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Law to Offer Resignation Tomorrow
Aired December 12, 2002 - 14:15 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law has been subpoenaed to testify in a criminal probe into child sexual abuse by priests. Well, the "Boston Globe" reports the subpoena was issued Friday, the day before Law left for Rome on a previously unannounced trip. Law has been discussing the crisis in Boston with officials at the Vatican, and he may be called to meet with the pope.
For more on all this, we turn to CNN Vatican Correspondent, Delia Gallagher. She joins now on the phone from Rome -- so what's the situation, Delia?
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, this is really the night before the big day here in Rome. Tomorrow, it's expected that Cardinal Law will meet with the pope and offer him his resignation.
To say, of course, that the cardinal will offer his resignation is really stating the obvious, because he has already made the offer, in April. It was rejected by the pope, and it's not even up to the cardinal at this stage whether he will resign or not. It's all in the hands of the pope, and we'll have to wait and see tomorrow what that decision will be.
PHILLIPS: Well, the pope doesn't accept it in April, so what are the chances that the pope will accept it this time around?
GALLAGHER: Well, there are some circumstances which have changed since April. You know the idea here is that a resignation of a cardinal is not seen as a punishment. It's rather expected that one stays in and continues to clean up the mess that he created.
However, now, nine months later, we see that there are new revelations, and perhaps the most difficult revelation of all is that he doesn't have the support anymore of his priests or some of his priests, at least, and the Catholics in the Boston archdiocese.
So this will really be the case that Cardinal Law will have to plead, if he does, indeed, want to resign, that he doesn't have that support anymore on a pastoral level, and that might change the pope's mind to say he can't be an effective leader anymore in the archdiocese.
PHILLIPS: Delia Gallagher, Vatican correspondent, joining us from Rome. We appreciate the update, Delia.
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 December 12, 2002 - 14:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law has been subpoenaed to testify in a criminal probe into child sexual abuse by priests. Well, the "Boston Globe" reports the subpoena was issued Friday, the day before Law left for Rome on a previously unannounced trip. Law has been discussing the crisis in Boston with officials at the Vatican, and he may be called to meet with the pope.
For more on all this, we turn to CNN Vatican Correspondent, Delia Gallagher. She joins now on the phone from Rome -- so what's the situation, Delia?
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, this is really the night before the big day here in Rome. Tomorrow, it's expected that Cardinal Law will meet with the pope and offer him his resignation.
To say, of course, that the cardinal will offer his resignation is really stating the obvious, because he has already made the offer, in April. It was rejected by the pope, and it's not even up to the cardinal at this stage whether he will resign or not. It's all in the hands of the pope, and we'll have to wait and see tomorrow what that decision will be.
PHILLIPS: Well, the pope doesn't accept it in April, so what are the chances that the pope will accept it this time around?
GALLAGHER: Well, there are some circumstances which have changed since April. You know the idea here is that a resignation of a cardinal is not seen as a punishment. It's rather expected that one stays in and continues to clean up the mess that he created.
However, now, nine months later, we see that there are new revelations, and perhaps the most difficult revelation of all is that he doesn't have the support anymore of his priests or some of his priests, at least, and the Catholics in the Boston archdiocese.
So this will really be the case that Cardinal Law will have to plead, if he does, indeed, want to resign, that he doesn't have that support anymore on a pastoral level, and that might change the pope's mind to say he can't be an effective leader anymore in the archdiocese.
PHILLIPS: Delia Gallagher, Vatican correspondent, joining us from Rome. We appreciate the update, Delia.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
