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American Morning
Catholic Priests Try to Make Sense of Allegations
Aired April 01, 2002 - 09:44 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: On Easter Sunday, Catholics around the world went to mass. Here in the U.S., the holiday came at a moment when many are trying to reconcile their own faith with the sex scandals plaguing the church. Many priest used Easter to try to reassure their parishioners. Because of the scandal, some priests have priest admitted feeling uncomfortable, even nervous, about wearing their collars in public.
But CNN's Rusty Dornin talked to one priest who is making a point of getting out and being seen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He walks some of the toughest streets in San Francisco, the Tenderloin, in Franciscan robes and sandals. Father Louie Vitale of Saint Boniface is not a priest who can, or would, disguise his calling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, will you re-bless this for me?
LOUIS VITALE, PASTOR, SAINT BONIFACE: Sure. God bless you, Robby. God bless you. This beautiful crucifix right at Easter time.
DORNIN: One of the 46,000 U.S. Priests feeling the pain of scandal.
VITALE: It's like when a bomb goes off in front of your house. You know, you just feel like bleeding for everybody.
How are you?
DORNIN: Meantime, there's work to be done.
VITALE: My gosh, I haven't seen you in quite a while.
DORNIN: Visits to the sick...
VITALE: May the goodness of God touch you.
DORNIN: Words of comfort at a senior center...
VITALE: So, God bless her, and we will remember her, keep her in our memory, and we will ask her to remember us.
DORNIN: Everywhere he goes, people reach out.
VITALE: How's it going?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I liked you, man.
DORNIN (on camera): People seem to really respond to you.
VITALE: They do. People really respond to this robe, you know, they really do. They know the Franciscans have been around here a long time. Once in a while, people will say, make some remark, especially with the stuff that is going on, Hey, we saw about you guys in the papers," or something like that, and they ask questions. But, for the most part, still, there is a much deeper kind of bond that we have, certainly, in this neighborhood.
DORNIN (voice-over): Most days are so busy, there is barely time to think.
VITALE: These guys will take good care of you.
DORNIN: Although what is happening in the headlines is never far from mind.
VITALE: With compassion, with love...
DORNIN (on camera): For thousands of priests like Father Vitale, the past few months have caused great shame, great sadness, but also reflection and profound soul searching.
VITALE: I -- the only way I can deal with this is by taking it to prayer. I just really have to pray. Like late at night, I pray a lot about it. We have to pay the price of what has happened. We have to suffer the pain. The victims are suffering pain, we have to suffer it, too.
DORNIN (voice-over): Prayers said in private and in public.
VITALE: Let us pray for those who have been victims of abuse by priests and religious -- and others in positions of responsibility, who have not had regard for those they have made victims.
DORNIN: Trust, says Vitale, will be the hardest thing for the church to regain. In the meantime, he and others like him say, they only thing they can do to help is to do their job.
VITALE: You're OK today, though.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, San Francisco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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