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CNN Live Saturday

New York Diocese Issues Zero-Tolerance Policy Against Sexual Abuse

Aired March 23, 2002 - 22:15   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: The embattled archbishop of the New York diocese has issued a zero tolerance stance against sexual abuse. In a letter, Cardinal Edward Egan called sexual abuse intolerable and lays out the penalty for priests who abuse children. CNN's Brian Palmer has more on this latest attempt to heal the damaged image of the Catholic Church.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After weeks of debate about his handling of sexual abuse cases in the Catholic Church, Cardinal Edward Egan responds in writing, calling child sexual abuse an abomination that is both illegal and immoral and stating that -- "Should any priest sexually abuse a child, he will be removed from pastoral ministry."

While serving as bishop in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Egan allowed several priests accused of molesting minors to continue working in different parishes, court documents show. The diocese settled abuse cases for between 12 and $15 million last year.

In the letter, the cardinal defends his actions, but some parishioners say the letter doesn't go far enough. Amy Reider (ph) and Erica Sebastian (ph) are visiting St. Patrick's Cathedral from Pennsylvania.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't agree with it, giving everybody a bad name. But if there are priests that are doing it, there should be something done about it and one of the things shouldn't be to reassign them because it doesn't solve the problem.

PALMER: James Desolicz (ph) is a bank teller from Staten Island and also a Catholic.

JAMES DESOLICZ (ph), CATHOLIC: I say no one is above the law. I say the church shouldn't be above it. Synagogues, nothing should be above it. If someone is accused of child abuse, they should be arrested, tried and proven innocent or guilty in a court of justice.

PALMER: But the cardinal has his defenders.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the cardinal is doing everything in his power to see that children are protected as they should be and if people are doing those kinds of things whether they're in the cloth or not, that needs to be stopped.

PALMER (on-camera): The archdiocese declined to make an on- camera statement about the sexual abuse cases. Its response, it says, is conveyed in Cardinal Egan's letter to the 2.4 million members of the archdiocese of New York.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help us to bear witness to you by following his sample of suffering...

PALMER (voice-over): From the pulpit of St. Patrick's on the eve of the holiest week of Catholicism, no discussion of scandal but a message of redemption and faith.

Brian Palmer, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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