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CNN Live Saturday

Catholic Church Implements New Guidelines for Dealing With Priests Accused of Sexual Misconduct

Aired January 12, 2002 - 15:16   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: For decades, the Catholic Church has been struggling with how to punish priests accused of sexual misconduct, especially in cases that involve children. Well, this week, the Vatican quietly issues new rules, ordering the church to investigate any allegations of abuse. But as CNN's Alessio Vinci explains, the new policy isn't free from criticism.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is not an issue the Vatican likes to discuss openly, clergymen accused of sexually abusing children, and the Roman Catholic Church rocked by a series of high-profile scandals has often tried to control the damage.

TARCISIO BERTONE, DOCTRINAL CONFEDERATION (through translator): We can't say there is a pedophilia emergency, but we shouldn't exaggerate it. Because of a total of 500,000 priests in the world, only a small minority have betrayed their mission.

VINCI: Now, Pope John Paul II has issued a series of new rules, taking a more hands-on approach to the problem. Bishops are now required to report probable cases of sexual misconduct directly to the Vatican, and the investigation has to remain discreet.

The new rules also calls for the cases to be handled by Vatican courts, to be staffed by priests only.

JOHN ALLEN, NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER: What the Vatican wants to do is they want to keep this a judicial process, to make sure that the priest -- that the accused person has the right to defend himself. At the same time, the people who have been injured have a right to make sure that somebody is going to respond to their situation.

VINCI: The Vatican recognizes pedophilia as a problem which needs to be dealt with swiftly, and says the new rules are aimed at what it calls, quote, "graver offenses."

BERTONE (through translator): The church is worried and wants to make clear who's competent to deal with such sensitive cases. The Vatican wants to remain informed, to follow the phenomenon, to be able to prevent it and, when possible, to cure it.

VINCI: Some observers also believe the church may have been motivated by financial reasons.

ALLEN: There are some estimates that the Catholic Church has paid out something on the order of $1 billion settling various lawsuits under these sex abuse cases have -- have caused, and that obviously is a big price tag.

VINCI: These new norms only apply to how the church handles the problem internally and do not replace civil or criminal proceedings. Some Vatican insiders fear that the secrecy imposed by the new norms could be interpreted as an attempt by the church to cover up the crime. But Archbishop Tarcisio says everybody benefits from keeping the issue low profile -- the victims, the families and the accused.

(on camera): There are those who believe that some victims may find a tribunal staffed by priests alone unacceptable, and wonder whether a little publicity may not contribute to solving the problem.

Alessio Vinci, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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