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CNN Saturday Morning News

Voice of the Faithful React to Cardinal Law's Resignation

Aired December 14, 2002 - 07:39   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.


ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN ANCHOR: Now one of the groups angrily calling for Law's resignation was Voice of the Faithful, a worldwide coalition of more than 25,000 practicing Catholics. The group formed earlier this year in response to the sex abuse scandal in Boston. Steve Krueger is the interim director of the reform group and he joins us now from Boston. Good morning, Steve.
STEVE KRUEGER, VOICE OF THE FAITHFUL: Good morning.

NEVILLE: Is the resignation enough, and do you think Cardinal Law should face criminal charges?

KRUEGER: Well let me just -- let me just respond by saying one thing. We did not call for Cardinal Law's resignation angrily. We called for his resignation very sorrowfully. And I think that's an important distinction for people to know.

With respect to criminal charges, we believe that -- that all perpetrators of clergy sexual abuse, including those that have been involved in any cover up, should be held accountable to the full extent of all civil laws within the jurisdictions in which they preside. Of course I can't comment specifically with respect to Cardinal Law.

However, additionally they should also be held accountable within the Church tribunals as it has been provided for in canon law and as it has -- has as it has most recently been provided for through the U.S. conference of bishops in the passing of the revised norms back in November at a -- at a standard that was actually established by the bishops last -- last June.

And they agreed as part of that that they were going to hold each other accountable and that in order for this or rather in order for that kind of a resolution to have teeth the bishops are going to have to come forward and to hold each other accountable in -- in those cases in other dioceses where there have been similar tragedies that have occurred its our belief that this is a -- an endemic problem and that what has happened here in this diocese is only the tip of the iceberg.

NEVILLE: Well then, do you think that Rome is finally cluing in to the gravity of the problem in the Catholic Church in America?

KRUEGER: We can only hope so. It -- it has to be pointed out that to the degree that they do understand what has happened here, it is only because the personnel files of the priests that have committed these terrible acts have been made public by the heroic actions of Judge Sweeney and in order for the Church to truly be cleansed the personnel files of all priests and all dioceses that have committed acts of clergy sexual abuse will have to be made public.

NEVILLE: Steve, you know I want to go ahead and take a look at now an excerpt from Cardinal Law's apology letter. He says, it is my fervent prayer that this action may help the Archdiocese of Boston to experience the healing, reconciliation and unity, which are so desperately needed. To all of those who have suffered from my shortcomings and mistakes I both apologize and from them beg forgiveness. I ask you Steve, does this go far enough?

KRUEGER: Well, as -- as Christians we -- we -- are called to forgiveness and -- but -- in terms of the healing that needs to take place within this dioceses, Cardinal Law's resignation is just a first step on the first leg of a very long journey.

There has to be a blueprint, a blueprint for healing within this dioceses and that blueprint needs to come about through the next bishop. We'll need to listen to the wounds and then we'll need to respond and to act on -- on what he hears and to work collaboratively with the -- with the survivors and with the laity and with the priests of this diocese.

NEVILLE: Then having said all of that, what is the next step for the Boston Archdiocese?

KRUEGER: Well, that's exactly it, that -- that there -- there -- there -- has to be an intent -- an intent -- listening on the part of the -- on the part of Bishop Lennon and there has to be some blueprint that is put together and it -- and it has to be a new kind of listening. It has to be a listening that actually results in action. And subsequent to that, there has to be consultative dialogue with the laity and the priests to find a permanent replacement for Cardinal Law and lastly what needs to happen is the Catholics within this dioceses and across the country have to step forward and have to acknowledge the responsibilities that -- that they have -- under the doctrine and laws of the Church...

NEVILLE: Sir, if you could -- don't mean to interrupt you but I'm short on time and I do want to get to this point here which is about the pending lawsuits. What happens now?

KRUEGER: Well, those -- those lawsuits that are currently on the table of course you know stay on the table. There has been some discussion that it may be in the best interests of the Archdiocese to file for bankruptcy in order to settle those lawsuits. It's our belief right now that that would probably not be the best pastoral response and as part of the healing the -- a -- the priority has to be in terms of the pastoral response to the people and the survivors of this dioceses.

NEVILLE: Finally before I let you go, listen, Cardinal Law has resigned but will it bring back trust and money to the Church?

KRUEGER: The damage that has been done to this dioceses will take tens of years to be remedied. The trust can be rebuilt but only through a collaborative dialogue. It's going to take work on the part of the bishops; it's going to take work on the part of groups like the Voice of the Faithful.

We encourage people to come to our web site to understand in a better way how they can do that at votf.org and eventually when people have trust and confidence in their church they will support it again financially.

NEVILLE: OK, sir, we'll leave it there I thank you so much, Steve Kreuger, for joining us here this morning on CNN. And we will be back after a break.

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




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Aired December 14, 2002 - 07:39   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN ANCHOR: Now one of the groups angrily calling for Law's resignation was Voice of the Faithful, a worldwide coalition of more than 25,000 practicing Catholics. The group formed earlier this year in response to the sex abuse scandal in Boston. Steve Krueger is the interim director of the reform group and he joins us now from Boston. Good morning, Steve.
STEVE KRUEGER, VOICE OF THE FAITHFUL: Good morning.

NEVILLE: Is the resignation enough, and do you think Cardinal Law should face criminal charges?

KRUEGER: Well let me just -- let me just respond by saying one thing. We did not call for Cardinal Law's resignation angrily. We called for his resignation very sorrowfully. And I think that's an important distinction for people to know.

With respect to criminal charges, we believe that -- that all perpetrators of clergy sexual abuse, including those that have been involved in any cover up, should be held accountable to the full extent of all civil laws within the jurisdictions in which they preside. Of course I can't comment specifically with respect to Cardinal Law.

However, additionally they should also be held accountable within the Church tribunals as it has been provided for in canon law and as it has -- has as it has most recently been provided for through the U.S. conference of bishops in the passing of the revised norms back in November at a -- at a standard that was actually established by the bishops last -- last June.

And they agreed as part of that that they were going to hold each other accountable and that in order for this or rather in order for that kind of a resolution to have teeth the bishops are going to have to come forward and to hold each other accountable in -- in those cases in other dioceses where there have been similar tragedies that have occurred its our belief that this is a -- an endemic problem and that what has happened here in this diocese is only the tip of the iceberg.

NEVILLE: Well then, do you think that Rome is finally cluing in to the gravity of the problem in the Catholic Church in America?

KRUEGER: We can only hope so. It -- it has to be pointed out that to the degree that they do understand what has happened here, it is only because the personnel files of the priests that have committed these terrible acts have been made public by the heroic actions of Judge Sweeney and in order for the Church to truly be cleansed the personnel files of all priests and all dioceses that have committed acts of clergy sexual abuse will have to be made public.

NEVILLE: Steve, you know I want to go ahead and take a look at now an excerpt from Cardinal Law's apology letter. He says, it is my fervent prayer that this action may help the Archdiocese of Boston to experience the healing, reconciliation and unity, which are so desperately needed. To all of those who have suffered from my shortcomings and mistakes I both apologize and from them beg forgiveness. I ask you Steve, does this go far enough?

KRUEGER: Well, as -- as Christians we -- we -- are called to forgiveness and -- but -- in terms of the healing that needs to take place within this dioceses, Cardinal Law's resignation is just a first step on the first leg of a very long journey.

There has to be a blueprint, a blueprint for healing within this dioceses and that blueprint needs to come about through the next bishop. We'll need to listen to the wounds and then we'll need to respond and to act on -- on what he hears and to work collaboratively with the -- with the survivors and with the laity and with the priests of this diocese.

NEVILLE: Then having said all of that, what is the next step for the Boston Archdiocese?

KRUEGER: Well, that's exactly it, that -- that there -- there -- there -- has to be an intent -- an intent -- listening on the part of the -- on the part of Bishop Lennon and there has to be some blueprint that is put together and it -- and it has to be a new kind of listening. It has to be a listening that actually results in action. And subsequent to that, there has to be consultative dialogue with the laity and the priests to find a permanent replacement for Cardinal Law and lastly what needs to happen is the Catholics within this dioceses and across the country have to step forward and have to acknowledge the responsibilities that -- that they have -- under the doctrine and laws of the Church...

NEVILLE: Sir, if you could -- don't mean to interrupt you but I'm short on time and I do want to get to this point here which is about the pending lawsuits. What happens now?

KRUEGER: Well, those -- those lawsuits that are currently on the table of course you know stay on the table. There has been some discussion that it may be in the best interests of the Archdiocese to file for bankruptcy in order to settle those lawsuits. It's our belief right now that that would probably not be the best pastoral response and as part of the healing the -- a -- the priority has to be in terms of the pastoral response to the people and the survivors of this dioceses.

NEVILLE: Finally before I let you go, listen, Cardinal Law has resigned but will it bring back trust and money to the Church?

KRUEGER: The damage that has been done to this dioceses will take tens of years to be remedied. The trust can be rebuilt but only through a collaborative dialogue. It's going to take work on the part of the bishops; it's going to take work on the part of groups like the Voice of the Faithful.

We encourage people to come to our web site to understand in a better way how they can do that at votf.org and eventually when people have trust and confidence in their church they will support it again financially.

NEVILLE: OK, sir, we'll leave it there I thank you so much, Steve Kreuger, for joining us here this morning on CNN. And we will be back after a break.

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




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