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CNN Live Sunday

Cardinal Law Breaks Silence

Aired April 21, 2002 - 17:01   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 ANCHOR: Boston Cardinal Bernard Law breaks his silence about the sexual abuse controversy rocking the Roman Catholic church. Law faced his parishioners today, saying he wishes he could turn back the clock and undo the harm and hurt caused by the church's handling of sexual abuse allegations.

Now more on today's comments by Cardinal Law. In mass today, Law called this crisis in the priesthood a wake-up call for the church. CNN's Michael Okwu has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Cathedral of the Holy Cross. A jubilee mass celebrating special wedding anniversaries.

But outside, protesters calling for the cardinal's ouster from the archdiocese he's been married to for almost two decades. There would be no resignation today, but in his first public appearance in the Boston area for two weeks Cardinal Law offered words of contrition.

CARDINAL BERNARD LAW: Regrettably, I and many others have been late to recognize the inadequacy of past policies, the dimensions of the crisis. I wish that I could turn the clock back and undo the harm, the hurt that have been caused to children, to families and others.

OKWU: He was direct.

LAW: When credible claims of abuse are made, priests must be removed from active ministry.

OKWU: The cardinal has been under fire for his handling of John Geoghan and Paul Shanley, two pedophile priests accused of molesting hundreds of children. The archdiocese transferred them from parish to parish around the country, despite knowing of the allegations.

Sunday, Law said he would take several messages to the Vatican meeting this week, including the need for the church to be more open, and open to having experts investigate patterns of sexual abuse in the clergy.

LAW: Please know that as long as I am in the position to do so, I will work tirelessly to address this crisis and to underscore its severity. This is a wake-up call for the church.

OKWU: Even some who have not entirely supported Law were ready to start the healing.

It's a very trying time, a very troubling time. But it's a time for the church to unite, to bring us together to support each other.

OKWU: Law's critics were more vocal than ever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's a coward. He's a coward of the first order. A coward of the first order. He can't protect our children. He can only protect himself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shame on you. (UNINTELLIGIBLE). You, Cardinal Law of the Archdiocese of Boston.

OKWU: By morning's end, the bullhorns of the protesters tried to drown out the singing of the cardinal's supporters, perched on the cathedral's threshold as Law himself secretly slipped from view. A standoff for now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKWU: Cardinal Law left for the Vatican this afternoon, armed with suggestions he hopes might bring about real change in the way the Catholic church deals with sexual misconduct among its rank and file -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Michael Okwu from Boston, thank you.

Law and 11 other American cardinals will be in Rome this week for meetings on restoring the church's credibility. The church leaders are expected to meet with Pope John Paul II. For the latest now from the Vatican, here's CNN Rome bureau chief Alessio Vinci.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pope John Paul II ordains 20 new priests in Rome on Sunday, telling them they have to live a humble life, a life, he said, without sins. But there was no mention in his homily of the sex scandals within the U.S. Catholic church. He did, however, mention the problem a day before, meeting with Nigerian bishops at the Vatican.

Priests, the pope said on Saturday, must live celibate lives and avoid scandalous behavior. These remarks were a clear call for greater discipline in the clergy.

The meetings are expected to focus on a series of guidelines the U.S. bishops have been working on for years. For example, how to deal with first allegations of sexual misconduct, when to report such cases to local authorities, and how to deal with priests accused of sex abuse.

CARDINAL FRANCIS GEORGE, CHICAGO: What might we do as a response not only in terms of being sure that the policies are good everywhere in the United States to handle accusations responsibly, but also is there something a little bit more of a pastoral response possible. In a sense of taking care of victims, I think that's usually done, but in the sense of taking care of all the Catholics who are so disturbed by this.

VINCI: Some pilgrims traveling to Rome hope these meetings will restore some trust in the American clergy, trust that is a vital element in the faith of all those who believe in the power of God.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope they put serious thought into what has been going on and how they are going to handle it, to make things a lot better for how people are feeling about the church.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It seems like before they tried to kind of sweep everything under the rug, whereas, you know, now they are really taking it seriously and looking deeper into it.

VINCI (on camera): Vatican officials warn against high expectations out of this meeting. It is, they say, a first significant opportunity to discuss the problem, but no one, they say, should expect a major announcement at the end of the gathering.

Alessio Vinci, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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