were saying that this church could split in half. But it looks like perhaps because people are offended what might happen to him, that could happen anyway.
STEINFELS: It's very difficult to predict. I think that the Episcopal Church has a history of not splitting, if you will, of retaining its differences within its own ranks.
But here we see something, a fundamental question about church teaching on human sexuality which has a lot of potential for split on the international level, because we know that the Episcopal Church is part of a larger group of churches around the world from the Anglican tradition. And some of those, particularly in the third world, do not look at all with favor on these developments, I'd say, in the northern Atlantic world.
So you can have a split on that level and we have to keep that in mind.
KAGAN: And if you go down that road, people talk about a split in the church as this is huge threat, as a bad thing that can happen. But why not split? Why should is you worship with people that have different beliefs and different ethics than you do?
STEINFELS: I think there's a fundamental Christian conviction that those who follow Jesus should be united, particularly when they're united on very fundamental things about the belief in God, about beliefs in Jesus and so on. They don't want to see divisions on questions like this.
Nonetheless, you're right, a split may occur and in some cases, it can be inevitable and maybe even fruitful. But I think the burden of proof is usually on those who would say, Let's go different ways.
KAGAN: Well you'll be tracking I sure for "The New York Times" as we will be doing here at CNN. Peter Steinfels, from "The Times," thank you for your insights. I appreciate it.
STEINFELS: Thank you.
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 August 5, 2003 - 10:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go ahead and put the situation in Minneapolis in some perspective. What implications does Reverend Gene Robinson's case in the Episcopal Church have for U.S. religion in general? Peter Steinfels is the author of "A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America." He's also a religion columnist for "The New York Times." Peter Steinfels joins us live from New York this morning. Good morning. Thanks for being with us.
PETER STEINFELS, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Glad to join you.
KAGAN: Does something about the timing of this, the 11th hour revelation of this strike you as kind of odd?
STEINFELS: Well, obviously, it raises suspicions that this is part of a take no prisoners attitude toward Bishop Elect Robinson's situation. But on the other hand the whole history of allegations about sexual misconduct in religious settings suggests that there's a lot of unpredictable and basically inexplicable ways that these things come about.
So I think the church is very right to be following its procedures that were already in place and to take this kind of accusation quite seriously.
I think we see here, this is clearly one of the consequences of 18 months of very widely publicized accusations of sexual misconduct against Roman Catholic clergy. And, again, everybody says these things have given victims a voice who are often silenced, but at the same time, they raise the questions of trial by publicity that in many cases really -- in this case perhaps can really take attention away from the fundamental and larger issues.
KAGAN: But the thing that's interesting, and there's a lot of that, what's interesting about what's happening here. But, with the potential of Gene Robinson becoming a bishop, there are people that were saying that this church could split in half. But it looks like perhaps because people are offended what might happen to him, that could happen anyway.
STEINFELS: It's very difficult to predict. I think that the Episcopal Church has a history of not splitting, if you will, of retaining its differences within its own ranks.
But here we see something, a fundamental question about church teaching on human sexuality which has a lot of potential for split on the international level, because we know that the Episcopal Church is part of a larger group of churches around the world from the Anglican tradition. And some of those, particularly in the third world, do not look at all with favor on these developments, I'd say, in the northern Atlantic world.
So you can have a split on that level and we have to keep that in mind.
KAGAN: And if you go down that road, people talk about a split in the church as this is huge threat, as a bad thing that can happen. But why not split? Why should is you worship with people that have different beliefs and different ethics than you do?
STEINFELS: I think there's a fundamental Christian conviction that those who follow Jesus should be united, particularly when they're united on very fundamental things about the belief in God, about beliefs in Jesus and so on. They don't want to see divisions on questions like this.
Nonetheless, you're right, a split may occur and in some cases, it can be inevitable and maybe even fruitful. But I think the burden of proof is usually on those who would say, Let's go different ways.
KAGAN: Well you'll be tracking I sure for "The New York Times" as we will be doing here at CNN. Peter Steinfels, from "The Times," thank you for your insights. I appreciate it.
STEINFELS: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
