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12 of America's Catholic Bishops in Rome For Meetings at Vatican

Aired April 21, 2002 - 11:02   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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Topping our news this morning, 12 of America's Catholic bishops in Rome this week for meetings at the Vatican. They're expected to talk about the ongoing sex scandal in the church. Boston's archbishop Cardinal Bernard Law is at the center of that scandal, but before heading to Rome this hour, he's leading mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, and CNN's Michael Okwu is outside the church and he joins us now with the latest. Hi there, Michael.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, good morning to you. This will be the cardinal's first public appearance in about two weeks. About two weeks ago, he said a funeral in New Hampshire, but he has not been seen publicly in Boston or said mass for even over two weeks, even over three weeks actually.

This was a very quiet morning here in the south end of Boston, at the Cathedral for the Holy Cross. You can see just over my left shoulder that protesters have been assembling here now for the better part of about an hour.

Dozens of them are here calling for the cardinal to resign, saying that he and the archdiocese here did not deal appropriately with two pedophile priests, essentially shuffling them from parish to parish and around the country, even though they knew that allegations against these priests had already been submitted.

Now just moments ago, the archbishop actually showed up here at the Cathedral for the Holy Cross. He shook hands with several people who were here waiting for him, and then prepared to make his address to the congregates this morning. He's expected to say a homily, and we expect that he may be contrite and certainly address what is going on in the Catholic Church.

We want to show you live pictures now inside the court - inside, I'm sorry, the church proceeding, procession of priests is going down the aisle now. This is a very special mass at this very special and beautiful cathedral this morning. There's actually a jubilee mass, so it gives people the opportunity to celebrate special anniversaries for those people who have been married for 25 years and 50 years.

In a matter of speaking, the cardinal himself has been married to the archdiocese of Boston, but many people here are trying to get him to sever that relationship, to essentially tender his resignation. They say that the way he dealt specifically with the priests John Gaughan (ph) and Paul Shanley was inappropriate, that he shuffled them from district to district, even though allegations of sexual misconduct had become public, at least known to those people who were leading the archdiocese here in Boston.

In the last two weeks, a public outcry has reached something of a crescendo. On April 8th, documents about Reverend Shanley were made available to the public and that same day, the archdiocese released a statement aimed at placating the public.

Days later, on April 12th, the archbishop sent a letter to other priests saying that he's staying in the archdiocese, "as long as God gives me the opportunity." And then days later on April 16th, the media learned that the cardinal had actually been having secret meetings at the Vatican and, in fact, saw the Pontiff himself.

Now again, after that he made another statement, a public written statement saying that he intended to stay on with the archdiocese and serve his congregates "with every fiber of my being."

Fredricka, we expect again for the cardinal to address the congregates inside in about 15 minutes, when he gives his homily or his sermon. No one knows exactly what he is going to say, but we expect that he has to address this very public crisis in the Catholic Church. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Michael, when does Cardinal Law actually begin his journey to Rome to meet with the Pope along with the other cardinals from this country?

OKWU: Well, at this point, about four cardinals have already left the United States on their way to the Vatican. We expect that Cardinal Law will be leaving at some point, obviously after his sermon. We are hearing that it might be as early as today, but likely at some point tomorrow. The archdiocese has not told us of his specific plans, but we are hearing that it is likely going to be tomorrow. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Michael, we'll see you again later on in this hour, and of course, we'll be taking our viewers back to Boston for Cardinal Law's homily when that takes place.

Well this week, the Pope begins meetings with the American bishops, and it is hoped that on these plans, American bishops will do more to aggressively investigate allegations of sexual abuse.

Meantime, the Pontiff has ordained 20 new priests, and yesterday he spoke to thousands of faithful in Vatican City. He prayed for peace in the Middle East crisis.

This week, when the Pope begins meetings with the American bishops, they'll be looking for quite a few objectives, and helping us to explore that now is Larry Cirigiano. He joins us from our Washington Bureau and he's President of the Catholic Alliance. Thanks for joining us.

LARRY CIRIGIANO, PRESIDENT, CATHOLIC ALLIANCE: Howdy.

WHITFIELD: Well, among the things to be discussed most obviously, of course, the sexual scandals that have involved the Catholic priests, more specifically it's believed that the Pope will be asking these bishops to do more about being more aggressive in reporting and following up on those reports of sexual abuse. Do you believe this is going to be a good framework in which for those bishops to work with?

CIRIGIANO: Well, I think the expectation is that the Holy Father will give them a unified policy, so that we will have one policy throughout the entire country and all the diocese.

WHITFIELD: There have been some parishioners and even others outside the church who have said the Pope needs to address the issue of celibacy, but the Pope has made it very clear that that discussion won't even take place. Do you have a problem with that?

CIRIGIANO: No. It's a misnomer to say that celibacy causes this problem. That's absolutely not the case. There's plenty of coaches and teachers and lay people, parents, and others who have been accused of these crimes that are obviously married and having sexual relations. This is not caused by celibacy and it shouldn't be part and parcel of the discussion.

WHITFIELD: And how pivotal do you see it that these conversations are even going to take place, that the Pope has invited these cardinals and that they will be carrying out such discussions?

CIRIGIANO: Well, it's obviously very important. Right now, we have individual diocese with different rules and regulations and it goes across from cardinal to cardinal and bishop to bishop. It would be very helpful if they would come together and have one unified policy.

WHITFIELD: Now Cardinal Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles wants to raise the question, or at least try to elicit some discussion with the Pope about marriage, about whether priests should be given the opportunity to marry. Do you think that's a smart move on his behalf?

CIRIGIANO: Cardinal Mahoney is one of the people who has most interest in this right now. He was one of the people who was falsely accused most recently. I think all these discussions have to be full and open on all that they want to talk about certainly if they have the opportunity.

WHITFIELD: OK. Now, Mr. Cirigiano, let me interrupt you briefly. We want to take all of us back to Cardinal Law who's now addressing the parishioners there in Boston.

CARDINAL BERNARD LAW: The seriousness of the issue, the crisis of clergy sexual abuse of minors is not just a media-driven or public perception concern in the United States, but is a very serious issue undermining the mission of the church.

Protection of children: The protection of children must be the number one priority. When credible claims of abuse are made, priests must be removed from active ministry.

Support for persons abused: A variety of support services must be provided to help those individuals and families who have been victimized.

Support for active priests: The overwhelming majority of priests who continue to serve the church and minister with dedication and integrity must be supported, not only during this time of crisis, but also on a continuing basis in new and significant ways.

Education: A comprehensive educational program must be developed around this issue for children, parents, teachers at all levels, clergy, pastoral staffs, and all church workers.

Need for greater openness: In order to insure the protection of children, it is important that essential information be shared with those who have a right to know.

The role of the Laity: The laity should have a stronger voice in the life of the church. With specific regard to the handling of sexual abuse cases, significant presence of lay persons on boards of review, on boards that review all such cases should be encouraged, as has been the case in the archdiocese of Boston since 1993, when a board comprised almost totally of lay persons was established. Thought must also be given as to how the roles of such bodies as archdiocesan and diocesan pastoral councils can be enhanced.

Pastoral support: Appropriate pastoral support must also be provided for priests against whom credible allegations have been made. Thought must be given as to what this care should be and how it can best provided. More adequate procedures must also be considered to effect layitization when it is appropriate.

The pastoral nature of the church's response: The church's primary response to victims in addressing claims of such abuse should be a pastoral one. We must be a church of healing and reconciliation.

Review of data: We should enlist the assistance of experts to study the data on the cases of living priests against whom credible allegations of abuse have been made, in the hope that such study might yield helpful information about this pathology in general, and specifically, concerning this pathology as it relates to the clergy.

Although I have highlighted just a few areas in this statement, be sure that I will also attempt to reflect what I have heard in various listening sessions and pastoral encounters.

Despite the anger and broken trust that many feel toward me, and despite perceptions that next week is simply a gathering of aged, conservative cardinals and Vatican officials, please know that as long as I am in a position to do so, I will work tirelessly to address this crisis and to underscore its severity.

This is a wakeup call for the church. The unprecedented meeting next week is a clear signal that the Holy sea and church leadership in the United States recognize the gravity of the current situation. These discussions will set the groundwork for additional action in the future.

However challenging these days are for all of us, I firmly believe that God has given us an opportunity to make positive and significant changes for the future. In this archdiocese, for example, we have already implemented policies that clearly put the protection of children first, and which insure that no assignment be given a priest against whom a credible allegation of such abuse has been made.

Furthermore, we have provided to the appropriate authorities, public authorities, the names of all such priests known to us, the names of all such living priests known to us.

Please keep this upcoming meeting in your prayers. While I do not expect it to result in a detailed program, for that would be premature, it will be of great significance in preparation for the June 2002 meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and for further efforts to work with the Holy sea to address this issue.

As always, when I am away, as when I am here, I carry you, my brothers and sisters of the Archdiocese of Boston in my thoughts and in my prayers. I ask you to please pray for me, even as I continue to pray for you.

WHITFIELD: All right. You've been watching and listening to Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston, asking his parishioners in that church. "I ask you to please pray for me." This is the first time we've heard from Cardinal Law in two weeks. Two weeks has been riddled by criticism coming from all corners throughout Boston, the archdiocese, and throughout the country, asking and demanding that Cardinal Law had done more to better handle all the reported sexual abuse cases in the Boston church.

Let's go now to Michael Okwu who's standing outside the church there, with a little bit more on the debriefing. This is the first time we've heard from the cardinal. The protesters that are outside the church there, Michael, were they able to hear the cardinal speak?

OKWU: Well, I have a monitor right here in front of me and some of the protesters started leaning in when they recognized that the cardinal was actually up on the altar and speaking, because it was quite unusual. It was an extraordinary statement, not only in terms of its context, but also in terms of its placement within the body of the mass.

Usually, the presenter at the mass, the cardinal in this case, would have made such a statement during the sermon, during the homily, which comes some 15 minutes into the service. But it was very clear the degree to which the cardinal felt that he needed to address this matter forthrightly and immediately.

He went on to say that in spite of the fact that people believe that he should be resigning, it was a very clear signal he said for the public and also to the Vatican that something should be done, that this is really a crisis for the Catholic Church. He said that this is not just a media-driven concern, but a very serious issue undermining the mission of the church, so he seemed to be addressing the fact, the criticism of some of the supporters who said that this is really the media riding this thing, and he was very clear about saying no, it's not just the media. This is something that we have to deal with. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And even the cardinal was rather candid about what he calls the aged and conservative meeting of Vatican officials and other cardinals in Rome, and that he despite any sort of hurdle that he's now encountering, he is committed to the church and he is committed to work tirelessly toward helping others find some truth and restore trust in the Catholic Church.

OKWU: That's exactly right. I mean he went through this address in very sort of outlined form. Clearly, he's been thinking a great deal about this. It could very well be, and this is pure speculation, that in his discussions with Vatican officials and including the Pontiff himself, that he may have been at that point conceiving just exactly what he was going to say, how he was going to address the concerns of the church, this particular archdiocese and the concerns that he personally has.

He says that - he made the point that children are the top priority of the church, and that protecting those children is paramount at this point. And he also went on to say that it was clear that the church needed to put programs in place, an educational program if you will, to make sure that the pathologies of living priests who have been accused of sexual abuse, could be understood so that these problems in the future do not come up. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Michael Okwu, thank you very much from Boston. We want to bring back our guest now, Larry Cirigiano, who is the President of the Catholic Alliance in Washington. How remarkable did you find Cardinal Law's remarks to be?

CIRIGIANO: It was very clear and straightforward I thought, and it was very interesting that he would do it before the mass.

WHITFIELD: And it was very poignant that he would do this before departing, because these are the first words that anyone has heard directly from Cardinal Law himself in the last two weeks. An awful lot of criticism coming from his own parishioners that he didn't address them sooner. Do you suppose that they might be satisfied somewhat now?

CIRIGIANO: Look, if you're a victim or a parent of a victim, you're never going to be satisfied no matter what. I think we expect that he is doing what he can do, and he's doing it - for the church, they're doing it at lightning speed.

WHITFIELD: And he made it very clear that it is his hope that this meeting at the Vatican with the Pope and other cardinals, that perhaps this might set for a good foundation for the upcoming Conference of Bishops in June in Dallas.

CIRIGIANO: Right and that's where --

WHITFIELD: How do you suppose this might be instrumental in doing that?

CIRIGIANO: Yes, I think very much so. They will come together and open up whatever topics they want to discuss and set the groundwork and do the studying and find the research to talk about the actual numbers and statistics and policies that exist.

We have a broad patchwork of policies around the country, and I think when they start to discuss, they'll find what works in different areas and bring them all together and come up with the best policy and do it in unison so that when we get through Dallas, we should have a national policy.

WHITFIELD: All right, Larry Cirigiano, thank you very much for joining us from Washington, President of the Catholic Alliance. And CNN's Connie Chung will have in-depth coverage of the "Crisis in the Priesthood." Join Connie as she reports live from Rome. Coverage begins Monday right here on CNN.

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Demonstrations continue in Washington. We'll take a closer look at the wide variety of causes being represented in the streets of the nation's capitol.

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