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Zero Tolerance Policy Not Acceptable to Catholic Hierarchy

Aired October 18, 2002 - 08:19   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.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: A major development from the Vatican this morning. The zero tolerance sex abuse policy proposed by U.S. bishops is not acceptable to the Roman Catholic hierarchy.
Let's turn to Jim Bitterman, who joins us now from Vatican City with the reaction -- good morning, Jim.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well, that's not exactly what we're hearing here this morning. We've just heard a news conference with Bishop Wilton Gregory. He's the head of the U.S. Bishops Conference. And he basically said that a commission is going to be set up, four members coming from the United States, four from the Vatican, who are going to go over the norms that were drawn up in Dallas in June by the American bishops, with a look towards modifying them.

He said there were basically three areas where the norms could possibly be in conflict with Vatican Canon Law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BISHOP WILTON GREGORY, U.S. CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS: The purpose of the commission is to bring the best wisdom of the Holy See and our Episcopal conference to a discussion of these issues. Our goal is to finish our work in time for the results to be presented to our Episcopal conference at our plenary assembly next month. And this effort will be a fully collaborative work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BITTERMANN: And that, of course, is not very long from now. In fact, the bishops' conference is slated for Washington the 11th to the 14th of November -- Paula.

ZAHN: Jim, there is a great deal of reaction stateside, particularly from families who have children who were allegedly victimized by priests. And they say that this reaction of the Vatican shows that the Vatican is more concerned about protecting offending priests than minors.

BITTERMANN: Well, this is, of course, is exactly what I think a lot of people around the Vatican thought that they were going to hear from victims' groups. They say, in the Vatican, that priests have rights, the accused have rights, too, especially before any kind of sex abuse charge is proven. One of the things that the Dallas provisions apply is that a priest would be automatically suspended as soon as there is an accusation against the priest about sex abuse. So the bishop could suspend him.

Another thing that should be said, I think, Paula, here is that this is only to get the Vatican's approval on these forms, on these norms that have been drawn up in Dallas. The fact is that individual bishops are the ones who are responsible for dealing with their priests and some of them are dealing with them in different ways. But they were hoping to get these norms approved by the Vatican and making a universal set of rules for the bishops to operate under -- Paula.

ZAHN: How long could that take, Jim?

BITTERMANN: Well, they're hoping to get this wrapped up by the 11th of November, when the bishops meet in Washington. So they're going to try to get it done rather speedily. We asked why this wasn't, this commission wasn't set up much earlier, for instance, back in April, when the cardinals from the United States were here. And Bishop Gregory said well, this was a matter for the American bishop to deal with first and for the Vatican to put its seal of approval on or deny its seal of approval to it, which is what's happened here today -- Paula.

ZAHN: Jim Bitterman, thanks for the update from Rome.

Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Hierarchy>


Aired October 18, 2002 - 08:19   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: A major development from the Vatican this morning. The zero tolerance sex abuse policy proposed by U.S. bishops is not acceptable to the Roman Catholic hierarchy.
Let's turn to Jim Bitterman, who joins us now from Vatican City with the reaction -- good morning, Jim.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well, that's not exactly what we're hearing here this morning. We've just heard a news conference with Bishop Wilton Gregory. He's the head of the U.S. Bishops Conference. And he basically said that a commission is going to be set up, four members coming from the United States, four from the Vatican, who are going to go over the norms that were drawn up in Dallas in June by the American bishops, with a look towards modifying them.

He said there were basically three areas where the norms could possibly be in conflict with Vatican Canon Law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BISHOP WILTON GREGORY, U.S. CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS: The purpose of the commission is to bring the best wisdom of the Holy See and our Episcopal conference to a discussion of these issues. Our goal is to finish our work in time for the results to be presented to our Episcopal conference at our plenary assembly next month. And this effort will be a fully collaborative work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BITTERMANN: And that, of course, is not very long from now. In fact, the bishops' conference is slated for Washington the 11th to the 14th of November -- Paula.

ZAHN: Jim, there is a great deal of reaction stateside, particularly from families who have children who were allegedly victimized by priests. And they say that this reaction of the Vatican shows that the Vatican is more concerned about protecting offending priests than minors.

BITTERMANN: Well, this is, of course, is exactly what I think a lot of people around the Vatican thought that they were going to hear from victims' groups. They say, in the Vatican, that priests have rights, the accused have rights, too, especially before any kind of sex abuse charge is proven. One of the things that the Dallas provisions apply is that a priest would be automatically suspended as soon as there is an accusation against the priest about sex abuse. So the bishop could suspend him.

Another thing that should be said, I think, Paula, here is that this is only to get the Vatican's approval on these forms, on these norms that have been drawn up in Dallas. The fact is that individual bishops are the ones who are responsible for dealing with their priests and some of them are dealing with them in different ways. But they were hoping to get these norms approved by the Vatican and making a universal set of rules for the bishops to operate under -- Paula.

ZAHN: How long could that take, Jim?

BITTERMANN: Well, they're hoping to get this wrapped up by the 11th of November, when the bishops meet in Washington. So they're going to try to get it done rather speedily. We asked why this wasn't, this commission wasn't set up much earlier, for instance, back in April, when the cardinals from the United States were here. And Bishop Gregory said well, this was a matter for the American bishop to deal with first and for the Vatican to put its seal of approval on or deny its seal of approval to it, which is what's happened here today -- Paula.

ZAHN: Jim Bitterman, thanks for the update from Rome.

Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Hierarchy>