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CNN Live At Daybreak

Leaders of Catholic Church Forced to Address Most Unholy Series of Accusations

Aired March 25, 2002 - 05:16   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A painful knee injury forced Pope John Paul to scale back his participation in Palm Sunday observances. For the first time in his papacy, the 81-year-old pope had a cardinal celebrate mass for him at The Vatican. But John Paul did read the homily and several prayers.

And as the holiest week for Catholics begin, leaders of the church throughout the country have been forced to address a most unholy series of accusations.

CNN's Brian Palmer has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Standing room only on Palm Sunday at the country's most famous Catholic cathedral.

CARDINAL EDWARD EGAN, ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK: A letter is available for everyone as you leave the cathedral concerning a matter that is on the minds of all of us, the violation of young people by the clergy.

PALMER: New York's Cardinal Edward Egan touched on the issue of abuse several times during mass.

EGAN: I have taken steps to see that there is no more of this. This evil will be stamped out with all the fervor of the lord and the lord's people.

PALMER: The cardinal did not delve deeper or detail those steps. Gabe Stanor (ph) read Cardinal Edward Egan's letter after mass.

GABE STANOR: I think that everybody's running for cover right now and I think certainly the cardinal and Catholic Church are running for cover.

PALMER: Not everyone was critical of the cardinal. Letticia Vandeput (ph) and Paul Elezando (ph) are visiting New York from Texas.

LETTICIA VANDEPUT: The cardinal, in his opening remarks, faced it head on and said something about it. I was surprised that I heard it right at the beginning. PALMER: In Washington, D.C., Father Charles Green mentioned sexual abuse. This, after Archbishop Cardinal Theodore McCarrick issued a short statement referring to a specific allegation against a monsignor, whom some parishioners continue to support.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was a good pastor the whole time he was here and a lot of people support him and just want to make sure he's OK.

PALMER: But some still have questions. Across the country the same topic but different tones. In a letter to his parishioners, a tough tone from Philadelphia's Archbishop Cardinal Bevilacqua, offering an accused priest his compassion, but saying, "Nevertheless, the action of which he is accused is grave and demands our immediate attention in conformity with the practice of the archdiocese, since the protection of youth is paramount."

Boston Cardinal Bernard Law got praise for actions he took in the wake of the case that started it all, that of convicted abuser John Geoghan.

PHIL SAVIANO, SURVIVORS' NETWORK: It's taken him a while to get up to speed, but the provisions that he is supporting these days, which is to turn over the names of all the molesters that have been reported to him going back, say, 30 years, also turn over the names of the victims so that police investigators can do a proper investigation, those are very important.

PALMER: Many Catholics would like to see Cardinal Law's colleagues follow suit.

Brian Palmer, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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