Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Sunday

Interview With John Allen Jr.

Aired April 21, 2002 - 17:21   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: This nation's cardinals meet with Pope John Paul II this week in Rome. Today, Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law said it is a step toward healing. John Allen Jr. is the Vatican correspondent for "The National Catholic Reporter," and he joins us now from New York to talk more about that. Thanks for joining us.

JOHN ALLEN JR., "NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER": My pleasure, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. You are on the telephone. Well, hopefully, you heard my question. Bernard Law says this is a real launch pad, this is a step toward healing. Do you agree with that?

ALLEN JR.: Well, I think it can be. I think there are two things going on here. I think one is the symbolic message that's being sent, that the pope and the Vatican have woken up and realized the depth of the crisis that's present in the American church.

The other question is the substantive one. What new policies and procedures are the U.S. bishops going to adopt in June to get a handle on this problem. Clearly, this meeting at the Vatican is an attempt for the Vatican and the American bishops to get on the same page, and we're going to have to see. They have some very hard work to do over these next couple of days.

WHITFIELD: And in fact, you mentioned in June, in Dallas, there will be a conference of the bishops. The hope is that these cardinals will be able to take some copious notes, get some instruction from the pope on just what to disseminate in this country. Talking about the sex scandal and trying to encourage bishops to take it one step further, the complaints one step further, is one of the items on the agenda, or at least an instruction coming from the pope. What else might they expect to hear from him?

ALLEN JR.: Well, I think the things they are not going to hear from him would include questions like reexamining clerical celibacy or the ordination of women, or the teaching on homosexuality. These are some things that have been floated in American papers in recent days, but I think the truth is this pontificate has already given its answers to those questions.

The kinds of things they are going to be looking at would be the so-called automatic reporter policy that some in the United States are clamoring for that would oblige a bishop to report every credible allegation against a priest to the police. The Vatican has historically had reservations about that.

Or the notion that bishops ought to automatically release information publicly when there are allegations. The Vatican has had some concerns about confidentiality. Or the notion of the sort of one strike and you are out policy that's been floated in the United States in recent weeks, but the first offense that a priest commits ought to automatically remove him from ministry. The Vatican has long been concerned about protecting the due process rights of priests.

These are the kinds of differences between the mainstream of the U.S. bishops conference and Rome that have to be ironed out over these next couple of days, because last thing anyone wants is for the U.S. church to adopt new policies in June that would then be vetoed by Rome.

WHITFIELD: And John, we're looking at pictures now of the hope, who has been very frail, and he is continuing to struggle with Parkinson's. How much of this meeting will be directed and led by him, and how much of it then by his subordinates?

ALLEN JR.: Well, we've been told that Cardinal Dario Costrillon Hoyos, who is the Colombian cardinal, who is the Vatican's top official for clergy, will actually chair these meetings. Our understanding is that the pope will be in at the beginning, will make some remarks, will take part in the conversation, and then periodically over these two days, that is Tuesday and Wednesday, will drop in.

But our expectation is the actual substance of the meeting will be conducted without the pope in Rome, and the details will be hashed out between the American cardinals and officials of the American's bishop conference on the one hand and three senior Vatican officials on the other.

WHITFIELD: All right. John Allen of "The National Catholic Reporter," thanks for joining us on the phone. Sorry we were unable to get you in the studio in order to see you, but at least we got you on the phone, and that's a great help. Thanks for joining us.

ALLEN JR.: You bet. Thank you.

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